Now that our new house is done and Spring is here, I’ve been able to focus more on the outside spaces. And specifically – get started with some gardening! Being located in Florida, as a family we spend a lot of time outdoors when the weather is good. It was a MUST to have some outdoor space and large garden areas.
Before I share what I have (and haven’t!) been able to grow successfully, I wanted to showcase some of the incredible gardens and garden designers I am OBSESSED with!
The Starting Point
So where do you even begin with a new garden that’s completely bare?!
Pinterest of course! I saved a bunch of inspirational images waaaay back before we even started designing the house itself, and the gardens were a huge part of it.
Here are some of the initial images I saved and a snippet from my Pinterest Boards.
As you can see, there’s a bit of a theme starting! I knew I wanted lots of greenery, hydrangeas and roses, as they are all key flowers of the Hamptons. And if you’re a frequent reader here, you’ll know I love the Hamptons style!
The Pinterest boards were a little chaotic, so I did some research and there’s a number of designers and bloggers that I have started to follow! Their gardens are absolutely STUNNING and having these key inspirational sources means I can (try to) keep my garden areas looking on point!
Let’s dive in!
1. Carolyne Roehm
Someone else’s gardens I’m obsessed with is Carolyne Roehm! Her garden style is beautiful and she has some fantastic garden books too. It’s like she’s a one stop shop; she grows the flowers, designs gardens, photographs the gardens/flowers, and writes the book. She does it all!
You can find out more about Carolyne HERE.
If this isn’t absolute GOALS I don’t know what is!!!
Here is a sneak peak at her amazing Instagram feed!
And now time for some of my personal favorites!
This is such a dreamy poolside!
How gorgeous are these white flowers in HUGE oversized pots?! This is a whole look I’d love to create in my own garden one day.
Tulips are a classic. I love how this whole garden bed is full of one type of flower with two close tones of color.
Among all my research I’ve learnt that it’s important to have plants and flowers that blossom into differing heights. It adds visual interest to the outdoors!
A simply stunning photo! Yes please!
And if THAT’S not enough, Carolyne Roehm has also written some incredible books! You can check them all out HERE.
2. Kelli Delaney kot of KD Hamptons
I am totally OBSESSED with Kelli and her garden style. She has a blog that I follow for all things Hamptons and the lavish lifestyle that comes with it.
You can find out more about Kelli HERE.
I completely fell in love with Kelli’s Instagram feed, here’s just a snippet!
These outdoor patio areas are STUNNING!
And if that’s not enough, these are my favorite photos of her personal home!
How beautiful and picture-perfect is Kelli’s home?! Everything about her garden is #Goals
Perfectly blue hydrangeas! These really make the green areas come alive.
Blue and white ginger jars, table cloth and hydrangeas look so stunning together! I can’t wait to style my gardens for socializing.
Keeping the color scheme simple and having a relaxed approach like this has definitely inspired me and my garden spaces!
3. East Hampton Gardens
East Hampton Gardens is actually a retail store, which I love! Aside from the beautiful Hamptons style accessories and scenery, the owner – Michael Giannelli – has stunning gardens that he posts about. It’s perfect!
Borded areas of grass with sleek hedges – a definite must for my garden!
This set up has it all! Beautiful blue and white jars with fresh flowers and structured hedges in the background.
This is such a dreamy lounger set up! I can already imagine myself spending hours relaxing in the summer and enjoying a book.
Hydrangeas, and more hydrangeas!
4. David Austin Roses
The OG of English roses, David Austin is my go-to for any and all thing roses. They have mastered hybridizing roses to *look* like the more difficult, only blooming once a year style of Garden Roses with the newer Hybrid tea varieties that bloom continually. Its a beautiful mix of two worlds that makes growing gorgeous, peony style roses possible for the masses, like me! I hands down wouldn’t be able to grow and care for Roses without the help from the David Austin Roses website! They are an English rose vendor, with gardens in England, that I LOVE. Roses are the perfect flower to use to add more color and something different other than my favorite hydrangeas. Fun fact, most of their roses are named for literary characters.
I plan to visit David Austin Roses in England next summer, but until then – I’ll keep swooning over their website!
You can explore all of David Austin’s beautiful roses HERE.
Another incredible white floral bed finished with box hedges. So dreamy!
So, this is just the beginning. I have the gardening bug and am hell bent on learning how to grow and care for these things! I’ve learned a thing or two over the past year and as soon as my garden has taken shape, I’ll share. Right now things are just starting to bloom.
I’ve put together a list of my go to, tried and true favorite items, see below. If you fancy creating a similar garden at home, check out my favorite gardening tools!
