Private Newport, Home at Seafair
“Home” has never meant as much as it does now (as we self-quarantine) or carried as much significance as a place of refuge in troubling times. With two coffee table… Read More
Author: Bettie Bearden Pardee
Topiaries, Whimsy in the Making
Last week I posted about a very favorite topic for this gardener, hedges. And what’s the natural follow-on? Topiaries, the next step in a hedges artistic evolution.The art of training,… Read More
English Hedges
While one might think of England as all about herbaceous flower borders, there is actually an entire design discipline that has made an art form of hedges. They seem to… Read More
Yellow, Spring’s Signature Color
Doesn’t yellow just signal spring to you? Perhaps because it is the first color that dots the bare landscape, from daffodils (above) to forsythia (below). And this year, (fingers crossed!),… Read More
Blue and White in the Bahamas
No surprise! That winning, ever popular color duo, white and blue, is alive and well in the Caribbean. But there are fresh takes, unusual pairings, and new perspectives at play… Read More
Inspiring Garden Design: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is unique to me among house museums today for its continuing focus on its namesake’s passion for horticulture and garden design. Sited, appropriately,… Read More
Inspiring Garden Design: Spring at Hidcote
Looking back on these images has me thinking “how lucky was I?!” Early last May, I was in the Cotswolds happy beyond words to be experiencing such gardens as Hidcote… Read More
Inspiring Garden Design: 12 Tropical Details to Borrow
Every trip, every new destination offers a welcome opportunity to look at design from another perspective…one of the many reasons to justify travel. Oftentimes, a reminder is enough to freshen… Read More
Bahamian Moments
The Lyford Cay Design weekend was an elegant, inspiring and festive few days in an iconic setting. Part of the pleasure of the weekend were the many “pinch me” moments,… Read More
Inspiring Garden Design: The Talented Mr. Brown
This annual “Inspiring Garden Design” series is going to have an international flavor in 2020, starting with the Cotswolds. There are many reasons that I traveled to England in December,… Read More