Auction 2012: Garden Accoutrements
The annual Gardeners' Party benefits the Horticulture Program at Wave Hill. Contact Stephanie Ehrlich at 718.549.3200 x310 for more about the party.
The Unexpected Houseplant
Houseplants have been desperately in need of an image update; author Tovah Martin has written a terrific new book that does just that. We offer a signed copy of The Unexpected Houseplant, along with a spectacular, potted passionflower, Passiflora alatocaerulea, and an egg basket just like the one you’ll see on page 257! Filled with gorgeous photos, ideas and formulas for fusing horticulture and décor, this volume will charm you into bringing some green indoors. Tovah Martin is the author of many gardening books and innumerable articles. A fanatical gardener, she has a lush and lovely seven-acre garden in Connecticut and an enormous collection of houseplants!
Courtesy of Tovah Martin
JackPot Terra Cotta Pot from Seibert and Rice
In honor of our friend Jack Lenor Larsen’s 80th birthday, and with special thanks to Seibert and Rice, we offer the JackPot! Planted with a yellow-edged Agave, Agave americana ‘Marginata,’ this Impruneta pot is striking, whimsical and handsome, just like the man himself! Imported from Italy, Impruneta terra cotta is among the highest quality you will find and is frost-proof. The Agave we offer has broad leaves that arch and curl with a green central band and yellow stripes along the leaf margins. It is one of the most graceful and largest of the variegated Agave varieties and his been growing at Wave Hill for eight years. Its stature and architectural qualities make for a superb compliment to the JackPot. Place in full sun to light shade. Protect from freezing! We planted this as a ‘pot-in-pot’ to easily remove for winter storage of the Agave.
Jack Lenor Larsen is a renowned textile designer, author, collector, and the founder of the magnificent Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton, Long Island, New York. “As LongHouse is much involved these days with annual planter exhibitions, I designed a new planter series with the fulsome bowls elevated on sturdy pedestals. The first example is ready now. This new form was inspired by a princely Japanese lacquer bowl.” Princely indeed!
Courtesy of Seibert and Rice and the Wave Hill Gardeners
Polka Dot Vase
This one-of-a-kind vase was made especially for Wave Hill by renowned potter Frances Palmer. Based on a classic Sung Dynasty silhouette, it is playfully enlivened with dots and rectangular handles. Masterfully thrown from white earthenware with a transparent glaze and measuring 8 inches high and 7 inches wide, it is the perfect foil for your colorful bouquet of blooms. Frances Palmer’s work is a prized collectible around the world. Photographs of her sumptuous pottery and spectacular dahlia cutting-garden have graced the pages of Vogue, Elle Decor, Martha Stewart Weddings, World of Interiors, House & Garden and many other publications.
Courtesy of Frances Palmer Pottery
Mayflies Three Necklace
This totally funky, fun and sensational necklace is made of sterling silver and bronze. Touch it! It wiggles! It springs from the zany mind (and talented hands) of Ricky Boscarino, who counts Antoni Gaudi, Beatrice Wood and Jean Cocteau among his strongest creative influences. Ricky derives his greatest and most artistic inspiration from his own atelier and home, Luna Parc, a name he appropriated from an amusement park in Rome. He is artist-in-residence at this fabulous, fanciful and phantasmagoric house, cozily nestled in a forest glade amidst the woodland wilds of New Jersey. Surrounded by an elaborate profusion of flora and populated by an exotic menagerie of fauna that ranges from pigs to peacocks, Luna Parc provides a constant source of inspiration for its creator. Visitors welcome!
Courtesy of Ricky Boscarino and Luna Parc
Wave Hill Greenhouse Effect, Watercolor Painting
For six weeks this past January and February, artist Carrie Beckmann painted daily in Wave Hill’s Marco Polo Stufano Conservatory as part of our Winter Workspace Program. A residency for 10 artists of varied disciplines, the program provides a rare opportunity to work in daily proximity to Wave Hill’s collection and serene winter landscape. Beckmann, who works directly from nature, took full advantage of the chance to paint the rare and exciting plants in the Palm, Tropical and Cactus and Succulent Houses. This exuberant, expertly framed painting is ready to be hung in your home.
Currently a resident of Brooklyn, Beckmann spent considerable time in the gardens of London and Paris while living in England and France. She earned a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA from Hunter College, City University of New York. Her work has been included in exhibitions at Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Janet Kurnatowski Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Washington Art Association, Washington, CT; and Beardsmore Gallery, London, England. Beckmann’s work is highly influenced by place; she is drawn to beautiful flower and vegetable gardens and would love to paint in yours! Painting measures 46 inches x 47 inches unframed.
Courtesy of Carrie Beckmann and Wave Hill
Pair of Maynard Pots from Pennoyer Newman
It’s a small world! This pair of perfectly planted pots were cast from a pot originally owned by Cecily Pennoyer’s sister Jane. Jane is married to Walter Maynard, older brother of John Maynard—Pepe’s husband. The original lead pot is now in Pepe’s possession. What a timely coincidence that Virginia Newman offered these pots this year! Pennoyer Newman has been making stately, classic containers for over 20 years. Handcrafted from originals that once graced the gardens of noble estates both here and abroad, they use a unique composition of pummeled marble, rock and resin that encourages the growth of moss and lichen for a beautifully aged look. These replicas are also lightweight and weather-resistant and can be left out year-round. Once temperatures being to cool, you’ll need to bring the plants indoors in these pots—originally growing in Wave Hill’s Cactus and Succulent House. We’ve includedCeropegia linearis ssp. woodii, with a sweetheart vine that cascades down the sides; Aeonium ‘Kiwi’, which holds the middle; and Kalanchoe daigremontiana and K. delagonensis, which rise up tall and also drop many little plantlets. Sedum ruprestre ‘Angelina’ fills in beautifully.
Courtesy of Pennoyer Newman LLC and Wave Hill Gardeners
Canvas Reversible Tote from Leggiadro
Made in Italy from a bonded fabric that employs the same luxurious cotton Hermes uses in their bags, this tote is sophisticated, durable and chic. Feeling funky? Flip it to reveal a splashy, wild print made from resin-coated fabric. With leather trim.
In the world of fashion, Leggiadro, Italian for aesthetically beautiful, with lightness and grace, has is synonymous with sophisticated, casual elegance. Natural fabrics, woven and knit with stretch, are hand-selected from the finest mills in France, Italy and Switzerland. Leggiadro is the creation of Ann Ross, a former fashion editor and lifelong fashion devotee. Colors found in art, nature and throughout her extensive travels were the inspiration for designing this distinctive line of posh yet comfortable accessories. Luxury boutiques can be found in New York City, Palm Beach, Nantucket, Naples, Sarasota, Melrose Place and other high-end destinations.
Courtesy of Leggiadro
Chinese Porcelain Tea Caddy
This antique, 19th century tea caddy from China is meant to store tea, but makes an equally appealing bud vase. Its botanical theme practically begged for the company of these charming plants from our Tropical House. Stage the whole arrangement in your home to bring some tropical flair to a spare corner. All these plants would benefit from a liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks. None are hardy here in the northeast and all should be kept indoors as houseplants.
Chlorophytum ‘Fireflash’
Native to tropical and subtropical Africa, it is also found in Asia, Australia, Brazil, Peru and Tasmania. Keep soil evenly moist, but not constantly wet or saturated. Can tolerate light shade.
Neoregelia ‘Bossa Nova’
Native to Brazil, this bromeliad is an epiphyte, which can grow on trees and is a good addition to terrariums. Likes humid, tropical weather. Fill the “cups” with water on a regular basis. You can water the roots/pot about once a week.
Callopsis volkensii
Endemic to East Africa, it likes humid, tropical weather, making it a good choice for terrariums. Prefers shade and rich soil with an abundance of organic matter. Keep the soil evenly moist, but not constantly wet/saturated.
Pilea depressa
Native to Puerto Rico, this creeper likes warmth, high humidity and light shade. Well-drained soil, not constantly wet/saturated.
Chamaeranthemum venosum
Native to Brazil, this plant prefers shade, warmth and well-drained, evenly moist soil. Can be grown in a terrarium or a shallow pot.
Orthophytum saxicola
Endemic to Brazil, this bromeliad does not, however,perch on trees. In its native home, it grows on sunny cliffs or rock ledges with roots growing in whatever decayed rock/soil is available. Thus, similar to cacti and succulents, it can be grown in warm, dry climates. Prefers full sun, well-drained soil.
Courtesy of Katrin Phocas and the Wave Hill Gardeners
Bee Happy: Bee Skep Solar Lanterns & Wave Hill Honey
As the days grow shorter and the nights cooler, these happy, bee-related items help you enjoy lingering in your garden a little bit longer. Lighting the night are a pair of skep-shaped, solar lanterns with cheerful polka dots. Drape yourself with this Tibetan silk and wool scarf, also with polka dots, for an extra bit of warmth. Maybe stir some Wave Hill honey into a cup of mint tea. Mmmm…Relax. It’s not time to go inside yet.
Courtesy of Marilyn Young, Stephanie Ehrlich and the Wave Hill Honeybees
Bowles Books and Bulbs
Edward Augustus Bowles, "Gussie" to his friends, was one of the 20th century's great gardeners and plantsmen. He was born at Myddelton House, England, on May 14, 1865, and his death in May 1954, marked the end of an era. These beautiful books will take you back to the time of Downton Abbey. A self-taught gardener, botanist, botanical artist and garden writer, as well as plant hunter, E. A. Bowles was an esteemed member of the Royal Horticultural Society. In 1916, he received the highest honor the RHS can bestow, the Victoria Medal of Honour. He was Vice-President from 1926 to 1954 and following his death in 1954, an area of the RHS Wisley Garden was named Bowles' Corner. E. A. Bowles' lasting legacy includes his writings and botanical illustrations, the many plants named after him and his remarkable garden at Myddelton House in Enfield, a northern borough of London, which is now being conserved. Fellow horticulturist and rock garden enthusiast Reginald Farrer wrote the introduction to the first Bowles volume.
From the library of the legendary Harold Epstein, another passionate plantsman and author, these exquisite volumes, a complete set of three rare first editions, were written about E. A. Bowles’ remarkable garden: My Garden in Spring, My Garden in Summer, both published in 1914; and My Garden in Autumn and Winter, published in 1915. All were bestsellers in their day. They have since been reprinted several times and are still available today because the expertise they embody continues to be prized. But newer editions cannot match the character of these venerable beauties. The informative Mea Allen biography of Bowles is a good companion to the set.
Also offered with the books is a selection of very special, spring flowering bulbs, a keen interest of Bowles’. Bowles called the rock garden iris, Iris reticulata ‘Cantab’ (4 inches, Zones 5 to 9), his “turquoise treasure;” it originated in his garden. Every May, to celebrate his birthday and garden, he hosted Tulip Teas in his rock garden. From Old House Gardens come two of the rarest tulips that Bowles grew. Tulip Zomerschoon from 1620 (16-18 inches, Zones 4 to 7aS/7bWC) is a true survivor from the days of ‘Tulipmania’! Bowles cites it as his “best beloved of all Tulips.” Its long, pointed petals are exquisitely patterned with shades of strawberry-on-cream. They help you understand how people could once trade fortunes for tulips like this. Tulip ‘Beauty of Bath’ from 1906 (16-18 inches, Zones 4b to 7aS/7bWC ) is enchanting and one that is illustrated in Bowles’ spring book. A true broken tulip, it blooms late with lovely flushes and lines of pale to deeper yellow and pinkish lavender, then matures to a lace-like tracery of purple on white.
Courtesy of Susan Cherbuliez, the estate of Harold Epstein, Old House Gardens and John Scheepers/Van Engelen