Seeing the Tulip Party in print (May issue of Better Homes & Gardens) was definitely a thrill….but the actual shoot was enormous fun and part of the process, the anticipation and the journey.
Before I take you behind the scenes…let me take you back in time.
What you see in the magazine is a garden that was re-designed in 2007, a year after we bought our house, so that we could have a fresh landscape “blueprint”. We worked with landscape architect, Liz Hand-Fry, whose work we had admired at our neighbor’s. She redrew the lines of the gardens, selected all the foundation plants and trees and created walkways that integrated with the house. From there, she recommended that we use Cindy Mills, of Gardens, to help maintain the landscape. I initially resisted, as I had anticipated taking care of all of it myself. But, Liz asked me to give Cindy a year. Let’s just say….I’ve been working with Cindy ever since. 10 years ago we began planting the tulips.
Fast forward to the shoot….here are some fun tidbits:
Kate Middleton was the inspiration for my attire that day ~The salt cellars on the table were a wedding gift ~ The bar cart is a permanent feature in my living room and I routinely “dress it up” for the seasons and holidays ~ One of my favorite photos below is of photographer, David Land, ensconced in the tulips while Eddie Ross takes a photo on his iphone ~ And, the “tulip” cocktail tastes even better when topped with champagne! 
There is so much thought, preparation and creativity that goes into any magazine article and I was so fortunate to work with the BEST team! After the crew had left and everything returned to normal, I found myself feeling the way you do after any monumental experience…trying to remind myself not to be sad it was over, but so grateful that it happened at all! Lucky for me, I can now hold a reminder of that day in my hands.
Stay tuned for the new-this-year hot pink, fringed “Burgundy Lace” tulips! They should be up in a couple of weeks!
