Preserving history and artistry at America’s oldest topiary garden
Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is filled with horticultural art
EVERGREEN ANIMALS. THE FIRST CUT IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST. THAT’S WHERE THE GROWTH IS VERY FLUSH ACROSS THE ENTIRE TOPIARY. TRY AND KEEP THOSE HEAVY CUTS TO THE TO THE FALL AND THE WINTER. SO WHEN THE SPRING COMES AROUND, THOSE AREAS CAN FILL IN AGAIN. EVAN AIDAN IS BOTH A SCIENTIST AND AN ARTIST. PROFESSIONALLY, HE GOES BY CHIEF HORTICULTURALIST. THERE’S A GREAT AMOUNT OF ART THAT GOES INTO THE GARDENS WELL BEYOND THE TOPIARIES. I CAN ADD PERSONALITY AND FORM TO THOSE ON A YEARLY BASIS, BUT EVERY YEAR I CHOOSE THE LAYOUT OF THE FLOWERS THROUGHOUT THE GARDENS. THE LESS PERMANENT PETALS COLOR AND COMPLEMENT THE OLDEST TOPIARY GARDEN IN THE COUNTRY. GREEN ANIMALS IN PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND. SOME OF THE TOPIARIES IN THAT GARDEN ARE CLOSE TO 100 YEARS OLD, IF NOT OLDER. THOMAS BRIGHTON, TREASURER OF THE UNION COTTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN FALL RIVER, BOUGHT THE ESTATE IN 1872. HE LATER RECRUITED A FACTORY EMPLOYEE, JOSE JOE CARREIRO, TO GARDEN THE PROPERTY. PORTUGUESE GARDENING IN PARTICULAR COMES FROM MOORISH INFLUENCE, WHERE THE GARDENS PRESENT AS INDIVIDUAL SPACES RATHER THAN A GRAND SPACE. A NATIVE OF THE AZORES, CARREIRO ESTABLISHED AN EDIBLE GARDEN FIRST TO SUSTAIN THE ESTATE, THEN STARTED SHOWCASING HIS ARTISTRY, SHAPING THE EVERGREENS INTO ANIMALS. YOU LOOK AROUND, YOU MAY LOOK FOR GRAND VIEWS LIKE IN ENGLISH, GARDENING OR FRENCH GARDENING, BUT YOU WON’T FIND THAT GRAND VISTA. IT’S INDIVIDUAL SPACES MEANT TO PIQUE CURIOSITY AND FOCUS ON WHAT YOU’RE NEAR, RATHER THAN THE SPACE AS A WHOLE. IN 1945, CARRERO’S SON IN LAW, JORGE MENDONCA, TOOK OVER, FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS. I USE ALL THE TOOLS UNDER THE SUN AS A GARDENER. AIDAN STARTED WORKING HERE THREE YEARS AGO. ONE OF JUST TWO FULL TIME EMPLOYEES WHO MAINTAIN THE GROUNDS. WE’VE RECENTLY SWITCHED OVER TO PRETTY MUCH AN ALL ELECTRIC POWER FORCE. IT ALLOWS US TO DO MORE WORK ACROSS THE GARDEN. WHILE VISITORS ARE HERE ON A LESS NOISE, INTENSE BASIS, ALL SEVEN ACRES HERE REQUIRE YEAR ROUND CARE. AND WHILE AIDAN HAS CREATIVE CONTROL OVER THE ANNUALS WHEN IT COMES TO THE ANIMALS, THE GOAL IS TO PRESERVE THE SHRUBS SHAPE. WHEN THE NEW GROWTH COMES IN THE SPRING. THAT’S REALLY MY BIG OPPORTUNITY TO ADD DEFINITION WHERE I GET NEW GROWTH I CAN TAKE AWAY AND ADD TO CREATE SHADOWS OR DIFFERENT SHAPES. BUT EVERY SO OFTEN AN OPPORTUNITY ARISES TO REIMAGINE AN ANIMAL’S IDENTITY. THERE WAS A DONKEY THAT LOST ITS HEAD BEFORE I ARRIVED. I HAVE SINCE REFASHIONED THAT INTO WHAT IS A VERY PRESENTABLE CHIMPANZEE OR GRAY APE. IT’S A VERY BEAUTIFUL PLACE. IT’S A LOVELY GARDEN, ESPECIALLY. IT SHOWCASES THE KIND OF VERY NICE WAY OF TURNING NATURE INTO SOMETHING MIRACLE AND FANTASTICAL. WE DO OVER 40,000 VISITORS A YEAR, FROM THE FARM TO THE DESERT AND WITHIN THE DEPTHS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, THESE FINELY FORMED FAUNA, IMMORTALIZED IN FLORA, ARE UPHOLDING A CENTURY OLD INSTITUTION WITH A VERY PROUD STEWARD. IT IS A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME A HUGE HONOR. AND I VERY MUCH STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS OUT HERE. IT’S A DREAM I NEVER KNEW I REALLY HAD. WHAT A SKILL. AND THOMAS BRIGHTON DAUGHTER ALICE NAMED THE GREEN ANIMALS TOPIARY GARDEN BECAUSE OF ALL THE GREEN ANIMALS THAT WERE THERE. AND SHE LOVED TO ENTERTAIN. SHE HOSTED THE LIKES OF JACQUELINE BOUVIER, WHO OF COURSE BECAME JACQUELINE KENNEDY AND LATER IN ALICE’S LIFE SHE HOSTED JACQUELINE’S SON JOHN F KENNEDY JR AN
Preserving history and artistry at America’s oldest topiary garden
Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is filled with horticultural art
Updated: 8:26 PM EDT Jun 19, 2025
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In Portsmouth, Rhode Island, science and art combine at Green Animals Topiary Garden, the oldest topiary garden in the United States. Evan Aten, the garden’s chief horticulturist, sees his role as both scientific and artistic. “There’s a great amount of art that goes into the gardens well beyond the topiaries,” Aten said. “Every year, I choose the layout of the flowers throughout the gardens, adding personality and form.”The topiaries themselves, some more than 100 years old, are a legacy of the estate’s storied past. Originally purchased in 1872 by Thomas Brayton, a prominent businessman, the property’s transformation began under the care of José “Joe” Carreiro, a Portuguese immigrant and factory worker.Carreiro’s artistry blossomed as he shaped evergreens into animal forms, a tradition continued by his son-in-law, George Mendonça, who managed the garden for four decades after World War II. Today, Aten and one other full-time staff member maintain the grounds, blending tradition with modern innovation. “We’ve recently switched over to pretty much an all-electric power force,” Aten said. “It allows us to do more work across the gardens while visitors are here on a less noise-intense basis.”Green Animals Topiary Garden attracts more than 40,000 visitors annually.
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. —
In Portsmouth, Rhode Island, science and art combine at Green Animals Topiary Garden, the oldest topiary garden in the United States.
Evan Aten, the garden’s chief horticulturist, sees his role as both scientific and artistic.
“There’s a great amount of art that goes into the gardens well beyond the topiaries,” Aten said. “Every year, I choose the layout of the flowers throughout the gardens, adding personality and form.”
The topiaries themselves, some more than 100 years old, are a legacy of the estate’s storied past. Originally purchased in 1872 by Thomas Brayton, a prominent businessman, the property’s transformation began under the care of José “Joe” Carreiro, a Portuguese immigrant and factory worker.
Carreiro’s artistry blossomed as he shaped evergreens into animal forms, a tradition continued by his son-in-law, George Mendonça, who managed the garden for four decades after World War II. Today, Aten and one other full-time staff member maintain the grounds, blending tradition with modern innovation. “We’ve recently switched over to pretty much an all-electric power force,” Aten said. “It allows us to do more work across the gardens while visitors are here on a less noise-intense basis.”
Green Animals Topiary Garden attracts more than 40,000 visitors annually.