"Rocky Hills," May 23

A high point of working on Natural Companions with Ken Druse was visiting Henriette Suhr at her "Rocky Hills" estate in Mt. Cisco, New York. Then in her 90's, Mrs. Suhr invited us to tea and told us about how she and her husband came to design and develop the aesthetic of their home's property. When I present to garden clubs, I still speak of their intentions to create a landscape which would combine the aesthetic of Impressionism with the feeling of Heaven on Earth. 

Professionally, Henriette Suhr was a "groundbreaker" and inspirational in many ways but what Henriette Suhr hoped to leave for us was the landscape and gardens surrounding her home. Mrs. Suhr recently passed away. It is heartbreaking that her mission to make her "Rocky Hills" a public park couldn't be realized. Annually, The Garden Conservancy has regularly featured "Rocky Hills" on their "Open Days" Program at the end of May. This year, probably for the last time, that day fell on my 60th birthday. When my husband asked if there was someplace special where I preferred to spend my birthday, I chose "Rocky Hills." Here is a short video I made from some of my snapshots from garden "moments" from our visit on May 23.