In the Garden, Spring

A Cheery, Cherry Spring at Parterre

April 18, 2024 by Bettie Bearden Pardee
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You’ve heard me speak often about serendiptiy, and this spring it was a welcome and constant happening, specifically as regards those harbingers of spring, cherry blossoms. The timing of celebrations for Easter, my birthday, and our anniversary made for a long period of cherry blossoms in the house (first from the florist)…joining the Easter moss scene at the mantle

and making a simple statement when Easter decorations were put away.

And then! the stars of the garden burst forth…four matched ‘Hally Jolivette’ standards that heve been blooming at Parterre for 25 years. The first set of fruit trees on the property to start this cycle, this variety produces the most exquisite small, single blossoms in a soft shell pink, clustered together so they give a bountiful appearance to the pruned shape of a fully opened parasol.

Speaking of serendipity…we had not specified a plant or tree for the four square beds when we were moving into our new home in 1999. So I called my favorite Rhode Island tree man, Sam Kinder (of course, for me, when in doubt put in a tree). Not incoincidentally, he had just received a selection of these prized prunus ‘Hally Jolivette’; however, they were grafted standards, not trees, so he was about to return them. This great good luck has provided such joy-filled moments every spring…especially as nothing else is in bloom, save for daffodils.

Of course, this all happens before any leaves appear on the tree, lending an air of elegance to the display. While no mother likes to “play favorites,” I do have to confess that these four trees, and their position fronting the Orangerie, truly makes them the horticultural centerpiece of our three acres. And how dreamy they look in the soft glow of an early morning.

Come summer, what a pleasure it is to walk this path between the cherries when leading guests to a party in the Orangerie.

Photo Credit: Vibrant Optics for Private Newport

And I will leave you with this whimsical view from the garden apartment…with our cool spring their bloom period should extend to about three weeks.

Fingers crossed…

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About Bettie Bearden Pardee

Author of Private Newport and Living Newport, garden furniture designer (The Parterre Bench), national lecturer, and entertaining expert. An honoree for the second year on "The Salonniere 100 America's Best Party Hosts", she was also the host and creative producer of "The Presidential Palate: Entertaining at the White House".

29 thoughts on “A Cheery, Cherry Spring at Parterre”

  3. Would love to see a photo of them in year one for comparison! A labor of love.

    1. I think I can find one, but the real difference is in the trunks. No one told me that the trunk of a grafted tree enlarges every time it’s pruned! XB

  4. “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree!” How lovely and poetic are the gorgeous lights and subject of your exquisite photographs.

  5. Truly specimens of…beauty. It gave me a shiver…fortunate to share. franki

    1. Aaah, Franki, I could overwhelm you with images of those trees; I just took 10 more. A besotted gardener I am! xB

  9. Your cheery cherry posts always bring joy! Those cherry blossoms and the rose chain are among my favorites.

    1. Those are my 2 favorites also!! One in April, the other in June. What a way to start the spring and summer! xB

  10. LOVELY LADY,

    THERE ARE SO VERY FEW MOMENTS IN MY LIFE (THESE DAYS), THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO; KNOWING THAT MY SPIRITS WILL BE JOYFULLY LIFTED.
    YET, VIA YOUR MAGIC AND GENEROSITY; TO SAY NOTHING OF YOUR PHOTO ‘TALENT’ – THE WORLD ‘SPRINGS’ ETERNAL.

    MERCY BUCKETS!

    FONDLY,
    TOM

  12. Oh Bettie…..My favorite trees as well, above any others…and how very exquisitely the Hally
    Jolivettes are showcased in your garden in Spring !! THANK YOU !!

    1. My pleasure, and such a treat to share something so special at this “breakout” time of the year! xxB

  13. A taste of Eden, exquisitely planned and executed. Bless you,Bettie, for this infusion of joy sent for one’s spirit today. I suspect your own joy is many-fold in the sharing.

    1. So beautifully stated, Mary,yes! my”own joy is many-fold in the sharing.” xB

    1. The green of hedging always adds so much; fortunately, we’ve identified alternatives to boxwood (due to the blight). xB

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