Strolling the Gardens at Bellevue House
Up the street, exactly one mile from me door to door, is a historic house renowned as one of only two homes in America both designed and decorated by Ogden… Read More
Behind the Private Gates
Parterre’s Madcap Cutting Garden
As summer 2020 ends (Yikes! it’s already September 3), I find myself bemused and a bit befuddled by the bounty of the Cutting Garden. For as orderly and manicured as… Read More
Ode to Newport 2: The Parterre Bench
As summer comes to a close, I’m reminded again of how much I treasure our magical town. I’m sure that was obvious when you were reading my recent post, “Ode… Read More
The Orangerie at Parterre
For both sentimental reasons (it was a surprise Christmas gift from my husband) and aesthetic reasons (it is in the middle of the garden), the Orangerie plays an outsize role… Read More
Celebrating Summer Al Fresco
Discovering these brightly colored and small decorated umbrellas has given me countless opportunities to brighten up my al fresco summer activities (Etsy Indian parasols). Amusing as well, they are accented… Read More
Parterre’s Signature Garden Images
This “staycation” (quarantining as I prefer to call it) over the past five months provided the opportunity to capture in images many details of our Parterre garden that I would… Read More
Parterre’s Green and White Garden
While it is the Fountain Garden that receives the most attention on posts, there is another somewhat hidden garden at Parterre that deserves its own attention, the Green and White… Read More
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
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
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