July August 2024

FLOWER HOUSE l GARDEN l LIFESTYLE

The finest in home textiles. Chicago-crafted since 1989.

46 Keeping Rooms

In a quiet Long Island village, world-renowned designer Thomas O’Brien creates his dream house and garden with special attention to collecting and being surrounded by all manner of treasures.

58 Bursting in Blooms

Visiting High Hampton Resort in Cashiers, North Carolina, is sublime any time of the year, but there are over 850 colorful reasons to go during the dahlia growing season.

64 Seeds of Time

Inspired by his visits to European gardens, Gerard Pampalone has spent years creating an elaborate garden on his Connecticut farm that balances the formality of those grand landscapes with an intimate sensibility to welcome guests.

70

Reflections in the Garden

A stroll around The Grove with India Hicks reveals intricacies of the private garden her late father, legendary interior designer David Hicks, created as a showcase of disciplined tonal design.

ON THE COVER Floral fireworks: A ‘Café Au Lait Royal’ dahlia is part of a dazzling summer display in the garden of the High Hampton Resort in Cashiers, North Carolina. Photographed by Molly Harris

CONTENTS

July • August 2024

“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly. “One must also have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

—HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

13

From the Field

Lanterns that shimmer, blues that make waves, chaises to sink into, eye-catching outdoor fabrics

21

Arranging

Inspired by the colors, textures, and objects found within Hiltz-Lauber, a rug and home furnishings gallery in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, Sybil Sylvester brings her English floral influences and the bounty of the garden inside.

26

Landscape Design

Ed Hollander of Hollander Design reflects on his journey to becoming a landscape architect, his greatest influencers and successes, and insightful moments along the way.

34

Shopping

Keith Meacham, co-founder of Nashvillebased Reed Smythe & Company, searches far and wide to find handcrafted objects and artisanal collaborations. Fresh from a move to a new retail location, she shares what’s currently catching her eye.

40

Women in the Garden

While Edith Wharton is most remembered as a Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist and short story writer, she also made a name for herself as a garden designer, interior designer, and tastemaker of her time.

IN EVERY ISSUE

Watering Can 8

What’s Online? 44

Sources 78 Floral Moment 80 21 34

PHOTOS

(TOP TO BOTTOM) BY DAVID HILLEGAS; BY LESLEE MITCHELL

WATERING CAN A Note from the Editor

“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”—MAY SARTON

MY HUSBAND, GATES, has given his heart to gardening. In fact, his regular reading list consists of seed catalogues, gardening books, and my Garden Club of America bulletin. Be it tending our 3-acre suburban garden or developing and maintaining quail habitat and grazing land on our farm, he enjoys “digging in the dirt.” He loves the burning process on the farm in winter to open the surface of the forest floor to more sunlight so that the seed bank can come forth. He loves the spring preparations for growing season, mostly turning soil for planting. And he loves bushhogging old lanes in the fall to open them for long walks and trail rides.

When I think of my husband, I think of arriving home after a day at the office to find him in the front beds with a trowel in hand, a wheelbarrow full of new plants and flowers nearby, and the hose from the house at the ready. There will inevitably be a moment of head-scratching as he ponders if he should run to the plant store for just a few more specimens. Then I will often hear him utter, “We’re almost there.” To which I respond, “Where?” What he means is that he has almost wrestled the garden into where he wants it to be for the moment.

Meanwhile, along with the daily delight of seeing a gorgeous garden, I have the pleasure of meandering through his handiwork, snips and basket in hand, and cutting from his beds. I will find just the right vessel and arrange what he’s grown into something just as beautiful as his garden but more controlled, defined, and highlighted. And I will perhaps place it on the mantel or the lowboy in the front hall. He grows, and I cut and arrange—it works.

Each story in this issue features someone who’s been called into the garden with various gifts and missions. For India Hicks, it’s to remember and remind us of her late father, David, and the specific, sophisticated, and successful applications of his design tenets to the land at The Grove, his home in Oxfordshire that he shared with Lady Pamela. For designer Thomas O’Brien, it’s to provide a dreamy visual and recreational oasis in Bellport, New York. For Drew English, head gardener at High Hampton in the mountains of North Carolina, it’s to dazzle guests with the exuberant dahlia garden he lovingly tends. For landscape architect Ed Hollander, it’s to collaborate with the land and its inhabitants in forging a beautifully holistic design. And for Gerard Pampalone of Beanacre Farm in Connecticut, it’s to realize a long-held dream to create a gorgeous garden from seed to bloom, sourcing from abroad and sharing the lush beauty with friends at home.

Whether you’re gardening, touring gardens great or small, or like me, gleaning from someone else’s plantings, I hope for you the grace that is found in the garden in these days of summer.

Love and SDG,

Margot Shaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Please send your comments, triumphs, challenges & questions to: wateringcan@flowermag.com OR Letters to the Editor I FLOWER Magazine I P.O. Box 530645 I Birmingham, AL 35253 Get the FLOWER email newsletter! Sign up at flowermag.com/news

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 4

MARGOT SHAW FOUNDER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Karen Carroll EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Julie Gillis MANAGING EDITOR

Nicole Gerrity Haas ART DIRECTOR

Amanda Smith Fowler STYLE DIRECTOR

Casey Epps EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

DIGITAL

Jason Burnett DIGITAL GENERAL MANAGER

Carrie Clay ASSOCIATE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Alice Welsh Doyle

James Farmer

Marion Laffey Fox

Elaine Griffin

Tara Guérard

Frances MacDougall

Tovah Martin

Charlotte Moss

Matthew Robbins

Margaret Zainey Roux

Frances Schultz

Sybil Sylvester

For editorial inquiries: editorial@flowermag.com

Jennel O’Brien PUBLISHER

Suzanne Cooper NATIONAL DIRECTOR, HOME FURNISHINGS

Julie Durkee NATIONAL DIRECTOR, LUXURY

Steven M. Fisher MIDWEST/SOUTHWEST SALES DIRECTOR

Wendy Ellis REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Sara D. Taylor REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Marlee Ledbetter Mims INTEGRATED MARKETING MANAGER

For sales inquiries: sales@flowermag.com

BUSINESS OFFICE

Mercy Lloyd CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Nicole Bowman CIRCULATION MANAGER

Patrick Toomey ACCOUNTANT

CUSTOMER SERVICE

For change of address and subscription inquiries: 877.400.3074 or CustomerService@FlowerMag.info

ADVISORY BOARD

Paula Crockard

Winn Crockard

Gavin Duke

Gay Estes

Katie Baker Lasker

Mary Evelyn McKee

Michael Mundy

Ben Page

Angèle Parlange

Renny Reynolds

Scott Shepherd

Mish Tworkowski

Remco van Vliet

Evie Vare

Louise Wrinkle

Lanterns that shimmer, blues that make waves, chaises to sink into, eye-catching outdoor fabrics PRODUCED AND STYLED BY AMANDA

SMITH FOWLER

Inspired by the azure beauty of sparkling pools, we share our true-blue picks.

PREVIOUS PAGE: Cupola Pool House Lanterns available in three sizes (pricing upon request) from Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights • Pallas Athena Fabric in Pisces from Fabricut • Wet-Cast Concrete Pavers in Oyster (inquire for pricing and sizes) by FireRock Products THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Round Dolphin Planter ($430) from Chelsea House • Forest Green Wine Glass ($185/set of 6) by Estelle Colored Glass • Bora Drinking Glass ($185) by Carlo Moretti through Bergdorf Goodman • Sunkiss Daisy Painted Stoneware Salad Plate ($18) and Appetizer Plate ($14) from Hudson Grace • Colette Color Edge Verte Dinner Plate ($100) from Mottahedeh • Mini Pappy Tray ($400) from Pappy & Co. x Thompson Traders • Martellato Five-Piece Place Setting ($114) by Vietri through Hudson Poole Fine Jewelers • Tablecloth (36791-153) and Napkins (35374-13) Fabrics by Kravet (to the trade) FAR LEFT: Classic Trio Earrings ($2500) by Temple St. Clair through Croghan’s Jewel Box

PHOTOS (THIS PAGE AND PREVIOUS PAGE) BY DAVID HILLEGAS

FROM THE FIELD

Cut to the chaise—lounging poolside has never looked so chic.

Indoor/Outdoor

Formosa Chaise ($2950) from Hollywood at Home by Peter Dunham

Walter Lamb Aluminum Contoured Chaise (beginning at $2216) by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan

Couper Contrapposto Sun Chaise (beginning at $14,490) by McKinnon & Harris

Gio Outdoor LAF Chaise (inquire for pricing) by Carrier and Company for Century Furniture

Sundial Wide Chaise in Hydrangea Port Stripe ($5798) from Serena & Lily

These splashy outdoor fabrics are UV protected and easy to clean. Apply liberally to alfresco areas.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Butterfly Garden in colorway 02 from Osborne & Little • Marina Bay in Water from Fabricut • Kikko in Blue Lagoon from Perennials

• Betsy Flora in Jade from Liberty • Esperanza in Pool from Stroheim

• Cabana Stripe in Spa Blue from Thibaut • Gelataria in Blueberry Crush by Richard Smith for No.9 Thompson • Mature in Turquoise from Stout Textiles (All fabrics to the trade)

A Strong Foundation

Inspired by the colors, textures, and objects found within Hiltz-Lauber, a rug and home furnishings gallery in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, Sybil Sylvester brings her English floral influences and the bounty of the garden inside.

BY KAREN CARROLL | PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

DAVID HILLEGAS

“Since my early days of working with flowers, I’ve been influenced by great British floral designers such as Constance Spry and Sheila Macqueen, and my appreciation for English gardens has only grown over time. I love creating lush arrangements where the flowers appear as if they’re actually growing in a garden.” —

SYBIL SYLVESTER OF

WILDFLOWER

DESIGNS

Sybil’s Design Principles

See how they flourish in this indoor garden arrangement.

1. LAY THE GROUNDWORK

Every gardener knows that good soil preparation ultimately leads to the happiest plants. Creating a sturdy foundation in your floral container does the same thing by providing the support to design. For this arrangement, I used a bed of gravel with chicken wire on top that will secure even the tallest stems.

2. TELL A COLOR STORY

Mother Nature rivals any paint palette an artist could mix. Whether I’m playing with variations of one tone or creating a cheerful medley of bright hues as I’ve done here, I always use color to lead the eye throughout the arrangement.

3. CREATE INTEREST AT EVERY LEVEL

In the garden, we layer low, medium, and tall plant materials, knowing that even the same varietal won’t always grow at equal speed or height with all flowers facing the same way. That holds true for this arrangement too—from the ‘green trick’ dianthus that serves as the “grass” to the leggy delphinium that reaches toward the “sun,” something captures your attention on every plane.

4. THINK OUTSIDE THE LINES

I prefer an arrangement to have soft edges at eye level. Just as nature isn’t perfectly manicured, I dangle blossoms over the lip of the container, letting them spill like wayward flowers that can’t quite be controlled.

PREVIOUS PAGE AND THESE PAGES, OPPOSITE: The moment Sybil Sylvester spotted a vintage Baccarat chandelier hung low over a glass console at Hiltz-Lauber (a rug, furniture, and lighting shop in her hometown of Birmingham), she envisioned flowers interacting with the crystal pendants. “I wanted the arrangement to look as if I had scooped a section of the garden and transplanted it to a container,” she says. To create her bountiful design, she gathered anemones, delphiniums, butterfly ranunculus, muscaris, sweet Williams, nerines, pierises, fritillaries, hyacinths, freesias, jatrophas, and dianthus.

3

4

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A bouquet of tulips, anemones, sweet peas, and hyacinths is “a nod to my friend, British floral designer Paula Pryke, who is known for compact arrangements in bold colors,” Sybil says. • Ranunculus, anemones, and roses appear to climb horsetail reed, which Sybil bent to look like fencing and to mimic the lines of the champagne bucket and cocktail table. • “This evokes the style of one of my greatest influences, Constance Spry, who believed floral arrangements should look like something butterflies and bees would flitter around,” says the designer. “The gloriosa lilies remind me of the butterflies, while poppies and lilies ground the arrangement.” • “I call this my ‘wild man,’ ” laughs Sybil. “He’s like a piece of statuary overgrown with vines and wildflowers that you might come across in an abandoned garden.”

See Sybil Sylvester’s behind-the-scenes tips for creating her “wild man” arrangement at flowermag.com/flowerhead.

North Carolina’s high country is calling, beckoning you to escape one more time before the season’s end; just one more late summer get away… One more romantic moment together before your world starts turning again. The historic High Hampton resort boasts 1,400 acres of breathtaking views, activities, luxury amenities and more. Here, “far, far away” is just “up the trail.”

reservations available at highhampton.com/summer

Forging His Path

Ed Hollander of Hollander Design reflects on his journey to becoming a landscape architect, his greatest influencers and successes, and insightful moments along the way.

BY CATHY STILL MCGOWIN

When working with any site, Ed Hollander and his team first evaluate the existing landscape to determine flora and views worth saving and enhancing. This New England property boasted rows of ancient black cherry trees surrounded by a meadow of little bluestem. The designers connected the trees and field with a new stepping stone path and then further highlighted the scene with landscape lighting.

FLOWER: You grew up in Manhattan and received a degree in history and botany from Vassar College. How did that lead you to a career in landscape architecture?

Ed Hollander: If you are lucky, you find that one college professor who helps direct your path. I was the luckiest person ever because I found more than one. At Vassar, I signed up for horticulture as an elective on a whim. That decision introduced me to Sven Sward, a devoted horticulturist and former superintendent of grounds at Vassar. He is the one who truly led me to the trees, and my interest only grew. From there, I attended the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture, but it wasn’t until I went to the University of Pennsylvania to study landscape architecture that I really learned how to read the land. At that time, my teacher and department chair, Ian McHarg, was at the forefront of ecology as it relates to design. He was a chain-smoking, Bible-thumping, Scottish apostle for

the planet. He was a leader of a movement, and his holistic teachings were life-changing for me.

How did those holistic teachings impact your designs?

Landscape design requires a three-part understanding to be successful: the natural ecology, the architectural ecology, and the human ecology. You have to be able to listen and respond to the earth, understand the impact of building upon it, and consider how someone wants to live on it. From the onset, collaboration between the landscape architect, architect, builder, interior designer, environmental consultants, and engineers is critical. All of the components have to work together. Only then can you have a healthy landscape and a truly cohesive design.

Your new book focuses on your firm’s residential projects, but your portfolio and team’s expertise are so varied. Tell us about some of your commercial projects.

PHOTOS

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

ABOVE: Winding turf paths surrounded by black-eyed Susans, echinaceas, bee balms, butterfly bushes, and native maritime grasses lead guests to an oceanfront golf course at this New England estate. Here, human visitors are just as mesmerized as the pollinators by the volume of textures and colors. RIGHT: This contemporary Hamptons home merges seamlessly with the outdoors. A bank of glass windows opens onto a covered seating area with access to the pool beyond. Deer-resistant, long-blooming pollinator plantings such as butterfly bush, salvia, and coneflower soften the angular architecture and bring nature close to home.

Our firm did the design for The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Hudson Yards in New York. Currently, we are working on nine commercial towers with parks and gardens in Taiwan. For any project, public or residential, it’s essential to understand the ecologies of each place. When working on international projects, we turn to local experts for help. My ego isn’t so big that I think I can just step into a place and know everything. As long as you have the ability to ask questions and listen, you can take your skills anywhere.

Your book is titled The Landscape of Home. What does the word “home” mean to you?

A home is more than just a house. It’s a sense of well-being. Home is a place where we create joy, find respite, and feel secure. It’s my job to figure out what that means to each individual client and make those connections. Some people want places that will grow with them through their stages of life. For instance, they may want a pool or outdoor entertaining area now, but they also want a place where they can celebrate future events such as weddings.

You compare landscape design to the choreography of music. How do you bring that analogy to your designs? In a symphony, music rises and falls. It creates a sense of anticipation and longing. We use those same concepts in landscape design. The cover of my book is a great example. The path you see is an invitation to come inside, while the stepping stones draw the eye to another space which brings

Private Collection Oil on canvas

This farm in Connecticut enjoys a pedigree that goes back to the 1700s. The new homeowners wanted to save the best parts of the fields while introducing a home and landscape for modern living. To unify the new guest house and agricultural area beyond, Ed created a pea gravel path framed by crepe myrtles underplanted with geranium Rozanne, astilbes, and hydrangeas.

about a sense of crescendo and mystery. Shade trees cool you down while sunny spaces beyond bring warmth—and then the landscape lighting creates a transition to the evening. Just like the range of sensations that comes from listening to a wellorchestrated performance, a garden should evoke moods and carry you through all of your senses. You shouldn’t just look at a garden—you should be emotionally participating.

What is the value of preservation in landscape design?

When you are presented with something wonderful—whether it’s an ocean view, a historic structure, or 100-year-old trees— you work to enhance it. The things that were here before us o er a timelessness you cannot re-create. Old-growth trees can serve as a framework for an entire design. We will go to great lengths to preserve views and plants. In one instance, we actually concocted an elaborate feat of engineering to move a house in a way that would allow us to preserve centuryold rhododendrons.

What is it like to revisit a property years after install?

I love returning to properties to see what they have become and how they have grown. When houses are built, they are done, but when you install a garden, it’s just beginning. Trees grow taller and things fill in. Seeing your vision fulfilled is the reward for patience. A landscape is a measure of time, and it’s very humbling.

Tell us about your own home in Sag Harbor, New York. I grew up a city kid, but my wife and I moved to Long Island 30 years ago. The community has embraced us, and we want to do everything we can in return. We’ve restored cemeteries and revitalized boardwalks, parks, and green spaces. Our neighbors join us by volunteering their time and e orts. When you use the skills you have and give back, there’s no better feeling.

The Landscape of Home (Rizzoli, 2024) is the latest of three books authored by Ed Hollander, president of Hollander Design Landscape Architects. It features 18 projects focused on residential environments that are both healthy and beautiful for all inhabitants.

DAHLIA DAYS at High Hampton

August 11-13, 2024

CASHIERS, NORTH CAROLINA

Join us for a three-day getaway at High Hampton in Cashiers, North Carolina, with FLOWER Magazine Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Margot Shaw, as she explores flowers, fashion, design and more. This highly anticipated event includes garden tours, floral demonstrations, seminars, boutique pop-up shops, along with all the luxurious amenities the resort has to offer.

Margot Shaw Founder & Editor-in-Chief FLOWER Magazine

FEATURING

Elyce Arons Founder & CEO Frances Valentine

Cathy Graham Artist & Floral Designer Cathy B. Graham

Mish Tworkowski Jeweler & Tastemaker Mish Fine Jewelry

Sustainable Beauty

Melissa Reavis,

director of

Hollander Design’s residential studio, weighs in on three essentials to consider in a landscape.

Health

A healthy landscape considers all its residents, even the smallest microorganisms in the soil. Building ecosystems from the soil up is a huge responsibility that we invest a lot of time and e ort in to get right even before the planting. We create beautiful gardens that humans appreciate, but we also ensure that the other inhabitants have shelter and food.

Environment

It’s costly to truck in plants—not only from a price perspective, but also from a carbon perspective as they usually come wrapped in plastic. The more we can harvest, transplant, and save the plants on our own properties, the more we can do to reduce waste in our industry.

Connection

Some people find connection with the outdoors through gathering spaces such as dining areas or places to sit around a fire. Others find a more direct connection by tending vegetable or cutting gardens. Still others look to outdoor activities such as swimming or playing sports. When we find the connection, the landscapes can become a unique reflection of the families who inhabit them.

A rimless, dark-bottom pool o ers a nearly perfect reflection of the architecture and hydrangeas above. Chairs are poised to take in sweeping views of a lawn, cornfields, and the coastal pond beyond.

Patina Coll llec ecti t on atina Collection

The Art of Home

Keith Meacham, co-founder of Nashville-based Reed Smythe & Company, searches far and wide to find handcrafted objects and artisanal collaborations. Fresh from a move to a new retail location, she shares what’s currently catching her eye.

STYLING AND TEXT BY MARGARET ZAINEY ROUX | PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLEE MITCHELL

“T

he whole thing sort of started by accident,” says Keith Meacham of the Nashville-based lifestyle brand she co-founded with her childhood friend, the late author Julia Reed. “Julia had this idea to design and sell beautiful, handmade wares for the home and garden that you couldn’t find anywhere else. I had just left a career in technology, and I knew enough about e-commerce that I thought I could help. Honestly, I had no intention of doing much more than that— helping Julia get her gig going. But the more we schemed and dreamed about it, the more invested we became in building something special together.”

That was roughly five years ago. Since then, Reed Smythe & Company (which combines Julia’s last name and Keith’s maiden name) has blossomed from a pet project operated out of Keith’s Belle Meade basement to a thriving online business and most recently to a brickand-mortar store in West Nashville. The 2,200-square-foot emporium entices patrons and window-shoppers inside for an immersive experience where they can see the sparkling, colored glassware and smooth Mocha ware bowls; touch the handwoven baskets and embroidered suzanis; smell the intoxicating aromas of the hand-poured candles; and taste the decadent small-batch French chocolates. The store’s generous footprint also offers room for things like antique case pieces, overscale artwork, and sprawling vintage rugs that Keith scours the globe to handpick for the store.

“I love the thrill of the hunt—poking around auctions, flea markets, and artists’ studios to discover things that speak to me,” says Keith, who plans to spend two weeks sourcing in Paris and Normandy later this summer. “There is a major downside to these buying trips, though. I get tempted to keep things for myself. But the upside is that I can ‘borrow’ stuff back whenever I’m hosting a party. I’m an enthusiastic—albeit amateur—gardener,

In her Nashville shop, Keith Meacham creates a tablescape inspired by the “Charlotte” tablecloth she designed in collaboration with Lisa Fine Textiles.

Bouquet of Flowers with Sunflower, a Laurel Wreath, Sprig of Orange, Birds and Insects (detail), 1674, Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Dutch, 1606–1684), oil on canvas. The Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection. Poster© 2024 Virginia Museum

Fine Arts

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

An early 19th-century William IV sideboard displays a collection of ceramic vessels by Atelier MVM, while a handmade table made from zinc and reclaimed barnwood displays garden items and gifts. • Antique opaline trinket boxes from Italy and France shine in the light of a “Shroom” lamp by Atelier MVM.

“I love that the lamp is a little cheeky,” Keith says.

• David Austin roses and butterfly ranunculi in subtle peachy hues soften the striking palette of blues, purples, and teals in the tabletop décor. The marbleized plates are by Christopher Spitzmiller.

“I love the thrill of the hunt—poking around auctions, flea markets, and artists’ studios to discover things that really speak to me.” —KEITH MEACHAM

flower arranger, and party thrower, so a lot of what we sell supports those passions. Before I buy, I ask myself, ‘Is this something I would want in my own home?’ If it is, it’s shipped back to Nashville. If it’s not, I say goodbye.”

Even with all the tiles, textiles, vessels, and other fascinating finds that she brings back from locales like Morocco, Mexico, France, and Spain, Keith claims that her personal favorites are the exclusive items conceived in-house and developed hand-in-hand with the artists, artisans, and tradespeople she graciously calls her partners. When she wanted to copy her own collection of antique forcing bulb vases, Keith called on her glassblower to make a mold and create reproductions in the most popular colors of the 19th century. At the suggestion of a friend, she made oyster knives by working with welders at a Texas foundry to perfect their shell-shaped handles cast in highpolished bronze. And when she became enamored with an expensive antique Dutch tulipiere, Keith called on her sculptor to fabricate a more affordable cast-resin version with a contemporary profile and classic paw feet. She also worked with the sculptor to make small, polished bronze dishes shaped like ginkgo leaves, as well as bronze corkscrews featuring a dog head bearing a striking resemblance to Julia’s beloved beagle, Henry. Most recently, Keith joined forces with celebrated textile designer Lisa Fine to create a bespoke collection of tablecloths and toppers. Based on eight patterns from Lisa’s extensive line, the collection depicts fanciful florals and playful paisleys in saturated colorways and exaggerated scales.

“What I love about all of these collaborations is the constant flow of creative energy,” says Keith. “I have zero ability to paint or sew or throw clay or turn wood, but I’m a huge admirer of people who can. I want to showcase their talent and help them thrive. When we were online only, we were limited to sales. Now with the shop, we can bring people together for events, book signings, and floral demonstrations in a setting that feels as intimate as a living room.”

In a cozy corner, an antique French Empire daybed dressed in sunny mohair stands beside a metal console table customized in Farrow and Ball’s Vardo. A resin tulipiere and vintage vases top the scalloped-apron piece, while a pair of antique insect engravings hang above it.

2024 SOUTHEAST DESIGNERS & ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

CONTRACT DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Judged by Ellen McGauley, Executive Editor of VERANDA; interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins of Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates; and architect Aimee Buccellato of Schafer Buccellato Architects, the awards were presented at a celebratory gala on April 25. The announcement of three winners, selected from 26 finalists, marked the culmination of three days of annual industry events known as DESIGN ADAC.

Tate Casper & Jordan Winston of Oxford Design Tampa, FL

ARCHITECT OF THE

TS Adams Studio Architects

A Layered Legacy

While Edith Wharton is most remembered as a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and short story writer, she also made a name for herself as a garden designer, interior designer, and tastemaker of her time.

BY CHARLOTTE MOSS

TOP TO BOTTOM: English, French, and Italian influences are evidenced in The Mount, Wharton’s home in Lenox, Massachusetts. • Wharton in her library at The Mount. Her highly personal collection of books was repurchased by the Edith Wharton Restoration in 2005, adding to our knowledge of the woman, the author, and the designer.

Born Edith Newbold Jones in 1862, Edith Wharton spent her childhood traveling around the world. When her family moved to Europe, she was exposed to grand gardens, flower-filled hillsides, piazzas, and ancient ruins. The beauty she observed made a lasting impression on Wharton, leading to her passion for literature, interiors, and nature. When her family returned to Pencraig, their home in Newport, Rhode Island, Wharton found even more inspiration in the landscape. In her memoir, she wrote, “The roomy and pleasant house of Pencraig was surrounded by a verandah wreathed in clematis and honeysuckle, and below it a lawn sloped to a deep daisied meadow . . .”

Wharton made her social debut into New York society in the winter of 1879.

Six years later, she married Edward Wharton, from a well-established Philadelphia family, and the couple settled on a property called The Mount in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Wharton worked with architect Francis L.V. Hoppin to execute her vision for their new home. From the architecture to the interior design to the gardens, she incorporated her style, along with her collections from abroad. Using the influences from a lifetime of traveling Europe, she designed the beautiful gardens at The Mount.

In 1911, the couple sold The Mount and then divorced two years later. Wharton moved to France and eventually purchased the Pavillon Colombe in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt in a suburb of Paris. Her study of architecture and gardens is evident throughout the

BY DAVID DASHIELL

PHOTO (TOP)

“The Italian garden does not exist for its flowers; its flowers exist for it: they are a late and infrequent adjunct to its beauties, a parenthetical grace counting only as one more touch in the general effect of enchantment.” — EDITH WHARTON, ITALIAN VILLAS AND GARDENS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A view down the allée of pleached lindens, known as the Lime Walk, at The Mount. Wharton’s list of favorite flowers included delphiniums, dianthus, phlox, stock, and hydrangeas. • Wharton’s curiosity is visible in all aspects of the gardens as she merged Italian and French influences with an American spirit. Here, an Adirondack-style bench Is perfectly at home in this rustic stone niche. • Wharton surveying her garden at Castel Sainte-Claire du Chateau in Hyères, located high above the Mediterranean. The garden was lush with native plants, succulents, plumbagos, and bougainvilleas, all under the protection of eucalyptus and orange trees.

PHOTOS (TOP) BY DAVID DASHIELL

property, specifically in the different garden “rooms.”

As one might expect, Wharton’s descriptions of the Italian gardens she visited are equal to the powerful pen that shaped her prolific writing career. Neither a garden book, nor a travel book, Italian Villas and Gardens takes readers on a walk from each villa through the gardens where she points out the transitions and then on the landscapes at large. In the opinion of English landscape historian John Dixon Hunt, “…that is the most exciting emphasis of her book.” However, there was one issue that frustrated Wharton with the book’s publication—the decision made by her publisher to have Maxfield Parrish as the illustrator. Parrish refused to visit the locations Wharton wrote about or to collaborate with her. He had his own ideas and created 26 illustrations that, while attractive on their own, were not the vision of the author.

To fill in the gaps left by the absence of the illustrations she desired, Wharton used words that few are capable of summoning and committing to paper. The result is a guide through Villa Gamberaia, Isola Bella, Pisano, the Borghese Gardens, and more that many consider to be one of the greatest examples of garden writing. One such description reads, “It is safe to say that no one enters the grounds of the Villa Medici without being soothed and charmed by that garden magic which is the peculiar quality of some of the old Italian pleasances. It is not necessary to be a student of garden-architecture to feel the spell of quiet and serenity that falls on one at the very gateway.”

For her own gardens, Wharton followed the three elements of garden design she outlined in her book: “marble, water, and perennial verdure.” Classical busts on pedestals peeped out from foliage-covered niches while stone urns overflowed with flowers. Stone paths with flower borders wound through the property, and her rose garden surrounded a pond covered in water lilies. Wharton once wrote to a friend: “I got your splendid tulip list, for which all gratitude, & am ordering from Van Tubergen. My new rose garden is promising, & I find this soil so decidedly made for rose growing that I mean to plant hundreds more this autumn, & to root up nearly all the old varieties. The new ones are so much more worthwhile, & one can now get varieties of every kind to which mildew is unknown.”

In 1927, Wharton purchased a villa in the hills above Hyères, France, where she lived during the winters and springs. She called it Castel Sainte-Claire du Chateau and filled the villa’s garden with cacti and subtropical plants. Wharton spent most of her time on the terrace enjoying the spectacular views of lawns bordered by flowers and shrubs and dotted by arched topiaries. She died 10 years later, leaving behind a layered legacy. The first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature, Wharton lives on in the subtle irony between the lines of her novels, in the soil at The Mount, and in the flowers at Castel Sainte-Claire du Chateau.

With a lifelong love of gardening, designer Charlotte Moss has long been intrigued with what draws people—especially women—into the world of horticulture. She has a forthcoming book with Rizzoli on the subject of gardening women, set to release in 2026. BIRDS

11:00 am - 5:00 pm

WHAT’S ONLINE

Trending Now at flowermag.com

An Urban Oasis

A talented group of professionals team up to realize an outdoor paradise in the heart of D.C. that includes a new pool, pool house, and compelling garden spaces. These outdoor areas stylistically connect to the Spanish Revivalinspired main home. Explore the retreat, designed by D.C.-based BarnesVanze Architects, at flowermag.com/ dc-poolhouse.

HYDRANGEA SEASON

Who can resist big, billowy hydrangeas? Hydrangea arrangements consistently make the list of FLOWER magazine's most popular florals. Their lush blues, violets, pinks, whites, and even greens never fail to please the senses. And since each flowerhead is practically a bouquet in itself, hydrangeas can stand alone in a vessel or be used in bunches with other flowers. Find dozens of arrangements that show o the beauty and versatility of this hearty, summer bloom at flowermag.com/ hydrangeas.

The Secrets to Growing Dahlias

After you read about award-winning dahlia whisperer Drew English, the head gardener at High Hampton Resort in Cashiers, North Carolina (see page 58), check out his guide to growing this sensational bloom from start to finish. Master the process for your own color-filled home garden by visiting flowermag.com/grow-dahlias.

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM

BY ANICE HOACHLANDER;

BY MOLLY

HARRIS; BY TRIA

GIOVAN

Quercus alba. Acer macrophyllum. Carya ovata. Better known as White Oak, Bigleaf Maple and Shagbark Hickory, these are three of the thousands of species we specialize in. For 117 years, our family-owned company has brought a

award-winning

groundbreaking

practices, and global resources to every tree and shrub care task at hand. And at the heart of our success are our people — experts who know and champion every tree, no matter the species. Discover how our passion is inspiring one beautiful property after another.

Keeping Rooms

In a quiet Long Island village, world-renowned designer Thomas O’Brien creates his dream house and garden with special attention to collecting and being surrounded by all manner of treasures.

BY MARGOT SHAW PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL MUNDY

Interior and furniture designer Thomas O’Brien is a self-described rescuer of things. But not just any things. “Personal items from someone’s family history or experiences are what I am drawn to,” says Thomas. “I was taught to ask about things, even pictures, in someone’s house. What is brought forward carefully and made new is what I love.”

At his iconic summer place in Bellport, New York, this belief about Thomas’s chosen objects is embodied in many ways, such as a grouping of seemingly disparate but somehow subtly connected treasures in a bowl; a Georgian mahogany breakfront filled with precious Steuben pieces, Italian colored glass, and Picasso ceramics; lighting and furniture from Thomas’s own collections; and even the “Academy” and “Library” buildings on his property. Each one has an intrinsic richness and beauty while containing a cultural or relational narrative all its own.

The gray, Federal-style Academy building that started life as a schoolhouse and is now home to Thomas and interior designer Dan Fink was first reimagined as a home for a woman poet in the 1920s. Thomas serendipitously discovered it on a summer bike ride decades later. “It was always about coming to the front door of the Academy house,” he says. “It’s such a wonderful place— building and home. And it naturally unfolds to other parts of the garden and then next door to the Library. It’s really a full circle of making home and garden in a life of design and collecting.”

The white shingle, Colonial Revival-style Library sprang from Thomas’s imagination once the adjacent property became available and its existing rancher was raised. Conceived as a depot for his treasures, including some much-loved pieces from Aero, his Manhattan emporium, as well as items from past collections that still function as design references, the Library is also home to Thomas’s office, a few bedrooms, and an up-to-the-moment kitchen that spills over into the salon to create one big remarkable room.

In the garden, a 300-year-old Copper Beech tree, a parterre, a garden house, and an elegantly simple

PREVIOUS PAGES, LEFT TO RIGHT: An exquisite combination of some of Thomas O’Brien’s “rescued” objects. • Built in 1833 as the Bellport Classical Academy, this historic structure was rescued, restored, and repurposed by Thomas as a weekend home. THESE PAGES, ABOVE: Thomas O’Brien, characteristically in the company of interesting and beautiful objects. OPPOSITE: The breezy front hall in the Academy signals a cool white palette that flows throughout the house.

ABOVE: Cool and neutral, this seating area in the Academy is a perfect canvas for some of the designer’s sculptural and graphic art pieces. BELOW: Vignettes like this grouping of favorite things are found throughout Thomas's home.

OPPOSITE: A summery tableau greets visitors at the top of the stairs in the Academy.

swimming pool, among other horticultural and architectural signposts, anchor the property and punctuate the rhythm of the landscape. Influenced and inspired by the simplicity and structure of Italian gardens, and at the same time by the lushness and natural informality of English gardens, as well as by Monet’s Giverny house and gardens, Thomas’s garden rooms speak a rich language of beauty and balance. He revels in the sequential nature of plantings, such as allium in May or roses in June, and many other gentle gestures that unfurl throughout the summer. “The summer sweet—I love the scent,” he says. “Even the time the privet blooms. It’s all planned with an idea of making room for special plants and trees.”

Clearly a thoughtful and poetic designer, Thomas views his gardening as a mix of “beautiful things and a hopeful idea.” As he explains, “It doesn’t always work out as planned, but the wonder of watching what happens is everything. It’s the memories and history and newness all at once.”

Whatever is in bloom at the moment inevitably finds its way inside, whether for the table at dinnertime or to add a natural touch to a desktop or pedestal. Roses are a particular favorite as they remind Thomas of his grandparents, who adored them. “The garden was a very important part of their lives,” he remembers, “and I often say I design the garden now for my grandmother, Dellamae. I value making both home and garden special in a kind of loving and wholesome way— just as she taught me.”

An elegantly simple swimming pool, trimmed by a frothy herbaceous border, offers summer refreshment. BELOW: An aerial view of the parterres and hardscape with the Library peeking through the leaves in the distance

ABOVE: One of several garden rooms that invites outdoor lingering, this space boasts a spot for an intimate tea for two at the café table or an alfresco spread in the Garden House beyond.

BELOW: Among Thomas's interesting architectural moments in the garden is The Brick Round.

ABOVE: Next door to the Academy, the Library houses books, cabinets full of curiosities, offices, bedrooms, and a swoon-worthy kitchen and library. OPPOSITE: The designer chose Lee Jofa’s Nympheus Print wall covering for his office. A devotee of a more natural look in floral arrangements, Thomas filled a crystal-footed urn with flowers from the garden.

“It’s really a full circle of making home and garden in a life of design and collecting.”

—THOMAS O'BRIEN

OPPOSITE: A generously scaled library room is home to objets d'art, books, and sumptuously comfortable furniture. ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Thomas discovered this 20th-century Italian celestial library globe in the manner of Vincenzo Coronelli at Christie’s. It makes for a captivating focal point in the Library. • A beautifully backlit Georgian mahogany breakfront displays some of Thomas's Italian colored glass, Steuben pieces, and ceramics creations, including one from the hand of Picasso. • Summer afternoon light reflects on Thomas’s desk. For more information, see Sources, page 78.

BURSTING in

BLOOMS

Visiting High Hampton Resort in Cashiers, North Carolina, is sublime any time of the year, but there are over 850 colorful reasons to go during the dahlia growing season.

BY ALICE WELSH DOYLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOLLY HARRIS

From the end of July through mid-October, guests of High Hampton are treated to a brilliant display of blooms in the resort’s dahlia garden. It’s a tradition that dates back to the 1920s, thanks to Dr. William Halsted, a founding surgeon at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore who purchased High Hampton with his wife, Caroline, in 1890. The doctor was enamored with the flower and frequently traveled abroad to bring dahlia tubers back from Europe to the property, long before the blooms were well known in the U.S. “Halsted planted about an acre of dahlias, and the story is he once paid $1500 for a single tuber,” says Drew English, High Hampton’s head gardener. “In the early 1900s, a Ford Model T only cost about $750, so this was a true passion of his and an investment that paid o over time.” According to Drew, the dahlia population got so large in the area that the Cashiers post o ce started giving away tubers. “So all these little Appalachian cabins had dahlias growing in their gardens at the same time as the Queen of England!” he laughs.

Drew keeps Halsted’s legacy alive and thriving with 200 varieties yielding 850 plus plants. “I try to keep up with the trends. The dinnerplate dahlias are very popular, although they take more space to grow. Colors wax and wane; for a while orange was all the rage, and then the softer ‘Café Au Lait’ tones appeared everywhere.” The garden has become so popular with guests and members of the High Hampton Club that Drew has had to limit the days cuttings can occur and also has set smaller time frames for cuttings to ensure there are enough for everyone.

While the gardener plants 95% of the dahlias himself, he does open the season on Memorial Day weekend for members and guests to participate in the planting process. “They pick a tuber from the wheelbarrow, and, after a brief tutorial, they get to put their tuber in the ground and write their name on the stake,” says Drew. “Then come July, they have the rights to the first blooms of the dahlia they planted.”

“SUMMER GARDENS YIELD A FULL SPECTRUM OF COLORS FOR US TO ENJOY, AND DAHLIAS ARE THE MOST FUN TO PLAY WITH.”

—DREW ENGLISH, HEAD GARDENER AT HIGH HAMPTON

Up Close With the “DAHLIA WHISPERER”

Anyone with fond childhood memories of visits to the plant nursery is destined to end up with their hands in the dirt, even if a detour or two happens along the way. Drew English grew up in Summerville, South Carolina (known as “Flower Town in the Pines”), around his parents and grandparents who were avid gardeners. “They had deep Southern roots when it came to plantings, and they grew a lot of camellias, azaleas, and beautiful perennials of the Lowcountry,” he says. “Those visits to the plant nursery with them always felt like going to a fairy-tale land.” Drew’s interest in blooms grew when he was old enough to drive around and soak in the flower boxes and walled gardens in nearby Charleston. However, his professional calling into the world of gardening didn’t happen right away. After college, Drew moved to D.C. to pursue a career in politics, but the pull of home brought him back to South Carolina in 2005 to sell real estate. He started visiting Cashiers, North Carolina, on a regular basis, and it was there that he had a garden reawakening. “I was introduced to a different plant system that was more to my liking and more forgiving without the intense heat of the Lowcountry and its short growing season,” says Drew. Before long, he had bought property in Cashiers and was spending long weekends at the retreat tinkering with dahlias. “Their diversity and vivid color saturation is what really drew me in,” Drew says. “You can grow a large lacy variety next to a super dense ball variety, and they just complement each other so well.”

Drew began entering the dahlia shows in Highlands, racking up ribbons by the fistful. He moved to Cashiers full time in 2019 and started his business, The English Gardener, providing services such as design and restoration. Word got around that he was quite the dahlia conjurer, and when the gardener at High Hampton retired, Drew was asked to take over. And while his personal garden may have suffered—“the cobbler’s children have no shoes” metaphor applies—the garden at the resort has only flourished.

PREVIOUS PAGES: A 'Café Au Lait' dahlia, one of the many varieties at High Hampton. THESE PAGES, ABOVE AND BELOW: Drew English, High Hampton's head gardener, cuts fresh dahlias for arrangements throughout the resort. OPPOSITE: In the resort's wine room, Drew filled the table with dahlias in glass vases from local shop Toby West Home.

The Details on Dahlias: Q&A with DREW ENGLISH

Any special cutting and conditioning rules of thumb for dahlias?

To encourage extended and more prolific blooming, cut your dahlias deep within the plant and take long cutting stems, sacrificing smaller lateral buds. The terminal bud is the main bud at the end of a stem and will produce the showstopper flower. I typically cut down two or more leaf sets from the desired bloom, yielding at least a 12-inch stem. These long stems are great for arranging and allow more options for vases and designs.

How can you improve their longevity after cutting?

Like a lot of other flowers from the garden, dahlias benefit from hydration and searing at the base of the stem. By searing a well-hydrated stem in very hot water for several seconds, the vase life is greatly extended.

Are there any unwritten rules about combining colors or sizes together, or is it strictly dictated by your personal preferences?

When I arrange dahlias, I follow the rule of “bride, bridesmaid,

and wedding crasher.” The “bride” is your main focal point, the star of the display. The “bridesmaid” will complement your “bride” in either size, shape, or color. Then your “wedding crasher” is something unexpected or visually different. It can be a vibrant color like red or orange. Or it can be something completely different in scale, size, or form. Summer gardens yield a full spectrum of colors for us to enjoy, and dahlias are the most fun to play with!

What are some of your favorite color combinations?

I like to mix a lot of colors in a single arrangement. Deep purples and reds mix well with white and lavender. Orange, coral, and pink dahlias make a beautiful combination and really pop when paired with a touch of pale yellow.

What other plant material pairs well with dahlias?

Our Southern mountain gardens and woodlands provide the best material to incorporate into arranging dahlias. Eupatorium, Queen Anne’s lace, hydrangeas, Gooseneck, bee balm, fern fronds, and other foraged greens make great floral material to match with dahlias in your creations.

For Drew’s tips on growing dahlias, please go to flowermag.com/grow-dahlias, To plan your stay at High Hampton, go to highhampton.com.

'Verrone's DF' 'Kelvin Floodlight'

'Myrtle's Folly' 'Orange Symphony'

Seeds of Time

Inspired by his visits to European gardens, Gerard Pampalone has spent years creating an elaborate garden on his Connecticut farm that balances the formality of those grand landscapes with an intimate sensibility to welcome guests.

BY TOVAH MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY STACY BASS

For years, Gerard Pampalone dreamed of gardening Beanacre Farm. Even before he and his wife, Arlene Carpenter, finally became the proud owners of the property in 1995, Gerard was creating his plan, a process that entailed several European garden tours.

But translating his design into the 3½-acre Fairfield, Connecticut, property proved a challenge. Gerard wanted to blend the formality of the gardens he discovered on those overseas visits with outdoor spaces that felt like home. Strong design was one goal but equally important was a scene that embraced friends and company.

Then Gerard had an aha moment—a realization that in order to create a garden that welcomed everyone, including the plants he was inviting into his domain, he had to carefully consider its layout. “The arrangement is what defines a garden,” he says. “It’s all about the framework.” While certain elements were already in place, such as a barn, pool, pavilion, stone cottage, and apple orchard, there was still plenty of room for Gerard to add his touch. He started by building a conservatory from materials shipped (in 22 boxes) directly from England, and that greenhouse became a wintertime “living room.” Most homeowners would bask in that structural achievement and call it a day—but not Gerard. His vision was to ground the cluster of buildings in a sense of place, and the plantings he chose were not just a casual nod to nature. Because he wanted to dig in and get his hands dirty, he looked past simply adding green-ongreen clipped boxwoods and a few stately trees. Gerard wanted to truly garden with all the blossoms it entails.

From his European treks, Gerard discovered that multiples were critical for making his vision a reality. He made a list of the perennials and annuals he couldn’t live without—and it was lengthy. Poppies, campanulas, thalictrums, echinaceas, anchusas, lupines, foxgloves, and echinops were just a few of the selections he wanted to plant to soften the spaces between 22 boxwood balls. And he didn’t want just one one of each—he needed bunches. However, those amped-up numbers of plants Gerard envisioned would easily burst anyone’s budget. Plus, many of those novelties were not readily available in this country. Never one to be dissuaded, Gerard took a class on

seed-starting at the New York Botanical Garden. Then he went to work in the basement of the barn using an old train table, grow-lights installed by his electrician father-in-law, and a series of seed orders from Chiltern Seeds in the UK. Over time, Gerard created a carefully calibrated garden dialogue between patterns of hues and textures. He now keeps a calendar of what to start and when to sow, knowing that every spring starts a new marathon with seedlings.

Throughout the process, Gerard has welcomed garden luminaries to Beanacre Farm to seek their advice. One such professional, local garden designer Paul Winsor, suggested leaving the “green headboard” of structural woody plants at the west end of the perennial garden to give it a backdrop. Similarly, Gerard framed the garden with a pair of large arches supporting climbing roses. And he still finds inspiration from regular trips to Europe, most recently in the form of tuteurs and obelisks. He purchased similar punctuation marks to give his garden instant height while supporting the roses and clematis he loves. And to break up expanses of lawn, Gerard has created points of interest using rusted metal wire orbs of varying sizes.

To keep the garden ever evolving, Gerard continuously experiments with seeds of novelties while also striving to extend the performance as long as possible. While the spring timeslot is easy to fill, he’s always pushing for players with diversity and impact later into the season. For example, the rose garden is no longer devoted solely to roses but now includes companion perennials. And sunflowers grown from seed add a bit of drama with a late summer pop.

Most importantly, Gerard and Arlene take time to enjoy and share the oasis they’ve created. Not only do they spend most evenings in the outdoor pavilion relaxing by the fireplace, but they also invite friends over twice a month for informal gatherings. For the Pampalones, it’s all about company, camaraderie, and cordiality. “Just a handful of friends,” says Gerard. “Usually six to eight people nibbling on sliders. The wine flows, and everyone goes home happy.” But nobody says goodbye until Gerard has led them all on what he calls his “bragging tour” of the garden. That grand finale tour is invariably the evening’s crescendo, and it always receives a standing ovation.

PREVIOUS PAGES, LEFT TO RIGHT: ‘Constance Spry’ roses form an arch above the entrance to the rose garden. A bed of lady’s mantles, foxgloves, and lamb’s ears flows around a stone orb fountain. • Beside the apple orchard, a fence protects a series of raised beds bristling with echinaceas and rudbeckias. THESE PAGES, OPPOSITE: The conservatory hosts parties in winter. In warmer weather, the festivities move outdoors among the beds softened in sedum, echinacea, and self-sown fennel. An armillary sphere accents the space.

A Way With Color

All those trips to Europe informed more than just the layout of Beanacre Farm’s gardens; they also bolstered Gerard’s bravery with color. “I learned how colors work together so that I could map out their placements,” he says. Here are a few of his tips.

Use silver-leaved plants as discrete connectors between garden spaces.

Extend a space visually by placing blue in the back of the border. “My favorite blues are campanulas, platycodons, asters, and agastache,” says Gerard.

Add a pop of color with sunflowers. The oversized blooms make an impact up close and from a distance. “When viewed from far away, sunflowers look like floating dots,” Gerard says.

Tie in strong colors (like yellow) with a similar hue in an airy shape.

Keep pinks soft so they don’t overpower the garden.

Find a few staples to repeat in several spaces. “I like Verbena bonariensis, baptisia, sedum, and echinaceas,” says Gerard.

ABOVE: Gerard tends his garden daily—pruning, weeding, and deadheading. RIGHT: An armillary centered in a peony-and-perennial garden is just one focal point in a landscape that also includes ‘Constance Spry’ rose archways, tuteurs, and obelisks.

Reflections in the Garden

A stroll around The Grove with India Hicks reveals intricacies of the private garden her late father, legendary interior designer David Hicks, created as a showcase of disciplined tonal design.

BY MARION LAFFEY FOX PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLIVE NICHOLS

A walk through The Grove’s garden in Oxfordshire, England, would be a treat any time. But the opportunity to tour alongside India Hicks during her visit from the Bahamas makes it even more special. The spirited designer, humanitarian, tastemaker, and goddaughter of King Charles III invariably adds a layer of anecdotal wit to any story, especially that of the country estate where she spent much of her childhood and where her mother, Lady Pamela, continues to live.

Dotted by sturdy stone churches, tidy cottages, and welcoming pubs, the countryside surrounding The Grove boasts history that dates back to Roman times. Behind perky gardens and hedgerows, farmsteads are owned by generations of locals who know all the unmarked roads and willingly offer directions to strangers. It was in the early 1960s that the area’s solid country-squire lifestyle captured the fertile imagination of India’s late father, David Hicks, the iconic interior designer and revolutionary in his field.

During our stroll, India shares memories of her father. “He had a profound and lasting interest in the way people live,” she says. “And he set the world on fire with his daring designs that other people were not doing.” Throughout his halcyon years, as his design empire rapidly grew, Hicks famously proclaimed that he was “undoubtedly the best known interior designer in the world.” As if that wasn’t sufficient, he added that he was “designing everything that can be designed.”

An impossibly handsome man, Hicks wore impeccable bespoke suits and oozed such panache that he seemed invincible. His disparate design projects included The White House bowling alley and a cocktail lounge on the Queen Elizabeth II, along with worldwide private commissions and several farflung offices. That design prowess is also evident in his gardens at The Grove that unfold in a magical aura of symmetry with various intersecting “rooms” boasting a lush palette of his favorite shades of green.

While working on his plans for the essentially flat land, Hicks admitted that he had “always been attracted to gardens which have a great sense of containment.” As he explained, “I feel the need for controlled, designed order. But what pleases me most is the true and totally disciplined sense of tonal gardening—green on green on green.” This is particularly true in the Green Room, where he planted box bushes resembling rounded loaves of bread. Today, it resounds with vast, mature vistas of massive hornbeam walls and avenues of Spanish chestnuts. This masterful roundup of verdancy delights the eye at different moments of the day when its composed impact is accompanied by delicate dewiness, flirting sunlight, or sweet birdsong. Purposely removed from the linear garden, flowers were

relegated to secret places because Hicks never wanted to see them from inside the house. All the while, he enjoyed the masterful crossover between his interior design mantras and his garden fascinations, saying that “color means more to me than any of my other raw materials, and I often use strong colors together to make a dull corner sizzle.” This is especially apparent in the Red Garden, which celebrates its namesake color with Copper beech walls and ‘Danse du Feu’ roses. “It is also illustrated in the Secret Garden,” India says, pointing out sublime beds alive with drowsy bees who overdose on the nectar of aromatic roses, tree peonies, poppies, lilies, foxgloves, and salvia. The ever-changing seasonal view is Lady Pamela’s favorite relaxing spot, especially when India is there gathering flowers to create loose, casual arrangements for the house.

During the tour, we peer through apertures in hedges and duck beneath a gracefully arched arbor. Beyond a clairvoyée, we admire the rose-covered cottage wall and pyramid-topped gateposts. And just off the drawing room, we view the rectangular, black swimming pool that masquerades as a formal water feature as it reflects a precise battalion of chestnut hedges.

Within the confines of this otherworldly spot, The Pavilion rises above it all as a two-story Gothick tower with a crenellated top surrounded by a moat and retractable bridge. A 60th birthday gift that Hicks requested from his wife, the structure was a private folly where he occasionally barricaded himself to work—bridge up meant go away. As his meticulous handwritten planning notebook directed, the edifice later became the place that his body laid in state before a New Orleans-style band escorted his casket to the village church and on to the cemetery with “the best views,” as Hicks once referred to it.

“The garden is a visible salutation to my father’s imagination, as well as his high jinks,” India says. “He was precise, even down to the size of his ice cubes. But it’s important to know that he saw the world differently. He wasn’t like other friends’ fathers who were bankers.” Clearly amused by private memories, she laughs out loud as she adds, “He never read us bedtime stories, nor did he look at school reports. He wore capes lined in red satin and designed patent leather dancing shoes. He was a dreamer and an eccentric. We like eccentric.”

PREVIOUS PAGES, LEFT TO RIGHT: An expertly etched silhouette of debonair David Hicks, created by his artist-son Ashley, gazes from an unexpected corner of the garden. • An elegantly simple swimming pool tucked into an envelope of green offers summer refreshment. THESE PAGES, OPPOSITE: The crenellated Gothick Pavilion includes carved finials, a retractable bridge, and a moat filled with lily pads.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A weathered chalk-and-brick wall features a portrait of India’s grandmother, Lady Edwina Mountbatten. • A raised terrace is enlivened with wild lavender patches, an orb incised with David Hicks’s signature monogram, and India’s collection of cut roses for the house. • A graceful, mullioned door leads to a garden room lined with antique sculptures. • A paper-strewn table in the Pavilion holds a trove of Hicks’s sketches and notes, just as he left them. OPPOSITE: India and Lady Pamela enjoy the serenity of The Grove’s garden.

ABOVE: India Hicks, attired in one of the romantic, printed cotton dresses she often wears in the country. OPPOSITE: With its overgrown grasses and tangles of pink climbing roses, a hidden corner of the garden offers a surprise from the otherwise manicured landscape.

Any items not listed are unknown.

FROM THE FIELD

PAGES 13-18: Cupola Pool House Lanterns, bevolo.com; Pallas Athena in Pisces, fabricut.com; Wet-Cast Concrete Pavers in Oyster, firerock.us; Round Dolphin Planter, chelseahouseinc.com; Estelle Colored Wine Stemware in Forest Green, estellecoloredglass.com; Bora Drinking Glass, bergdorfgoodman.com; Sunkiss Daisy Painted Stoneware Salad Plate, hudsongracesf.com; Sunkiss Daisy Painted Stoneware Appetizer Plate, hudsongracesf.com; Colette Color Edge Verte Dinner Plate, Mottahedeh.com; The Mini Pappy Tray, pappyco.com; Martellato Five-Piece Place Setting, vietri.com; Tablecloth and Napkins, kravet.com; Temple St. Clair Classic Trio Earrings, croghansjewelbox.com; Striped Beach Towels, weezietowels.com; Selima Optique x FV Skip Sunglasses in Blue, francesvalentine.com; Double Decker® Umbrella with Keyhole Valance, santabarbaradesigns.com; Plage Patchwork Pillow, easternaccents.com; Plage Striped Bolster in Teal, easternaccents.com; Alberti Lounge Chair, woodard-furniture.com; Calvi Fabric on Cushions in Lagon, cowtan.com; Island Capri Hats, lornamurray.com.au; Mikado Flamenco Bracelet in Lagoon, us.tamaracomolli.com; Indoor/Outdoor Formosa Chaise, hollywoodathome.com; Couper Contrapposto Sun Chaise, mckinnonharris.com; Walter Lamb Aluminum Contoured Chaise, brownjordan.com; Gio Outdoor LAF Chaise, centuryfurniture.com; Sundial Wide Chaise in Hydrangea Port Stripe, serenaandlily.com; Butterfly Garden in colorway 02, osborneandlittle.com; Marina Bay in Water, fabricut.com; Kikko in Blue Lagoon, perennialsfabrics.com; Betsy Flora in Jade, fabricut.com; Esperanza in Pool, fabricut.com; Cabana Stripe in Spa Blue, thibautdesign.com; Gelataria in Blueberry Crush, jimthompsonfabrics.com; Mature in Turquoise, estout.com

ARRANGING

PAGES 21-24: Floral Designer: Sybil Sylvester, Wildflower Designs, wildflowerdesigns.net; Shoot Location: Hiltz-Lauber, hiltzlauber.com

SOURCES

Who Did It & Where To Get It

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

PAGES 26-32: Landscape Architect: Ed Hollander, Hollander Design, hollanderdesign.com

SHOPPING

PAGES 34-38: Keith Meacham, Reed Smythe & Company, reedsmythe.com

KEEPING ROOMS

PAGES 46-57: Interior Designer: Thomas O’Brien, Aero Studios, aerostudios.com; Copper Beech, copperbeechbythesea.com

BURSTING IN BLOOMS

PAGES 58-53: Gardener: Drew English, The English Gardener, IG: @the_english_ gardener_nc; High Hampton Resort, highhampton.com

SEEDS OF TIME

PAGES 64-69: Beanacre Farm, beanacrefarm.com

REFLECTIONS IN THE GARDEN PAGES 70-77: India Hicks, indiahicks.com

CORRECTION on page 18 of the May/ June issue of FLOWER: Mid-Century Carved Amethyst, Nephrite and Diamond Floral Brooch ($1750) from Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry, langantiques.com

A Closer Look

On page 75 of “Reflections in the Garden,” India Hicks and her mother enjoy afternoon tea on a table dressed in the “Seashell Seafoam” tablecloth from her linen collection for Pomegranate. The collection intertwines India’s roots in the English countryside with her life in the Bahamas, where she now makes her home. This particular pattern evokes seafoam washing up on the beach and was inspired by a silk scarf her father, David Hicks, often wore. Find more from the India Hicks Home collection at pomegranateinc.com.

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 4. FLOWER magazine, ISSN 1941-4714, is a bimonthly publication of Peony Publishing, LLC, located at 3020 Pump House Road, Birmingham, AL 35243. Periodicals postage is paid at Birmingham, AL, and additional mailing o ces. Postmaster: Send address changes to Flower magazine, P.O. Box 8538, Big Sandy, TX 75755. For subscription inquiries and customer service, please call 877.400.3074. All unsolicited materials will not be returned. Printed in the U.S.A.

BY

PHOTO

CLIVE NICHOLS

FLORAL MOMENT

“I call this sculpture my ‘Floral Portal,’ created from flowers and plant materials I foraged and dried from my garden and the countryside surrounding our home on the Welsh border. It’s a fanciful, ethereal interpretation of a stained glass window that invites you to appreciate the color and texture of the individual flowers, as well as to peer into the negative space leading to the landscape beyond. I believe it’s often the contrast of what’s not there that sets the imagination alight.” — LAYLA ROBINSON, FLORAL DESIGNER

BY

PHOTO

JANNE FORD