Bois Doré: Inspiring Architectural Design
With credit to its magnificent beauty (and Covid), the Newport community has turned into a beehive…
Hydrangeas: Newport’s Iconic Summer Flower
As of July 4th, summer is in full swing in our City by the Sea,…
July in the Garden
July is an important month at Parterre, when all the demanding garden work expended from…
Revisiting “Newport, A Lively Experiment”
I originally posted this blog on September 9, 2015. Eleven years later, I still find Newport,…
The Newport Flower Show 2026
The theme for this year’s Flower Show was “Pearls of Newport.” And can there be…
Containers, A Valuable Garden Detail
In honor of my dear friend, Margot Shaw, founder of Flower magazine and one of…
Flowering Outdoors: Gardens and Parties
The Newport Flower Show will have a Star headliner this month, Margot Shaw, founder of…
A Notable Newport Estate, The Orchard Part 2
In a town of many old mansions, most have become house museums or condominiums or…
A Notable Newport Estate, The Orchard. Part 1
Memorial Day reminds us that summer is just around the corner, when friends return from…
Hansel and Gretel in Richmond
Historic Garden Week in Richmond provided such warm memories of both horticultural and architectural inspiration.…
Gardens and Houses of Richmond, VA Part 2
My affection and appreciation for Richmond’s architecture began during college, and has lingered since then.…
Gardens and Houses of Richmond,VA
Often called America’s largest open house, “Historic Garden Week” in Virginia is a much-anticipated annual…
Reminiscing about England
Along with the daffodils and the tulips, the other gift I anticipate the most about…