Initial Thoughts

Autumn, All Around the Town

As I said in my first book, Private Newport, at Home and in the Garden…”On the Avenue, By the Sea, and Off the Beaten Path.” Seeing Newport in Autumn (a…

Westbury Court

While hours of careful planning go into my personal garden trips, I always welcome the bit of serendipity that inevitably comes along (via a chance conversation in the local apothecary…

Fall Florals: A Bittersweet Goodbye

This is a melancholy time for me. The ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas have sent out the clarion call that the garden will soon be put to bed for the season. My response?…

Rockcliffe: “A Cotswold Gem” Part 2

Based on your response to Part I of my Rockcliffe post last week, as well as the thousands of follows on social media, I’m not the only one who finds…

Rockcliffe: “A Cotswold Gem” Part 1

With the elegant, bounteous ‘Limelight’ hydrangea border celebrating the last horticultural hurrah at Parterre, the ritual of “putting the garden to bed” commences. The long list of “to-dos” includes an…

Fall Lusciousness: A ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea Border

The ‘Crown Princess Margaretha’ rose chain is the star of the spring season at Parterre, ushering us into a welcome kickoff for the garden. Five months later, the ‘Limelight’ hydrangea…

The Gates of Newport

Inspiration seems truly “around every corner” when you live in a setting as beautiful and historic as Newport. Just the other night, I attended a lecture on Frederick Law Olmsted…

Vivacious Autumn Clematis

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.…

Newport Traditions: the Sleeping Porch

There is one house in Newport that has always held my fancy…and it is not just because we placed a bid on it before making the decision to build. Bellevue…

Memories of Summer ’22

Summer of 2022 has just finished and what a glorious season it was, blessedly free from the strictures of Covid. With the most-delicious weather I can remember in years –…