Washington Winter Show 2024

55 You have said that “gardens are transient works of art.” The garden we planted and tended as a spry homeowner is not the same as the one we labor in 20 years later. The trees mature, the earth warms, the spotted lanternfly moves in. We must adjust our gardening practices to suit the world we live in — not the one we visit in our memories. One of your favorite gardens to visit is Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware. A former du Pont estate, Mt. Cuba is known for its trial gardens and its focus on native plants and their role in environmental sustainability. What is your personal view on designing with native plants? Of course I adore native plants but I think the world would be a much poorer place had it not been for the introduction of so many beloved plants into our gardens, the vast majority of which are not invasive or problematic. Camellias have been on this continent since the early eighteenth century, and to my knowledge they have been nothing other than glorious immigrants. What are some of your go-to native plants that you enjoy using in your designs? I love so many, particularly mountain laurel and the rosebay and great laurel rhododendrons, arrowood viburnum, serviceberry, Virginia sweetspire, bottlebrush buckeye, and all 18 species of the North American native azalea rhododendrons. Over the course of your career, you have had the pleasure of designing many gardens — both near and far. Do you have a favorite? My last garden is my favorite garden. I do love to create garden vignettes that hook together into one landscape. It’s sort of a style. I love to do rooms that lead to other little rooms, places to sit and ponder. At the WWS we are fortunate to have a large following of young collectors who may well find themselves in a home with a garden in need of a refresh. If you could give one piece of advice for a budding gardener, what would it be? Best advice to a new gardener is restraint. It is so easy to let a garden own you, not vice versa. They should be a joy, never a burden. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Best advice I ever got was from a great gardener who said, “A garden should not require more work than an hour in the morning over coffee, and an hour late afternoon with wine.” Thank you so much for spending some time with us to discuss your work and to share valuable insights into your design aesthetic. To wrap up, will you share your favorite quote on gardening? “But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.” —Thomas Jefferson This article is sponsored by The Curtin Family in honor of Mrs. William J. Curtin and Mrs. H. Bartholomew Cox, WashingtonWinter Show Board of Directors