Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon

by Linda Jane Holden, Bryan Huffman, Thomas Lloyd, P. Allen Smith (Foreword by)

Overview

A treasure trove of Bunny Mellon’s garden design philosophy and advice from her personal archive.

Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon is for anyone who has enjoyed time spent in a garden, from aspiring garden makers to those who manage large estates. This collection is comprised of extracts from Bunny’s own writings and garden notes, as well as photographs and drawings from her archive.

Chapters are organized by Atmosphere (sky, horizon, shadows), Climate, Light, Space, Shape, Maintenance, and more―readers will feel as if Bunny Mellon has come alongside as a gardening guide and friend.

Bunny Mellon was of the affluent class and mingled along with her husband, Paul Mellon, in the circles of the East Coast gentry of the Kennedy and Reagan eras. But Mrs. Mellon, as she was respectfully called by those professional gardeners who worked with her most, wasn’t snooty about social position or afraid to get her hands dirty in the rich soil of her family’s Virginia farm. Beyond this, Bunny Mellon was known nationally and internationally as a style icon of her time, enjoying friendships with Givenchy, the Kennedys, and the like. Her personal passion was for design, and that was exhibited in her fashion and her garden.

A late acquaintance, Linda Holden learned that Bunny wanted to write a gardening book but never found the time. Searching the family’s archive after Mrs. Mellon’s death, the editors―whom all shared personal relationships with Bunny―discovered a trove of photographs, illustrations, and writings and have now turned it into the how-to gardening book Bunny had hoped to write.

Linda Jane Holden was a trusted friend of Bunny Mellon. She authored The Gardens of Bunny Mellon (October 2018). She lives in Chantilly, VA.

Thomas Lloyd, grandson of Bunny Mellon, is president of the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation, established by Bunny Mellon to honor her father. Lloyd lives in Washington, DC.

Bryan Huffman, an interior designer based in Monroe, NC, was a close friend of Mrs. Mellon for ten years.

P. Allen Smith is the TV host of P. Allen Smiths Garden Home and P. Allen Smith’s Garden to Table.  He is a garden designer, conservationist, and lifestyle expert.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423655411
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	02/12/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	85 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Linda Jane Holden is the author of The Gardens of Bunny Mellon, published October 2018.

Thomas Lloyd , grandson of Bunny Mellon, is president of the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation which was established by Bunny Mellon to honor her father.

Bryan Huffman is an interior designer based in Charlotte, NC with a client base that spans the East Coast and extends into Texas.

P. Allen Smith is the TV host of P. Allen Smiths Garden Home and P. Allen Smith’s Garden to Table. He is a garden designer, conservationist, and lifestyle expert.

Table of Contents

Foreword P. Allen Smith 8

Preface 10

Introduction 15

Rachel Lambert Mellon's Story 23

Kennedy Rose Garden Unfolds 36

Bunny's Garden Standards 43

Planning and Measuring for Your Garden 52

Atmosphere 64

Light and Shadow 82

Space 88

Insights on Insects 104

The Importance of Trees 107

Flowers and Edibles 135

Bunny's Little Herb Trees 153

In Summary 161

Afterword Randy Embrey 164

Acknowledgments 174

Photographic Credits 175

Editorial Reviews

07/20/2020

Previously unpublished photographs and journal musings from the archive of gardening designer Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon (1910–2014) are beautifully paired in this collaboration between writer Holden (The Gardens of Bunny Mellon), designer Huffman, and Mellon’s grandson Lloyd. Seeking to honor Mellon’s unfulfilled wish, found posthumously in her journals, to write a gardening book, the authors touch on Mellon’s childhood introduction to gardening, initial sources of inspiration (primarily books and illustrations), and the development of her “trial-and-error method of cultivation.” Her garden designs (including her signature “Little Herb Tree” topiaries of myrtle, rosemary, and thyme) expressed her understanding of the need to, in her words, join “the things of nature that correspond to the person.” Mellon’s journals stress the importance of note-taking (believing that happenstance observations can be one’s “greatest teachers”), long-term planning, and working with the “bones” of a garden, such as existing trees. A quote from one of her famous clients testifies to her pragmatic methodology—former first lady Lady Bird Johnson, admiring Mellon’s design of the White House’s Kennedy Rose Gardens, described her as having a “working-at-it kind of knowledge” of her craft. Celebrating Mellon’s life and legacy, this intimate rendering evokes nostalgia and adds nuance and depth to the public portrait of a late, great gardener. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

The ultimate gift for the gardener in your life? A book offering a scenic view into legendary horticulturist and gardener Bunny Mellon's notes, photographs, and drawings. This book will be reached for as seasons come and go, for anyone who cherishes their time outdoors and any budding green thumb, hoping to build their dream oasis.

House Beautiful - Medgina Saint-Elien

… beautifully presented and thoughtfully composed. … refreshing …

Topiarius - Caroline Foley

This fall, garden lovers and admirers of socialite, philanthropist, horticulturalist, and style icon Bunny Mellon will get a more personal look than ever before at the multihyphenate's talent for gardens. The book details some of Mellon's most famous works (including, yes, the White House rose garden) but also delves into her personal life, sharing stories, notes, and advice that she jotted down in her many notebooks. 

House Beautiful - Hadley Keller

With color photos and rich, descriptive text, the book is both a how-to resource for gardeners of all levels and a celebration of a woman who stepped onto the world stage because she was asked to help her friend, President John F. Kennedy.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Man - Kevin

Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon is a treasure trove of Bunny Mellon’s garden design philosophy and advice from her personal archive, a beautiful book for anyone who has enjoyed time spent in a garden, from aspiring garden makers to those who manage large estates.
It’s as if Bunny Mellon has come alongside as a gardening guide and friend. A late acquaintance, Linda Holden, learned that Bunny wanted to write a gardening book but never found the time. Searching the family’s archive after Mrs. Mellon’s death, Ms. Holden, together with Thomas Lloyd and Bryan Huffman, all of whom shared personal relationships with Mrs. Mellon, have now turned her legacy it into the how-to gardening book Bunny had hoped to write.

Entree Magazine

It’s a delight for the eye as well as brimming with garden inspiration.

The Scout Guide

The resulting book is a combination of personal anecdotes and valuable advice, much of it just as relevant now as in Mellon's time—and just as applicable if you're working with a modest plot or a grand formal garden.

House Beautiful - Mary Elizabeth Andriotis

The book provides entree into this marvelous life of a 20th-century tastemaker …
The secrets promised in the title do not disappoint. There is much to be found here for gardeners of all levels. Tips flourish at every turn of the page, where a generous offering of colorful and previously unpublished photographs highlight important aspects of Bunny’s nuanced instructions.

Washington Gardener Magazine - Beth Py-Lieberman

The book is beautifully designed, with glorious photographs (both historic and contemporary) of [Mellon’s] gardens as well as botanical illustrations selected from books and prints in the Oak Spring Garden Library. If you only have room for one more book, this is it and as a bonus, there’s also Bunny Mellon Garden Journal with blank pages for the reader’s own notes.

Hortus - Judith B. Tankard

My home focus has shifted from renovations (thankfully) to garden design and Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon is my inspiration. Full of gardening tips, it’s not just a glossy coffee table tome.

Keep It Chic - Preston Davis

With color photos and rich, descriptive text, the book is both a how-to resource for gardeners of all levels and a celebration of a woman who stepped onto the world stage because she was asked to help her friend, President John F. Kennedy.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Man - Kevin Roth