Smell the Roses
Would they…or wouldn’t they? Roses, an always anticipated category in the Newport Flower Show, can keep us on pins and needles awaiting their bloom time. But they burst forth with… Read More
Author: Bettie Bearden Pardee
The Colors of Summer: The Parterre Bench
This post is a tribute to my mother, whose birthday was June 25th. A beautiful, kind, gracious, Southern belle, she just happened to adore Shirley poppies…which just happen to bloom… Read More
Postcards from Parterre’s Garden
This was certainly the year to take a few (no, a lot) of gulps as regards the garden. Rain, rain, rain. And just as I was thinking “good, yes, but… Read More
The Newport Flower Show…What to Wear?
The “unofficial” start of the Newport Summer Season is the Friday opening night party for the Newport Flower Show. Coming as it does at the almost end of June (22nd-24th),… Read More
12 Ideas to Borrow from St. Louis Gardens
There is inspiration in every garden, if perhaps only as confirmation, but “visiting and viewing” is the very best way to up your garden game. For me, it is one… Read More
“Meet Me in St. Louis”
St. Louis is a town I’ve longed to return to since my last visit, forty plus years ago. With a “thank you” to the Garden Club of St. Louis, for… Read More
At Home on the Upper East Side
With my speaking and booksigning travels, I don’t make it down to New York, one of my old hometowns, as often as I would prefer. But when I do, I… Read More
Early Spring in Central Park
Jonathan and I moved to New York in the mid-eighties, living on the West Side close to the San Remo towers shown in the image above. One reason we chose… Read More
Among the Daffodils…the Parterre Bench
Given the response to last spring’s blog on my friend Alison and Steve Walk’s property up island, we started planning ahead to truly celebrate their daffodil display this year! Mintwater… Read More
The Vias of Palm Beach
My spring trip to Palm Beach was a bit shorter than anticipated, but while there I luxuriated in capturing the architecture, landscapes and gardens of this meticulously manicured island. One… Read More