Oops! in the Garden 2022
What a lollapalooza of a year for garden challenges…frequent and strong winds, torrential downpours (rather than soft showers), a constant brigade of bunnies, and a new blight on the horizon… Read More
Author: Bettie Bearden Pardee
Summer Details in the Parterre Garden
Here at Parterre, ours is a green scheme that so suits a formal French stroll garden. The peace and cool that shades of green provide have proven, as always, a… Read More
Floral Borders that Inspire
Aaaah, spring or summer (or perhaps winter, depending on where you are…), floral borders are a part of any landscape, or certainly garden! Perhaps you’re first thought is of the… Read More
On Tour: A First Time Peek at Parterre’s Interiors
There’s a saying in our fabled town, not hyperbole when you remember that it was founded in 1639, that “all roads lead to Newport.” And so it was that a… Read More
Newport’s Hydrangeas, all Around the Town
It’s been a Technicolor summer as regards a seasonal favorite, hydrangeas, adding immeasurably to the pleasures of these sun-kissed months. All around town they’re the “talk of the town,” as… Read More
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum’s 275th Anniversary
In addition to the many natural assets of which my beloved town can boast – from embracing sea breezes to extended green landscapes –are three centuries of architectural excellence and… Read More
A Newport Summer
As I write this post, with a languid breeze fluttering the drapes, I’m convinced that my friends, Nick Mele and Ruthie Sommers, ordered this weather. It has been the sunniest,… Read More
Roses at Parterre
We built our home, Parterre, twenty-three years ago this month. Can’t believe it’s been that long!! When creating the gardens we kept in mind that this would be a summer… Read More
Ideas to Borrow from Cotswold Gardens, Part 2
In reflecting back on my Cotswold garden trip, I realize it was a story of good “bones”…as seen in landscape vistas, vanishing points, topiaries, and hedges. But it is the… Read More
11 Ideas to Borrow from Cotswolds Gardens
This is always one of my favorite posts to write…just after a wonderful garden trip and while my mind is still fresh with all the visions and inspiration. Not only… Read More