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
The Parterre Bench
Please Don’t Ask Which One I Love More
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
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
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
Welcoming the Tulips!
There’s a wonderful overlap in my garden that happens about this point in the spring…as the four flowering cherries finish their magical bloom time, glorious tulips start popping up in… Read More
Faux and Behold: The Dovecote at Parterre
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
English Hedges
While one might think of England as all about herbaceous flower borders, there is actually an entire design discipline that has made an art form of hedges. They seem to… Read More
Celebrating 20 Years at Parterre
Parterre and its gardens celebrated their 20th anniversary this summer. And yet, it seems like only yesterday that we were creating our own little “paradise” on what had long ago… Read More
My Newport Flower Show Tastemakers’ Diary
What a weekend!! Where to start? The Newport Flower Show is such a destination for all who wish to see and celebrate the bounty of summer gardens. From “garden club… Read More
The Parterre Bench Salutes the Newport Flower Show
What’s more fabulous than a seaside flower show in a Newport “summer cottage” (where The Great Gatsby and many other movies were filmed)? The Newport Flower Show at Rosecliff, Parterre’s… Read More