Celebrating A Rural Hamptons Landscape

As promised, here are is another special garden I enjoyed touring during the annual Parish Art Museum's Landscape Pleasures.

On eighteen acres in Sagaponack, landscape designer Edwina von Gal designed developed a romantic view of a rural farm. The cedar shingled house and its outbuildings are more modern and chic than the original Hamptons homesteads. Its grassy meadows, 'orchards' and pond are more manicured. However, this garden still celebrates the original rural landscapes that are sadly being replaced with McMansions in the Hamptons.  I applaud the owners, Gus & Liz Oliver, for allowing Edwina to create a green oasis that they can enjoy as much as the native wildlife.

Even though this is a large garden, basing your plantings on those from surrounding fields or woods can create a more natural look and extend your property lines.  This is something I tried to do early on when designing my Hamptons garden.  Even though I had a narrow lot, my garden looks much larger with the periphery blended into adjacent woodlands.

Hope you enjoy these photos.  I'll try to post photos from the rest of this tour later this week.

The yard was designed to look as though the land was just cleared for the house

Outbuildings, like those from an old farm,  serve an aesthetic and practical purpose

 A man-made pond is filled with fish

An ornamental cherry grove adds the look of an orchard one would expect on a farm

A low stone fence holds back the grassy field beyond (mowed down in mid-June to keep it at a manageable height)

Modern patio furniture and planters bring you back to the 21st Century