The beauty of misty lily pond
The weekend before I left for Poland, Prague, and Ireland, Kevin joined me for a visit to my home on Lily Pond in East Hampton. The main reason for the trip was an event called Landscape Pleasures, sponsored by the Parrish Art Museum in nearby Southampton. Landscape Pleasures is a wonderful horticultural event – a walk through of eight fantastic private gardens on the Eastern End of Long Island. I simply love seeing amazing gardens.
My own gardens were doing some amazing things themselves, and I got up very early to photograph them. There was a light fog, and the air was filled with the scent of the ocean, which is only a block away. Of course, my roses were doing their glorious thing – blooming!
The entrance gate looking in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean.
Part of the fernery in the garden - everything was thick and beautiful.
The native American variety of wisteria which blooms a week or so
later than the more common Chinese varieties - I love the fat and plump
blooms of purple.
The house in the early mist - you can see how the climbing roses are
just covered with blooms - and the fragrance is unbelievable! 
The circle lawn with the neighbor's great trees beyond is quite a sight - I always think I am in an English park.
The stone walkway through the shade garden is almost too narrow now, but I cannot bare to cut back the viburnums and hydrangeas.
After this week I will have to widen this path - but see how mysterious it looks.
The mossy path, the various green hues of all the shade-loving plants - amazing how things have matured!
Francesca loves looking for squirrels and chipmunks in the garden.
A very large aloe underplanted with dicondra - two of these flank the front stairs.
One errant rose in a garden of pink, peach, apricot, and white! This
is some of the red rootstock onto which most of the old climbers are
grafted. Out came the secateurs - the red rose is now gone. We have
planted the teal blue pots with all kinds of alocasias, lysimachia, and
ferns
One majestic ginko - luckily a very healthy male - has grown so much
that the lawn had to be replaced with a new garden of shade-loving
hostas, ferns, gingers
the double row of hornbeams on either side of the old brick walkway
a gorgeous climber
Another view of the shade garden - on a hot day this area of the garden is always at least ten degrees cooler.
Francesca waiting for something to happen - she is definitely an alert little creature!
Kevin and I decided to make flower arrangements because the roses
were so fantastic - an old white painted iron urn was mounded with
apricot and cream roses.
In a small silver luster urn, I arranged some single white climbers and some centifolias.
I found this very large pink luster ball vase and mounded it with
alchymist roses and some other gorgeous pinkish types. I decided to try
and photograph it - not realizing that no matter what I did or where I
went, I could not rid the 'see all' orb of my persona - a very good
look at the yard, the house, the drive, the lawn, and me!
I took it into the house and tried to hide in a chair, but there I
am right there in the 'mirror' in what some call the 'witch's ball.'
This is a pear tree that has become the rose tree - a pink climber has found a wonderful trellis in the branches of this tree.
a view of the walkway in front of the porch
more of the roses
more roses
Here's the pool when the mist lifted - it looks especially beautiful this year.
This is Carlos helping me move some heavy pots. He used the dolly, which made the transport so much easier.
Francesca - still waiting
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