Summer Gardens of the Hamptons

Hamptons’ gardens are legendary, filled with blooms from May through October. Local favorites include such perennials as iris, every size, shape and color of hydrangea, roses by the score, day lilies of every color, and fields of lavender – and let’s not overlook annuals. Geraniums by the reds, pinks and corals, swaths of impatiens, and petunias of every possible color permutation. If you’re looking for gardening ideas – or to spend quiet afternoon in someone else’s garden (or garden store) – here are a few suggestions:

LongHouse Reserve
133 Hands Creek Road, East Hampton
longhouse.org

LongHouse Reserve is part garden reserve and part sculpture museum. The 16-acre preserve, which is located in East Hampton’s Northwest Woods, features pieces from Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono and Willem de Kooning, and many other artists. Jack Lenor Larsen, an internationally known textile designer, author, and collector, built LongHouse as his home to showcase a creative approach to contemporary life using art in living spaces. Built in 1986, the home is 13,000 square feet over 4 levels; the gardens are both art form and museum, with a diversity of sites housing more than 60 contemporary sculptures. Permanent works are on display along with those on seasonal loan from artists, collectors, and dealers. The gardens at LongHouse are not just landscapes as art form but also demonstrate different planting potentials for the local climate, with a wide variety of natural and cultivated species. The gardens change seasonally: beginning with a million daffodils in April, to the June roses to the dazzling colors of the trees in fall. Highlights of a trip to LongHouse Reserve include the water lilies, lotus plants, bullfrogs, turtle and other pondlife of Peter’s Pond, a study in height perspective in the Red Garden, and  a life size chess game designed by Yoko Ono. LongHouse is open from Wednesdays through Sundays from April through December. Admission is free for members; $10-$20 per non-member adult.

Bridge Gardens
36 Mitchell Lane, Bridgehampton
peconiclandtrust.org

Owned and operated by the Peconic Land Trust, Bridge Gardens is a public demonstration garden nestled on five acres in the heart of Bridgehampton. Wander along the mysterious hedgerows while taking in a wide variety of perennial and annual flowers, native and non-native shrubs and trees. Visit the vegetable garden, the rose garden, and a unique 4-quadrant herb garden featuring culinary, medicinal, ornamental, and textile/dye plants. The Peconic Land Trust sponsors numerous programs at Bridge Gardens, from children’s events to vegetable gardening to garden painting with watercolors to evenings of music for members. Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnics and enjoy the lush surroundings. Download the app “TravelStorys” from the App Store or Google Play for a free, self-guided tour of the garden. Programs run from April through December. Bridge Gardens is open to the public 7 days a week from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, April through December.  Admission and parking are free; leashed dogs permitted. Check the website for programming and events. 

Madoo Gardens
618 Sagg Main Street, Sagaponack
madoo.org

Artist, writer and avid gardener Robert Dash started the gardens at his home “Madoo” – which means “my dove” in old Scots – in the late 1960s, first as a meadow of native plantings and then later as a secret garden in the courtyard of a converted hay barn Dash used as his summer house. By the 1980s, Dash’s extensive research into garden design and history yielded the first of Madoo’s many garden follies, inspired by his friend and legendary English garden designer, Rosemary Verey. Plantings were more “gardenesque”, as Dash moved away from the original native plantings into the more exotic. In the 1990s the garden morphed again, this time into the more fanciful Asian-inspired garden that exists today. Till his death in 2013, the gardens continued to inspire Dash in his writing as well as his art. Visit the living history of Robert Dash through his gardens and his home on Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4:00 pm. Admission is free; donations are welcome. Face masks are required for all indoor spaces.

Now that you’ve gotten some ideas, it’s time to do some shopping to pick up a few things to spruce up your very own Hampton garden! Try some of these retail establishments for some plantings and garden decor:

East Hampton Gardens
16 Gingerbread Lane, East Hampton
easthamptongardens.com

A lovely oasis of all things garden and bloomy for inside and outside your home. Gifts, home decor and other lovelies available in the Gift Shop. Services include garden design and renovation and styling terrace planters as well as interior design. 

Marder’s
120 Snake Hollow Road, Bridgehampton
marders.com

Located on 40 acres in the center of Bridgehampton, Marder’s is a one stop garden extravaganza featuring native and non-native plants, giant and specialty trees, rare and exotic flowers, and unusual garden objects. Wander through the Garden Shop, which is housed in a rustic 19th century barn, for dried and potted floral arrangements, home textiles, and classic and innovative gardening books.

Sag Harbor Garden Center
11 Spring Street, Sag Harbor
sagharborgarden.com

With a focus on local and native plants which may be a bit more deer resistant, the team at Sag Harbor Garden Center will help you create the beautiful, low maintenance garden of your dreams. Wander through the yard of pollinator plants, ornamentals and organic vegetables for your own farm to table garden. Check the website for special events and classes including basics of organic gardening.

Eastland Nursery and Farms
1260 Montauk Highway, Water Mill

A traditional garden center filled with annuals, perennials, ornamentals and other specialty plants. Acres and acres of shrub, trees and ornamentals; the friendly and knowledgeable staff is more than happy to assist you with all your gardening questions and needs.

Fowler’s Garden Center
175 North Sea Road, Southampton
fowlersgardencenter.com

The one stop shop for all things garden and gardening, Fowler’s carries a large variety of plants: indoor, outdoor, annual, perennial, flowers, vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, shrubs, orchids and more. And let’s not forget tools: Fowler’s carries all the gardening tools you might need, from wheelbarrows to rakes to modern ergonomic garden tools, watering cans, hoses and watering accessories. Talk to the knowledgeable and friendly staff about what fertilizers or soil amendments you might need. Gardenware and decorative items are dispersed throughout the yard and shop, including planters, statuary, benches and bird feeders.