Madoo Conservancy

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Some 40 years ago,artist,writer and friend,Robert Dash established Madoo (old Scottish for "My Dove"). A green,organic paradise,it sits on 2 acres of previously farmed land near the Atlantic Ocean in Sagaponack,N.Y.
Madoo features Tudor,High Renaissance,early Greek, as well as Oriental garden influences.
I love this garden as it is always changing in some respect. Mr. Dash's use of color and the structural elements of the garden reflect his quirky,at times eccentric, but never too bold taste. I have visited the garden in all seasons and all reflect in some fashion the vision and splendor Mr. Dash sought to convey and share with the world.
Once a private garden,Mr. Dash opened it to the public in the 1990's and it is now part of the Garden Conservancy's Register of Gardens.
I look forward to visiting him soon and anticipate some new,fantastic innovation created since my last visit in September of last year. He is always on the lookout for new plantings and maintains an enthusiasm I have always sought to emulate.





One entrance to the garden in Spring

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Pathway to the inner sanctum


Still Springtime,lovely Rhododendron


The Rose Alee,still Spring,see everything waking up from a long winter's nap.


note in the background one of the few remaining potato fields farmed in the area and just beyond the Atlantic. On clear days one can see the ocean. He chose his site well.

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Mr. Dash's studio in the background. The color of the trim changes on a whim.


Magnolia and Japanese Cherry
(the utility wires were run through in the 1980's and poor Mr. Dash has yet to recover from this,long,horrible story).


the interior, the chairs (also changing color on a whim,these being one of my least favorite) are facing South toward the Atlantic.

Coming up, Summer at Madoo

[imec]

This looks like the perfect place to get some thinking done.

[bixaorellana]

Oh my god! My mouth is hanging open looking at this brilliant garden.

Even without your explanation it's easy to see that this is a constantly changing garden and product of a true gardener with a sensitive and subtle appreciation of landscape and plant matter.

My favorite shot -- I can hardly tear my eyes away from it -- is the second one. That is an absolute poem of garden design. It's so totally unexpected, yet so totally right. The touch that almost makes me genuflect is the use of that pale pink rhododendron. I think 99 out of 100 gardeners would have used a stronger color, but that shrub in that spot couldn't be more perfect, especially teamed with the brick edging and the charcoal bench with the slight scrim of deeper pink behind it. The skinny trees (birches?) are such a perfect, exquisite vertical note, and the fluffy chartreuse shrubs give a happy, scurrying sense of movement. What are the shrubs -- perhaps some kind of dwarf arborvitae?

Can't wait for the summer version. And pleeeease take some pictures of the early fall garden when you're there.

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My friend,Robert Dash and his beloved always at his feet.(Can't remember his name,tis driving me crazy!)

Yes,imec,it is a very contemplative place. There is often an early morning fog that rolls in off the Ocean and it's very British in that regard as are many of his plantings.
He is also quite a prolific painter and he writes a garden column for one of the local papers.
In that vain,many people just don't "get him" as his writing is so much like his garden style,quirky,and whimsical. Very hard for some to follow.

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Summer has arrived at Madoo


Madame Alfred Carriere roses,Mon Dieu!
(note chairs in background have changed colors again)



Perennial border

gazebo

[bixaorellana]

What an immensely witty touch that gazebo is in that setting!

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the Potager, one of my favorite "rooms". Beautiful clematis in the center


a continuation of the Potager. I'm not mad about some of his paint colors

potager from another angle

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how'd you slip in there Bixa?
I didn't see your post in the Spring section,sorry. I agree about the rhododendron and yes those are birches,the shrubs,you may be right,alot of his stuff Ican't identify although ,I know I have a garden log of his stuff written down somewhere. And, as I said,he's always moving stuff around and acquiring new things.

[imec]

This makes me want to put more effort into my own space. Very beautiful. I'd love to serve a multi-course picnic here - moving to a different section of the garden for each course. (and a well thought out wine pairing with each course of course).

[bixaorellana]

Ha ~ clever idea, Imec, finding a section that suited the mood of each food & vice-versa.

I can't agree with you about the colors, Casimira. I really think I can see what he's up to with his use of the unexpected tones and intensities. In the potager, he's got two different things going on simultaneously, like those trick pictures that switch back & forth.

One thing that made me gasp is the picture between the two potager photos. That must be bamboo, but what a bamboo, and what a startling, almost dainty use of it. Just great!

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This bridge has been painted a rainbow of colors over the years. I guess I'll have to take some pictures next month
Isn't this fountain the coolest,most beautiful,elegant,you've ever seen. I hope it's welded to something.

[bixaorellana]

I am agog with admiration and desire! That fountain has got to be one of the most perfect things I've ever seen.

[traveler63]

Casimira,

What extraordinary photos, I am trying to identify some of the plants. At the end of Reply 12, I the blooms are magnolias. The Rhoddies bring back memories or my front yard when we lived in Oregon. We had those as well as azaleas. You could find both growing wild if you took hikes near Mt. Hood. Also, I love the picture of your friend at the table, drinking his French Press coffee. The 4th picture after your frined, are those gardenia bushs?

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Now, it is Indian Summer,early Autumn,my favorite time of year. Look at the shadows and light.

[bixaorellana]

The 2nd picture .............. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, perfection!

T63, Casimira can say for sure, but I'd guess those are indeed camellias. (& thanks for making me crazy -- you said 4th pic after Mr. Dash, but it's the 3rd. I knew you must have seen something camellia-looking, so squinted & scratched my head to no avail.)

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The colors in the early Autumn are what really thrill me the most. I love the spring and summer but those autumn colors are much of the reason why I always choose that time of year to visit. We just never get that here. Maybe a tinge.

T63, I'm not positive that those are gardenias. Well could be, as early to mid summer is when they would bloom there. They could be something else though,I'm just not sure.
Gardening up there is a whole different ball game. In 2004 I spent a huge chunk of the summer up there working on some estates and though the woman I was working for gave me free reign,there were a number of things I had to defer to her about.
The soil there is so very loamy and fertile. The NY and Brooklyn Botanical Rose Gardens truck it in from there.

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Somehow it seems too late for camellias to be blooming,even up there. I will have to do a full investigative report on my visit. There's a bunch of stuff I need to clarify in my brain as well.

[bixaorellana]

I'm a jerk -- I meant to say gardenias, not camellias. As C. says, too late for camellias. If you magnify the picture & squint, you can see the gardenia shape.

[Jazz]

Casimira, this garden is a work of art! I can't imagine how it must feel to visit it, I feel calm and and almost saturated with beauty each time I look at this thread. (many times now). Your photo of Robert Dash at his table with his friend is great.

I love the name, Madoo, my dove. How did this evolve, did he cultivate one part after another as the years went on? Who helps him? It seems like so much work to maintain. Do you know how long it was his private garden? How beautiful to simply 'be' there.

Your photos are special. I love how they express each oasis. I am overwhelmed by the 'sense' of each portion of the garden and don't know the names of many plants.
(it doesn't matter to me) The very first photo drew me in, is that his house? I am trying to imagine actually living in the midst of this beauty. I love his little studio, the rose alee...which in bloom must seem like a fantasy covered bridge, the unexpected periwinkle blue gazebo. The fountain! At first glance I thought it was a tree, it reminds me of my Weeping Caragana. Stunning.

Autumn is my favorite time of year and I am thinking that I might visit, I will check the driving time from Toronto. I like the idea of staying in a nearby bed and breakfast and visiting the garden and the ocean. Perhaps I could see some of his paintings and meet him.

(mmm....did I violate the 'overused words' rules ....beautiful....beautiful...beautiful... )

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These are not my photos. There are some sections of the garden that I would love to show and I guess will have to photograph on my visit.

As far as history goes there's quite a bit and I will briefly try to encapsulate what I know.
Dash has been one of Long Island's most acclaimed artists for about forty years. He shared a NY studio with Fairfield Porter in the late '50's,and he began visiting L.I. in the early '60's.
He was friendly with many of the artists in the area; de Kooning,Krasner and many others.
His reputation as an artist he established with landscape paintings that focus on the skies,the colors,and the light of eastern L.I. He paints from memory rather than nature ,with a distinct form but also mindful of Abstract Expressionism.
In 1966 Mr. Dash purchased an 18th century barn and about two acres of land where Madoo sits today. Shortly thereafter he converted the barn into a summer house and studio and began creating his garden. He added a winter house and studio later.
In the early '90's he donated the garden to the Garden Conservancy with the idea in mind that his masterpiece would be preserved and I'm sure much had to do with tax breaks etc .as real estate taxes there are some of the highest in the country. He has no living family.
He has had the same assistant for a very long time,a much younger Hispanic gentleman .
His arrangement with the Garden Conservancy allows him access to interns (as opposed to volunteers which can be a nightmare) who will do a stint over a period of six months to a year and require less supervision although I've heard some nightmarish tales of some major disasters over the years.

Mr. Dash wrote a book in 2000 entitled Notes From Madoo. It's a wonderful read.
www.amazon.com/Notes-Madoo-Making-Garden-Hamptons/dp/0618016929

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I had the great pleasure of revisiting this fabulous garden last weekend,and seeing my friend Robert Dash. It was actually the official opening day of the garden,to the public,however,no one was there so,I had it all to myself.
What a totally different feel to the place as you will see from the photos. Springtime at Madoo...hope you enjoy as much as I did.













to be continued....

[bixaorellana]

What a pleasure to see you're letting us visit Madoo in yet another season!

It's funny, but in some ways I still look at gardens with Lousiana eyes. There is a part of me that's saying, "Yeah, yeah -- gets warm, rains, stuff turns green." So, even though this is bountifully lush and the wisteria is beyond glorious against that weathered wood, I can definitely see why you prefer the autumn garden.

Still, that's not to say this isn't absolutely wonderful. It's a privilege to see how Dash's vision and his matching of man-made and natural elements develop and work through the different seasons.

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guinea hen,there's a small flock of them about,funny little guys....

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[Jazz]

It’s fascinating to see Madoo in each season, thank you. Now, I need to visit. It’s only about a 10-12 hour drive from home. All of your photos are great and in your recent additions, I love the one of his studio (?) with the wisteria, the second in #23. And, the gorgeous rose arbour beginning to come into leaf. Again, the photo of Robert Dash at the table, with coffee and French press, is beautiful. We await the winter series. I think it will be beautiful.

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Should I find myself there in the wintertime (unlikely,only if I have to go,because of the cold and forced to be fairly housebound,not my idea of a good time I'm afraid ) I will surely go and visit.
I told Mr. Dash that he had an admirer in Toronto btw,and he sent his regards and an invitation to please come and visit.
On the topic of wintergardens,I have tried to encourage some other members to post their gardens or nearby gardens in winter. There is much to be said for a true winter garden, beneath a blanket of freshly fallen snow,in repose. Maybe,this upcoming winter we can nudge some folks to do.
Thanks Jazz.