Notes from Madoo: Making a Garden in the Hamptons

In 1976, artist, writer, and gardener Robert Dash bought 1.98 acres in the Hamptons, on the far Eastern end of Long Island. Intending a private hideaway where he could paint in peace, he created Madoo (Scottish for "my dove"), a unique and intriguing garden which after decades of his thoughtful and loving attention has now become a conservancy.

Inspired by time spent in his garden, Dash began writing a biweekly gardening column in the East Hampton Star. Dash reflects on the seasons, the gardeners he has known, interesting or frustrating plants, the naming of roses, and the existence of fairies, to name only a few of the essays sparked by life at Madoo and now gathered in this collection.

Dash infuses his essays with a gentle wistfulness, but he also doesn't pretend to love every growing thing. Forsythia, he states in the like-titled essay, is "an absolute ass of a color" whose "high-colored blooms annoy as much as hyperactive children and little yapping dogs." Dash's irreverence is a fine balance to his passion.

An advocate of not just working in your garden, but truly enjoying it, Dash says, "Doing nothing but hanging about and musing and letting one's feeling roam is also what a gardener is all about." One gets the idea that Dash has done quite a bit of loitering and lolling at Madoo, and we, the recipients of his thoughtful and witty musings, are the better for it. --Dana Van Nest