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Hedges define the boundaries of this walkway into one of the nine garden

The Walled Garden at Scampston Hall: Variations on a Theme

England’s Scampston Hall is known for its Walled Garden designed by the Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf. Within the confines of an 18th century kitchen garden in North Yorkshire, Oudolf created a series of garden ‘rooms,’ using hedges as walls. Using hedges to divide a garden into discrete spaces is not a new idea, in England or elsewhere. Far…

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The shingle house was designed by Meade White, one of the premier New York design firms of the Gilded Age.

Naumkeag, Then and Now

Naumkeag is one of America’s finest gardens. Located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and designed over a period of 30 years from 1925-1956, the garden reflects the desires of the last owner, Mabel Choate, and the skills of her friend and collaborator, the landscape architect Fletcher Steele. Pushing the boundaries of the old Beaux Arts traditions, together they…

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pumpkins

Hooray! It’s Pumpkin Time

Montreal is blessed with several great outdoor markets. My local one is the Atwater Market, smaller than some, larger than others. It sells meats, fish, cheeses, breads, fruits, vegetables and almost every sort of food you can put a name to.  At this time of year, though, the Atwater Market is brimming over with pumpkins.…

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The statue of Diana Robing is a replica of the one placed there by Mabel Choate

What Makes Sculpture Work?

In the last week I’ve been visiting gardens and looking at sculpture and art installations, indoors and out. I’ve visited art museums, gardens where sculpture is integrated into the setting, gardens with temporary sculpture exhibitions and sculpture parks where commissioned pieces are site specific. It’s been a fabulous experience, instructive as well as enjoyable. I started my week…

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15-silver-logo

What an Honour!

Site and Insight: Reflecting on Art and Landscape has been honoured with a prestigious Silver Award for electronic media. The award, for the website overall, was given by The Garden Writers’ Association, a large American-based organization that brings together garden writers from around the world.     Site and Insight was one of 231 entries judged…

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