COURTESY THE VAN VLECK HOUSE & GARDENS
HORTICULTURE HEAVEN
Clockwise from left:
A view of the courtyard
in daffodil season, laced
with heavy boughs of
ancient wisteria. Terrace
rhododendrons. The tennis
court garden on a misty
day. Close-up of the
fountain in the tennis
court garden sunlight.
able to find new places to explore
all through the year.
They can consult a “bloom list”
showing what is budding during
each season.
“Doing a weekly bloom list
update has shown me that the
garden is always changing,”
Roberts says. “The experience is
never exactly the same. I get to see
plants that don’t really stand still –
buds expanding, shoots emerging,
flowers opening, berries and pods
ripening, colorful foliage swirling
to the ground.” ■