Romancing our Summer Garden
The Orangerie in Parterre’s garden was a most special surprise Christmas gift in 1997, given to me by my husband, Jonathan, as we began our house building project. While originally… Read More
Tag Archives: woodland
Inspiring Garden Design: 7 Key Points for Creating Garden Rooms
When invited to speak in New Orleans at a garden club fundraiser, I was asked specifically to talk about the ins and outs of creating my own garden. But, of… Read More
14 Signature Images from Parterre’s Early Summer Garden
While spring’s newsworthy amount of rain has definitely impacted moods in Newport, the silver lining in the clouds has been the bountiful appearance of every blooming thing — from trees… Read More
Planning Your Summer Garden: 9 ‘Oops’ to Avoid
Spring, and its established ritual of “opening the garden,” is surely a gardener’s favorite time of the year. Top of my list is to check my “to do” notes and update… Read More
Spring on the Eastern Shore
The past four months have been a glorious blur of travel — revisiting favorite sights, chancing upon design inspirations in the most unlikely places, taking a fresh look at things… Read More
Inspiring Garden Design: Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. was a mecca for me when I was planning and implementing my gardens twenty years ago. A former private estate, now… Read More
In the Garden: Designing with Stone
In 2002 I photographed this garden for my first book, Private Newport: At Home and in the Garden. I remember making a mental note to check in on it over… Read More
A Tale of Two Orangeries
Part of the pleasure of building your own home in Newport is the ritual of naming it (very de riguer — taken so literally that one witty friend tagged their… Read More
Euonymus, an Overlooked Garden Design Asset
It’s always insightful to hear someone else’s “take” on one’s garden, especially if it’s Martha Stewart. Her interest in our use of euonymus (pronounced u-on-a-mus) as a design element caught… Read More
O Christmas Tree: Dressed for the Occasion
One of our favorite traditions at Christmas, and I’m betting yours too, is picking out our Christmas tree. Heading “up island” on the Friday after Thanksgiving to one of the… Read More