The gardens closest to the house are for-
mal, while the gardens that are farther
away take on a looser structure. “We
tried to create spaces that extended the
house into the landscape and to create
rooms that could accommodate a vari-
ety of event scales,” says Laurie.
The project started in the fall of 2013.
Laurie explains, “We designed and
installed in phases. The final stage—
a tropical reading garden and a bird/
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butterfly garden—is being installed
this summer.”
The ambitious plan called for over 20
garden rooms. Each area is named for
donors connected with The Mansion,
a few of which lived in the home. In
collaboration with The Lee Institute
and The Duke Mansion, Laurie’s team
came up with concepts and designs,
then worked with donors to name and
make each area special to them.