Rhode Island Roses: A Seaside Summer Garden in New England - Gardenista
Built in 1930, a shingled seaside cottage and its sprawling gardens in Little Compton, Rhode Island had seen better days by the time Dara and Dan Brewster bought the property in 2000. Photography by Nathan Fried Lipski of Nate Photography. The Brewsters (owners of online shop Dara Artisans) have–with the help of friends and family–tamed the wisteria, trained roses to grow over the front door, created a kitchen garden, and built terraces and retaining walls with local stone on the property’s six acres. The Brewsters live on Sakonnet Point, with views of the sea and Newport, Rhode Island. The driveway is bordered by hydrangea hedges. Roses grow over the front entryway. The major challenge in creating the seaside garden was to choose plants that would prove impervious to salt, sea spray, and wind. Dan Brewster and his son, Graham, 26, built the dry-stone retaining walls. An exuberant morning glory vine climbs a lamppost. Hydrangeas stand guard over the sunflowers. The Brewsters have two perennial gardens, a kitchen garden (with four raised beds), and a naturalized garden along the perimeter of the property. Purple and white phlox in full summer bloom. A butterfly magnet, spiky white liatris will reach heights of up to 4 feet in the summer garden. Raspberries begin to ripen. Dara Brewster (L) and potted container plants. An outdoor room for gatherings and dinners is sheltered from the sea. The outdoor dining room is original to the property. Shutters get replaced every five to seven years after the wood succumbs to the effects of the harsh salt air. A late-afternoon view of the gardens and the sea.