Earlier this week I had the pleasure of hearing Charlotte Moss speak for the Mid-Atlantic ICAA in Georgetown at the historic Dumbarton House. The Federal styled house, built in 1800, has been a museum since 1928 when it was bought the the Colonial Dames of America.
The house is kept accurate to the time of its building and is a hidden
gem here in Georgetown. Not to be missed are the beautiful gardens which
are somewhat eclipsed by their famous neighbor up the street, Dumbarton Oaks.
Moss spoke about her latest book, her 9th, Garden Inspirations.
Her lecture was so witty, inspiring, and surprisingly down-to-earth
that everyone left if not ready to garden, ready to travel and see some
of the sights she shared with us! She said time and again that the book
isn't a gardening how-to; you won't find planting lists or how deep to
plant seeds. Rather you will find inspirational photographs of beautiful
gardens and how to use their blooms both inside and outside of your own
home. She believes that everyone may not have a garden, but they can
still be influenced by them.
Moss's appreciation of gardens has changed over the years. She started
loving the classic English Garden, which is so influential here in the
USA because of our climate. She loves their beautiful flowers but found
the style to be high maintenance; difficult for a city dweller who only
visits her garden on the weekends. Even with help in the garden she
prefers to be very hands on.
After giving up on her dreams of a English styled garden, she moved onto
the more formal French gardens, famous for their symmetry. She was also
drawn to the style for their love of the sculptural tree, '
No one can shape a tree like a Frenchman'
- except perhaps Bunny Mellon whom Moss spoke about at length. The
third favorite garden type she spoke about was the Italian, rare in the
USA where our climate is not hospitable to the plants, but if one learns
abundance from the French, one can learn ease from an Italian garden.
Collaboration in her gardens in East Hampton are important and Charlotte
designed hers with professionals -namely Lisa Stamm and her architect
husband Dale Booher. Garden festivals are one of Moss's passions and she
travels the world exploring these functions. She may not be able to
bring the plants home but she can talk to the gardeners and pick up tips
and ideas. They're also generally hosted in some of the most beautiful
gardens in the world.
Charlotte spoke personally about her love of Monticello,
Thomas Jefferson's home, which she visited first as a 4th grader in
Richmond, Virginia, and fell in love with the house and gardens. That
love continues to this day as she is on their board of directors and
helps in the care of this important site. She believes in historic
preservation as one of the most important cultural institutions we have,
as do I, because it preserves how people have lived through different
times. We can always learn from the past, and as it turns out, from
gardens. One can also learn from Charlotte, who encourages us all to '
Do something mad... you can do anything you like with your own house, who cares what anyone else thinks'!
I highly encourage you to grow your collection of Charlotte's inspirational tomes, with the addition of Garden Inspirations and go out there and do something MAD!
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