Landscape architect Renny Reynolds and horticulturist, author and historian Jack Staub will discuss classic English garden design Thursday at the annual Garden Club of Palm Beach lecture, presented at The Society of the Four Arts.
Reynolds and Staub were inspired by historic gardens in Britain during the 35-year course of creating Hortulus Farm, a 100-acre property they own and maintain in Wrightstown, Pa.
“We have always admired the English style of gardening and landscaping,” said Reynolds, who has traveled with Staub to Britain to experience many gardens throughout that country during the past decades.
The pair split their time between two homes: the Bucks County, Pa., farm and their Point Manalapan home, where they have spent winters for the past several years.
“The English perfected the principles of landscape design, such as vista, axis, enclosure, kitchen and herb gardens, water features and follies,” Reynolds said. “And we found that English gardening translates well to the American vernacular, especially in the case of our farm, which was created around a stone farmhouse dating from 1723.
“We are fascinated with the English manner of landscape design and were influenced by specific gardens we have visited, many of which are not on the typical English garden-tour circuit,” he said.
They will share images of specific British gardens and show how their features were brought to the Pennsylvania property, which consists of 22 distinctive and authentic landscaped areas.
“Renny and Jack are the ‘dynamic duo’ of garden history and design, and their Pennsylvania farmstead is simply magnificent,” said Vicky Hunt, Garden Club president. “Their knowledge about English-style gardens is deep and impressive, and their lecture should be inspiring to all of us interested in landscape design and horticulture.”
Hunt hopes that the lecture, “The Art of English Gardening,” will inspire people to visit Hortulus Farm, which was placed on the U.S. Register of Historic Places in 2004 and is an affiliate of the Garden Conservancy, with its gardens open to the public.
“This annual lecture is our club’s gift to the town of Palm Beach,” Hunt said.
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