This month, we at WAG are one with Cyrus the Great, Claude Monet, Nelson A. Rockefeller and just about anyone else who has ever sculpted a garden and thus, touched the divine.
Gardens, as you’ll see, have ancient roots. The Bible itself begins in a garden and introduces one of our favorite horticultural associations – lush vegetation and even riper passions.
But it’s not just about being au naturel when you’re out in nature – though painters and sculptors have certainly reveled in depicting that (as much as we’ve relished looking). There is a flowering of the spirit in those who “cultivate their gardens,” as Voltaire would say – whether it be our preternaturally poised covergirl Ivanka Trump unveiling her line of floral dresses; shutterbug Stacy Bass freezing the Blake-ian moment of a rose’s perfection; Charlie Johnson fashioning fruitarian ornaments; Daniele Churchill conquering home, garden and business; or Max Avi Kaplan designing flowery accessories that both conceal and reveal.
There are those who cultivate their gardens quite literally, be it the landscape architects Renée Byers and Robin Kramer; Mariani Gardens in Armonk; Winston Flowers in Greenwich; or the folks who run the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at PepsiCo; Kykuit, the landmark Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills; and Storm King Art Center in Mountainville – three of the loveliest spots on this green earth. (And how fortunate are we to have them in our backyard.)
For those in the mood to sing a “Flower Drum Song,” we’ve got Lalique vases and pots from some of the top garden centers to display the blooms and accessorized furnishings from which to admire them.
Still, you know how it is at WAG: We can’t resist mixing our metaphors to have a little fun. So our “Sculpting Summer” issue also looks at trimming the fat, tightening the tush and tickling men’s tootsies (with grooming products and masculine sandals), along with the sleek lines of the Mercedes SL roadster. Speaking of sleek, our own Class & Sass, alias Martha and Jen, kick their workouts up a notch and discover that what they really love about sports are the tailgate parties.
Last but not least, we introduce two new plantlings in our garden – our high school interns Larissa Bundziak and Will Rappaport. We hope these tender shoots will continue to be nurtured until it’s time for harvesting when they go off to college this fall.
