At Home with Flowers
As I write this post, I’m in my sun room looking out the deep bay window that provides a panoramic view of the Fountain Garden and its signature details that make… Read More
Initial Thoughts
Bois Doré: Inspiring Architectural Design
With credit to its magnificent beauty (and Covid), the Newport community has turned into a beehive of real estate activity; to express it very simply, “buy or build”. I’m now finding… Read More
Hydrangeas: Newport’s Iconic Summer Flower
As of July 4th, summer is in full swing in our City by the Sea, and just like clockwork, an iconic flowering shrub, the hydrangea, comes into bloom. This presents… Read More
July in the Garden
July is an important month at Parterre, when all the demanding garden work expended from March through June pays off…none more so than in the Green and White Garden. For… Read More
Revisiting “Newport, A Lively Experiment”
I originally posted this blog on September 9, 2015. Eleven years later, I still find Newport, A Lively Experiment one of the most compelling and captivating tomes I’ve ever read, and… Read More
Containers, A Valuable Garden Detail
In honor of my dear friend, Margot Shaw, founder of Flower magazine and one of the headliners for the 2026 Newport Flower Show, I’m taking a page from her new… Read More
Peony Magic
I’m so excited that the weather has finally turned and my glorious faves, peonies, are starting to show off! Appreciating how much we are all besotted with peonies, I chose… Read More
A Notable Newport Estate, The Orchard Part 2
In a town of many old mansions, most have become house museums or condominiums or have been turned into dormitories and classrooms for a local university. Only a special few,… Read More
A Notable Newport Estate, The Orchard. Part 1
Memorial Day reminds us that summer is just around the corner, when friends return from all parts of the country and houses are “opened for the season.” One of those… Read More
Hansel and Gretel in Richmond
Historic Garden Week in Richmond provided such warm memories of both horticultural and architectural inspiration. One setting lingers in my mind, which I cannot resist calling the “Hansel and Gretel… Read More