Gardener's Diary

An Amateur Botanist's Woodland

Episode GRD-503

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Lucy Cabot-Smethurst grew up in a family of gardeners, and she thinks her love of gardening is almost genetic. Forty years ago she didn't have a plan for the garden but received lots of pass-a-long plants. She pairs native plants with exotics for a stunning effect. The 'Tangerine Beauty' crossvine that outlines the entrance to her office hides the view of the driveway. Japanese maples abound. Hellebores ('Lenten Rose') number in the tens of thousands, and the money plant spreads wildly. Viburnums provide flowers and berries. A cool, mossy path winds through the woodland portion of this garden, and there are fifty-year-old camellias. Smethurst designed the garden so that it could be enjoyed from inside the home, too.