Designing with Roses

Surprisingly, a rose garden was not in the plans for landscaping our 3 acres at Parterre twenty-two years ago. My dear friend, and “garden whisperer,” announced that they were too… Read More

Parterre’s Rose Chain

6 / 25 / 208 / 14 / 20

Patience is a virtue that every gardener has learned to accept. Those dreams and visions we have that inspire design decisions, plant selections, and tree placements may take years to… Read More

Ode to the Peony

6 / 18 / 208 / 14 / 20

Invariably, when I ask friends their favorite flower, whether they are gardeners or not, the answer is always peonies. And, yesterday at a small lunch party, my male friend on… Read More

Breakfast Under the Pergola

6 / 11 / 207 / 28 / 20

Missing some much-anticipated travel this spring was offset by the sheer pleasure of being at home every day for three months. In earlier posts I’ve chronicled the glories of the… Read More

Please Don’t Ask Which One I Love More

6 / 4 / 208 / 14 / 20

Long before we decided to build our home, I had an obsession with proper proportion and scale in architecture. And, as an extension of that, the accessories and garden furniture… Read More

Reflecting on Gardens

5 / 28 / 208 / 14 / 20

Like many of us, I have found myself reflecting over the past two months about a health crises that no science-fiction writer could have scripted. Blessedly, chaos brings it owns… Read More

Almost an Oops! In the Garden

5 / 21 / 208 / 14 / 20

Here comes my annual salute to the real Parterre, the behind-the-scenes realities that few visitors think about. Given this provoctive, tell-all title, this is always a readers’ favorite (no surprise).… Read More

The Centerpiece of Parterre Garden

4 / 30 / 208 / 11 / 20

If there can be a silver lining to having had some glorious trips cancelled this spring it is that I am here, in Newport, to see my two beloved matched… Read More

Faux and Behold: The Dovecote at Parterre

4 / 23 / 208 / 14 / 20

A dear reader left a lovely comment on last week’s post asking about “the charming cylindrical shaped structure with the conical roof at the corner of the hedge.” She could… Read More

Through the Garden Gate

4 / 16 / 207 / 28 / 20

Humor is such an important antidote to this “journey” we all find ourselves on. And I had to look no further than my own garden and the pair of frogs… Read More