Hampton Court Gardens

The first thing that might come to mind when you read “Hampton Court Palace” may be King Henry VIII and his unfortunate wives (of those six, Jane Seymour was the…

Early Fall at Parterre

Even if fall will probably be late (or very subtle) this year, there are still those signatures in the gardens that announce the season is changing. One is the pair…

Entertaining in the Orangerie

Well, by the enthusiastic response to last week’s post on our Orangerie, I bet you’ll love seeing this whimsical “folly” in her main role –party central. For, once finished with…

Romancing the Orangerie

What could be more romantic than four rare ‘Hally Jolivette’ cherry standards, swathed in tiny individual shell-pink blossoms that sway in the soft breezes of a mid-April dawn. They are…

The Orangerie at Parterre

The Parterre Bench and the Orangerie are the two most important non-floral entities in the garden. But at times I realize the Orangerie can be more of an unsung hero,…

The Daily Joys of my Garden

It’s about this time of year when I have a sec to catch my breath and pen my “oops in the garden.” But 2023 has been a very different year,…

Saluting Rosecliff!

Rosecliff to me is like a BFF with whom you’ve shared 24 years of incredibale memories. I’ve danced in her ballroom more times than I can count, dedicated a chapter…

Designing a Woodland Garden Part 2

When writing the first post on our new Woodland Garden I began to ennumerate (in my head) the different steps we went through over the years…very slowly at first but…

Parterre’s New Woodland Garden Part 1

There’s nothing like completing a years-in-the-making-garden to give one a new lease on life! While each of Parterre’s existing gardens are tweaked each year, the Woodland Garden didn’t truly deserve…

My Summer ’23 Ode to Newport

Summer of ’23 was like no other, by many measures. The town was busier, and more crowded. Parties and events took off with a bang earlier in “the season”, and…