One Fantastical Garden

For Susan McLaughlin, her wooded, lakeside house in Newtown, CT plays an influential role in her artistic vision as a magical realist painter. By providing her with an environment that comes alive with the sights and sounds of nature, she’s able to closely study as an explorer would by uncovering, recording, and rearranging the beauty of the natural world and the beauty of human beings.

This connection to nature comes from her horticultural interest manifested in the daily ritual of digging and pruning in her Connecticut garden. A daily ritual of physical immersion with the dirt and the worms of life contrasts with the otherworldly fantastical spaces she creates for her paintings. The paradoxical character of these two places imbues her paintings with an alluring mystery.

Enjoy this visual tour as we bring Susan’s property to life through images that depict the relationship between her paintings and gardens.
The alluring entrance to a beautiful garden setting.
Foxglove Cottage in full view.
A warm welcome.
The perfect spot for morning coffee.
Lady of the House
Taking center stage.
Hydrangeas and clematis in full bloom.
Reflective blooms.
A perfect head of flowers.
Untitled design (25)
Midnight Rose
Photography by: Kimberly Charles

Welcome Fall & the Wonders of Water Features

Welcome to the Fall Edition of our Quarterly Newsletter! 

The Pumpkin Spice Everything season has arrived, and that means a busy time in the garden on all fronts. Fall is a great time to get to work on the usual end of season checklist but it’s also a time to move forward with your wishlist… from planning out a fresh garden design… to planting that cool specimen tree you’ve been dreaming of… to creating that new perennial bed with the plants you scored at that great end of season sale. On our end, we’ll be doing a bit of all of this right alongside you.

Water Features – A Multi-Sensory Experience  
water feature in landscape
Heron admiring the view

Soul soothing and beneficial to local wildlife, a water feature, be it a pond, stream, or waterfall, provides instant relaxation and peace to your property. We regularly collaborate with Cooper Ponds – Danbury, CT on the design, installation, and drainage requirements for custom water features in our area. Not only does a water feature add value to your home, it significantly cools the temperature of your outdoor space creating an environment you can enjoy on a hot summer day.

natural stream
Recreation of a natural woodland stream
It’s time to plant bulbs & spruce up those outdoor containers! 

If you’re in need of bulb planting or adding a custom fall container or two… just reach out.
We are here to help!

bulb and container garden

Photo Contest

Icelandic Container Garden
Icelandic Container Garden

 

Keep Those Photos Coming!

Submit your garden or plant-inspired photos by November 1st to be entered to win one of our exciting prizes!

The Details

We are looking for shots that capture the beauty, color, creativity and candidness captured in your own garden setting. Photos that bring your garden to life!

Enter your best shots in our 2021 Photo Contest and you could win…

1st place – one 10-foot flowering tree installed by Holmes Fine Gardens

2nd place – a 1-year membership to New York Botanical Gardens ($90 value + 2 complimentary Member passes)

3rd place – a $50 Gift Certificate to Shakespeare’s Gardens

INSTRUCTIONS:
  • Email no more than 3 of your best photos to –[email protected]
  • All entries must be sent in by November 1st
  • Prizes will be awarded on December 1, 2021
***Should you NOT want your submitted photos used in our future marketing material including print and internet please note this in your return email. Should we use one of your photos we will, of course, give you a photo credit!

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

Sweetness Every Season
Sweet Bay Magnolia
Sweet Bay Magnolia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magnolia virginiana – Sweet Bay Magnolia  

Sweetbay magnolia is a small, gracefully shaped tree that has a lot to offer throughout all four seasons. This native ornamental bears attractive, lemon-scented flowers in spring and sporadically through the summer. Glossy green foliage persists on the tree nearly all year long. Showy red cone-like fruit provides color, interest, and food for wildlife in fall, and smooth gray bark adds beautiful color and contrast in winter.

SWEET DIRT

Welcome to Sweet Dirt! In this section of our newsletter, you’ll find links to local activities to seek out, books to read, movies to watch, and other tidbits – all with a nod towards the horticultural world we love.
 
The Perfect Season to Take a Hike!
Holcombe Hill Nature Reserve
Holcombe Hill Nature Reserve

Reconnect with nature during this colorful time of year by exploring one of Newtown’s many parcels of protected lands – forest bathing at its best! Over the years, the Newtown Forest Association has done a tremendous job protecting more than 1,100 acres of open space, forest, farmland, wildlife, nature preserves, and watersheds throughout Newtown with the goal of sustaining these beautiful spaces for future generations.

Some of our favorite protected lands worth exploring include:

Holcombe Hill Wildlife Preserve:
This 86-acre parcel of land boasts an elevation of 830 ft above sea level, one of the highest points in Newtown, and offers spectacular views of three counties from its 30 acres. The preserve is the perfect place for dog walking on freshly mowed/maintained pathways, a photoshoot from the highest point, or a woodland exploration along its edges. Be sure to take note of the everchanging native plants that truly bring beauty to every season.

Nettleton Preserve:
Offering the most spectacular view in Newtown, Nettleton Preserve is the start of a five-mile hike that terminates 5 miles north on a horizon of rolling hills. This Preserve offers the opportunity for a short meander through the immediate fields and is also a popular spot to sit with a cup of coffee and admire the view from one of the highest points in town. Holmes Fine Gardens contributed to this outdoor space by planting a variety of disease-resistant crabapple trees at the start of this bucolic trail. Varieties include: Prairie Fire, Floribuyda, Adams & Donald Wyman.

Brunot Preserve – Meadows:
The magic of the meadows awaits as you stroll through the woods and over gently rolling hills on this 3.1 mile loop. The west side of the property will take you in and out of Bethel. Fun Fact: James Brunot is known for having produced the board game Scrabble and manufactured the wooden pieces locally.

Hattertown Pond Preserve:
This 28-acre property is chock-full of a little bit of everything including two streams, wetlands, ponds and vernal pools, beautiful rolling woodlands, unique stone walls, and evidence of historical agricultural activities. What more could you ask for in a hike?

White native aster
White native aster