Private Newport - with Bettie Bearden Pardee

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Initial Thoughts


Designing a Woodland Garden Part 2

9 / 7 / 239 / 6 / 23

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… Read More

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Parterre’s New Woodland Garden Part 1

8 / 31 / 238 / 30 / 23

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… Read More

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My Summer ’23 Ode to Newport

8 / 24 / 238 / 24 / 23

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… Read More

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11 Ideas to Steal from British Gardens… Part II

8 / 17 / 238 / 16 / 23

Old gardens have a lot to teach us…especially we young ones whose garden may be only 24 years old. Many lessons in design as well as patience are available to… Read More

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11 Garden Ideas To Steal From Arundel Castle

8 / 10 / 238 / 10 / 23

Arundel Castle’s noteworthy Tulip Festival was the raison d’etre for last spring’s garden trip…and today’s blog. Yes, these images may seem extravagant to most of us, but it just proves… Read More

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A First Ever Video Tour of Parterre’s Gardens

8 / 3 / 238 / 2 / 23

Last year at this time, I had my first introduction to the opportunities afforded by YouTube when a former award-winning former producer for “Good Morning America” came to town. Alison Kenworthy… Read More

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The Neighborhoods of London: Marylebone

7 / 27 / 237 / 27 / 23

As I’d mentioned in an earlier blog, the small neighborhoods of London are one of the many assets that make this city such a glorious strolling experience. It’s another reason,… Read More

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Horticultural Delights from Parterre, Part II

7 / 20 / 237 / 20 / 23

When selecting the images for this first blog a week ago, I was surprised at the number of pictures I had chosen. And then I was reminded…Parterre is a summer… Read More

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Vivacious Autumn Clematis

9 / 22 / 229 / 21 / 22

I remember many years back describing with great affection my take on Autumn clematis, or ‘clematis paniculata’…”vivacious…embracing…enveloping…a bit free with her favors…and goes by the honeyed name, Sweet Autumn Clematis.… Read More

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Topiaries, Whimsy in the Making

3 / 26 / 207 / 28 / 20

Last week I posted about a very favorite topic for this gardener, hedges. And what’s the natural follow-on? Topiaries, the next step in a hedges artistic evolution.The art of training,… Read More

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About Bettie

Author of Private Newport and Living Newport, designer of the Parterre Bench, national lecturer, and entertaining expert.
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Insta Happenings

privatenewport

Breathtaking! Paris in October, photographed by Private Newport in 2023. #parismoments #parisviews🇫🇷 #loveparis #travelmemories #parisbridges

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Oct 8

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Breathtaking! Paris in October, photographed by Private Newport in 2023.  #parismoments #parisviews🇫🇷 #loveparis #travelmemories #parisbridges

privatenewport

I love this time of early evening, when the warm lantern light draws us to the back courtyard… where the rooflines and architectural details recall a small French village. #privatenewport #classichome #grandmellennialstyle #timelessstyle #arcitecturelovers luxurylifestyle

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Sep 30

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I love this time of early evening, when the warm lantern light draws us to the back courtyard… where the rooflines and architectural details recall a small French village.  #privatenewport #classichome #grandmellennialstyle #timelessstyle #arcitecturelovers luxurylifestyle

privatenewport

Some Newport invitations are simply too good to decline...

A spontaneous Sunday morning brought us back to one of our favorite places, The Elms, where Gilded Age grandeur gives way to one of Newport’s most enchanting garden moments✨

Beyond the sweeping lawn lies the sunken garden, its formal parterres remarkably preserved from the original 1914 design. Nearly 125 years later, the symmetry, architecture and romance of it all feel as timeless as ever.

For a gardener, this is the part of The Elms that always calls us back🌿

Save this for your next Newport garden day💚
#theelmsmansion #theelms #newportrhodeisland #newportmansions #privateliving

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 26

261 11
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18030356249846368
Some Newport invitations are simply too good to decline...

A spontaneous Sunday morning brought us back to one of our favorite places, The Elms, where Gilded Age grandeur gives way to one of Newport’s most enchanting garden moments✨

Beyond the sweeping lawn lies the sunken garden, its formal parterres remarkably preserved from the original 1914 design. Nearly 125 years later, the symmetry, architecture and romance of it all feel as timeless as ever.

For a gardener, this is the part of The Elms that always calls us back🌿

Save this for your next Newport garden day💚
#theelmsmansion #theelms #newportrhodeisland #newportmansions #privateliving

privatenewport

Another Newport summer is beginning to slip away… and we’re not quite ready to let it go🤍

Long afternoons on sweeping lawns, doors thrown open to grand rooms, garden cocktails and evenings that call for getting dressed up - A Newport Summer captures that unmistakable rhythm of life in our City by the Sea🌊

As Bettie wrote when the book was released, “Newport has an understated elegance that truly sets it apart from other resort towns”. These photographs by Nick Mele @nickmelephotography feel like a love letter to exactly that, the houses, the people, the parties, and those fleeting summer moments we wish could last just a little longer☀️

Consider this our reminder to savor what’s left of the season. ✨

📖 A Newport Summer by Nick Mele and Ruthie Sommers
@nlmele @sommersruthie
#anewportsummer #nickmelephotography #privatenewport #newportri #vacationdestination

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 20

543 11
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Another Newport summer is beginning to slip away… and we’re not quite ready to let it go🤍

Long afternoons on sweeping lawns, doors thrown open to grand rooms, garden cocktails and evenings that call for getting dressed up - A Newport Summer captures that unmistakable rhythm of life in our City by the Sea🌊

As Bettie wrote when the book was released, “Newport has an understated elegance that truly sets it apart from other resort towns”. These photographs by Nick Mele @nickmelephotography feel like a love letter to exactly that, the houses, the people, the parties, and those fleeting summer moments we wish could last just a little longer☀️

Consider this our reminder to savor what’s left of the season. ✨

📖 A Newport Summer by Nick Mele and Ruthie Sommers
@nlmele @sommersruthie 
#anewportsummer #nickmelephotography #privatenewport #newportri #vacationdestination

privatenewport

There are beautiful coastlines… and then there is Newport☁️

Its beauty isn’t defined by one mansion, one garden, or one stretch of shoreline. It’s the way the salt marshes glow at sunset, the ledge-lined coast meets an endless blue horizon, and every bend in the road offers an entirely different perspective.

Perhaps that’s Newport’s greatest luxury, not just the architecture, but the landscape that has quietly framed it for centuries🤍

It’s a place where the light changes by the hour, the tides reshape the shoreline, and yet the feeling remains exactly the same.

Timeless🌊

Save this as a reminder that some of Newport’s most extraordinary views exist beyond the front gates✨
📸: David Thalmann

#newportcoast #skyline #newportsummer #privatenewport #timelesselegance

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 6

394 13
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18104855060129050
There are beautiful coastlines… and then there is Newport☁️

Its beauty isn’t defined by one mansion, one garden, or one stretch of shoreline. It’s the way the salt marshes glow at sunset, the ledge-lined coast meets an endless blue horizon, and every bend in the road offers an entirely different perspective.

Perhaps that’s Newport’s greatest luxury, not just the architecture, but the landscape that has quietly framed it for centuries🤍

It’s a place where the light changes by the hour, the tides reshape the shoreline, and yet the feeling remains exactly the same.

Timeless🌊

Save this as a reminder that some of Newport’s most extraordinary views exist beyond the front gates✨
📸: David Thalmann

#newportcoast #skyline #newportsummer #privatenewport #timelesselegance

privatenewport

Some homes make an impression before you ever reach the front door..

A long, winding driveway unfolds through a park-like landscape filled with remarkable specimen trees, setting the stage for an estate that quietly reflects Newport’s architectural legacy. Built with traditional three-coat stucco construction and crowned by an original slate roof, every detail speaks to craftsmanship designed to stand the test of time.

It’s the kind of approach that reminds you why Newport’s historic estates continue to captivate generations.

🌿 Follow @privatenewport for more of Newport’s hidden beauty and timeless estates✨
#privatenewport #newportestates #privateliving #newportri #parterre

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 2

895 24
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18099479645580417
Some homes make an impression before you ever reach the front door..

A long, winding driveway unfolds through a park-like landscape filled with remarkable specimen trees, setting the stage for an estate that quietly reflects Newport’s architectural legacy. Built with traditional three-coat stucco construction and crowned by an original slate roof, every detail speaks to craftsmanship designed to stand the test of time.

It’s the kind of approach that reminds you why Newport’s historic estates continue to captivate generations.

🌿 Follow @privatenewport for more of Newport’s hidden beauty and timeless estates✨
#privatenewport #newportestates #privateliving #newportri #parterre
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Bettie's Faves

  • Charlotte Moss
  • La Dolce Vita
  • My Beautiful Paris
  • The Enchanted Home
  • The Glam Pad
  • The Lush List
  • The Potted Boxwood
  • Vicki Archer
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