A formal, wild meadow

I will never forget this formal, wild meadow garden in East Hampton, NY. 

The Hamptons are famous for village lanes lined with mature sycamores, privet hedges, and arborvitae.  Such plantings mark the separation between the private and public worlds.  They provide shelter and privacy to personal gardens; shade and coziness to public spaces.  Getting around means passing through these delightful lanes.  

While walking back from the beach along one such lane, dense green walls on either side gave way to a burst of light and color.   The setting sun streamed through this stunning meadow seen above; thousands of cosmos were backlit so they appeared to be floating paper lanterns.

This garden has the layout of a formal parterre, a geometric area divided by symmetrical paths.  Its structure could easily fit into a French formal garden.  A square space is framed by evergreens.  Straight, criss-crossing paths meet in the middle of it to form a series of triangular beds filled with flowers.  This formality unifies the garden, giving it rhythm and consistency. 

What made this garden special was how the gardener’s plant choices and pruning restraint softened its structured layout.  The evergreens were left to grow naturally; mown grass was used in the pathways instead of gravel; cosmos were selected for the flowerbeds and fell freely into the paths.  A few grasses and daisies were allowed to pop up now and then, further softening the scheme. The power of this garden comes from its combination of formality, and what I suppose was inspiration from the wild.

Fashioned in the arts and crafts style, this garden is one room in a series of gardens: more formal outdoor areas near the house provide space for entertaining; and this garden in the far corner is looser, more naturalistic.

As I plan my fantasy garden, a formal meadow like this one will fit in beautifully, especially since I will have limited space.   I can create a defined area with paths for easy access to the flower beds, and at the same time enjoy the beauty and serendipity that only nature can provide.  It will also face west so that the setting sun can wash over it.

See more arts and crafts gardens here.

Founded in 1648, East Hampton is one of the earliest English settlements in America. This area is known for beautiful beaches and bays, historic (and modern) homes, design shops, and wonderful garden centers.

 

Scandal in the garden

Cliveden estate and garden date back to the mid-1600’s.  The overall design consists of: a grand mansion on a platform, a terrace that gently slopes to a small cottage on the Thames River, and a series of pleasure gardens.  In 1849 John Fleming, head gardener and author of Spring and Winter Flowering Garden, created the formal parterre and geometric floral planting pictured above.   

John Fleming's book published in 1864.

At over six acres, this is not a small garden.  Sixteen formal beds are framed by 2.5 miles of hedges.  Eighteen topiary pyramids provide height and punctuation.  Each spring and summer a new display of 30,000 plants is put in place.  That’s 60,000 new plants each year!  Preparing for each season takes 12 full-time gardeners and 40 volunteers 2 weeks.  When originally created, it set a global standard combining formal elements with gardenesque ribbon planting.

Historic gardens are great places to celebrate plants and design; they also connect us back to important events.  In 1893, American William Waldorf Astor bought the property with his New York City real estate fortune.  An example of American’s using their gilded age wealth to buy great European houses (and titles).  The Astor family lived in the house for 3 generations.  They saw the depression and two World Wars; and lent part of the house to the Canadian Red Cross as a military hospital.  

In the early 1960’s the world was in the midst of the Cold War.  The US broke off relations with Cuba, the Berlin Wall was built, and the USSR detonated the hydrogen bomb.

With this political backdrop, Bill Astor invited friends over for one of his summer house parties in July 1961.  The guest list and ensuing events of a particular weekend kicked off what became known as the Profumo Affair.

The story begins when John Profumo, Secretary of State of War, and his wife join the Astors for a weekend at Cliveden.  One evening, Stephen Ward, the estate’s cottage resident, joined the Astor group along with his house guests: model Christine Keeler and Soviet naval attaché Yevgeny Ivanov.

That weekend, Keeler and Profumo started a short affair.  Things got out of hand when Profumo denied his relationship with Keeler and the press discovered that Keeler also had an affair with Ivanov.  The mix of British official, Soviet attaché, and a shared mistress during the Cold War posed a security risk too potent to contain.

The results ranged from the expected to the tragic.  Ward faced mounting allegations related to his involvement in facilitating the relationships and committed suicide.  Prime Minister MacMillan resigned to save his political party but the Conservatives lost the 1964 elections anyway.  Profumo was forced to resign but dedicated his life to philanthropy, eventually winning honors for his charitable work.  And while Keeler made some money from her story initially, she found it hard to find work again.

Today Cliveden is a National Trust property and a wonderful hotel.  Close to London’s Heathrow Airport, it is a great stop over.  And if the Cold War history is too much, there is always that beautiful 6-acre parterre to enjoy.

Headline: June 6, 1963  Source: mirror.co.uk

John Profumo 1960's. Photo: mirror.co.uk

Christine Keeler 1960's. Photo: AP