Lovely Pittsford gardens—August 4, 2026

On Tuesday, August 4, FCGN will visit the Pittsford gardens of Pamela O’Connor Chapman. Many of us remember visiting Pamela’s former property in Victor, with its swale of wildlife-friendly gardens bordering on a golf course. She and her husband Ken have since moved to Pittsford, and she provided this information about their move and the new gardens:

Leaving the gardens she created in Victor was difficult for Pamela when she and her husband, Ken, sold their home and moved to Woodbury Place at the end of 2023. However, she loves her new home, calling it her “happy place,” and sees herself not as its owner but as its steward.

Originally built in 1927 as the carriage house for the Strong-Woodbury mansion, the house was purchased in 1988 by two couples, who completely renovated the building and converted it into two separate residences that share a common wall. The property adjoins land owned by the Woodbury Association and the neighboring property, with no clearly defined boundaries, creating a lovely vista of open lawns, majestic trees, and two picturesque waterways—Benders Creek and Allen’s Creek.

When Pamela and Ken purchased the property, the garden beds were already established but were dominated by numerous boxwoods, a Bradford pear tree, several Miss Kim lilacs, and many burning bushes. A berm, created in 1988, features graceful birch trees surrounded by a dense thicket of conifers that provide wonderful habitat for birds, small mammals, and other wildlife. Pamela and Ken have preserved this berm intact. However, with the exception of some of the boxwoods and a few Karl Foerster grasses, the remaining garden beds have been completely transformed.

Building on the experience gained from creating their gardens in Victor, and drawing inspiration from some of Pamela’s favorite gardening mentors, both locally and online, she is creating gardens that are beautiful, pollinator-friendly, sustainable, and pesticide-free. Approximately 75 percent of the plants are native species, reflecting the recommendation of Dr. Doug Tallamy that landscapes should contain at least 70 percent native plants to help restore healthy ecosystems.

Several years ago, Pamela learned from fellow gardener, Judy Hubbard, the familiar gardening adage* that plants spend their first three years “sleeping, creeping, and leaping.” As you stroll through the gardens, both Pamela and the plants ask for your patience. Plants installed during the first spring are now leaping; those planted last year are creeping; and those added this year—including a couple of brand-new garden beds—are simply sleeping.

As a steward of this land, Pamela continually reminds herself that gardening is an act of patience and hope. Her care for this special place—are not only for her own enjoyment, but also for the birds, butterflies, bees and future generations who will one day inherit this landscape.

*And founding member of FCGN! Yeah, Judy!

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