Independence Day 2019
On this special day in our country’s history, I take pride in the pivotal role that Rhode Island, and Newport specifically, played in the American Revolution. The fiercely autonomous colony… Read More
The Newport Diary
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
A Homage to Rhododendrons
While we may have had many reasons the past few months to curse the weather, it has proven a boon to some plant groups. This year in Newport, rhododendrons are… Read More
8 Spectacular Ocean Settings
Newport is starting to get a bustle on, which means that the “summer season” is about to begin (Memorial Day weekend). So my thoughts are turning away from spring raindrops… Read More
Spring Sightings in Newport
“Sighted between the raindrops” will surely be the catchphrase when I think back on Newport’s spring of 2019. Just for those rainy reasons, I’ve become more and more appreciative each… Read More
Newport in the Snow
What is possibly more beautiful than a Newport home in the summer? A Newport home enrobed in snow! Each year, about this time, a welcome sighting of snowflakes comes along… Read More
Inspiring Garden Design: A Classic French Sanctuary
One of Newport’s most pristine estates, the 9 acre Ker Arvor (French Breton for “seaside”), is what I affectionately refer to as a design trifecta — an exceptional example of… Read More
Newport Society: The Passing of a Legend
My first post of the New Year is in honor of Marion Oates Charles, a legendary hostess and fixture of society in Newport and Washington D.C. since the 1950’s. “Oatsie,”… Read More
Bellevue Avenue in Fall Color
I spoke too soon in my last post regarding lack of exuberance in Newport’s leaf display. Exactly three days after that email, all of our trees literally popped at the… Read More