Hi there! Thanks to my reader, Brenda….lives in the South…….
(who may not know it; but does have a “photographic memory”! Thanks to Brenda;
I have proof that Renee has been doing this sort of imaginative and magical gardens for a long time!!!
Brenda read my blog; and she wrote me to say…..”could this be the lady in New Orleans? I have saved these two articles for years!!
Well, YES!! Is the answer! “Garden Shed” was a wonderful magazine. I never saw it; or it would have been one of “my magazines”!!
Brenda took the time and effort to copy the pages in the two articles she had saved…….one 12 years old……and one 10 years old.
I am showing these to you ! My assistant “scanned” them!
My assistant said that this is permissible as long as I credit the magazine (which is no longer around,sadly) and the writer , which I do again! And the photographer.!
They look so alike…..and are so atmospheric….and so natural and otherworldly……you might think it is one garden. NO! The first garden was in one not so lovely neighborhood….but it had the same quality………she moved…….(I hope “it” remained!)….no one knew it was there……..no one…..it became invisible from the street.
And then….the other house was bought and inhabited by Renee and Gordon……and the same thing happened…..and “Garden Shed with the same photographer ran her creation again……
as another article about a “genius”!!
Now Renee Parker-Werner!!
I hope the photographer is still with us and will find this tribute to him, the writer, and of course to Renee! I bet there is a wonderful story about how those people found her!!
Believe me; Renee did not seek to be published! she isn’t a “hermit”; ( she and her husband are just “private people” in their own “slice of heaven”!
When I wrote her husband in the beginning….(after my first discovery and my first post..about her…all these comments…..
I was still (and am still…under the spell of their place…..it cannot be captured)
I said to Gordon, her husband…..”she is getting quite the ‘fan club’!” He replied………”starting with me!”
Yes. That is what every woman dreams of. Yes. Three words in answer to that question. Yes.
So here are the two articles sent to me by my wonderful friend Brenda…. This is astonishing!
Thank you for saving these pages from “Garden Shed “magazine ! Most of all for “recognizing” Renee!!
Brenda is in a “special world” of her own!
Thank you, Brenda!
Returning to nature; preserving beauty…..good for wildlife; magical spaces, wildlife habitat, instead of mcmansions,
From 2002 and 2004!
Photographer…..Pete Krumbardt
and writer…..Kathleen Pyle
Bravo the writer and the photographer of both of these articles!
Most of all…Bravo Renee who “makes magic” wherever she goes.
Bravo Gordon…..who “hired” Renee and then “married “her and remains the “captain of her fan club”!
Thank you, Renee…who has shown us all what magic can be made! Nurturing nature, nurturing family…..birds bees animals and beauty!
You are an incredible example to those of us who want to escape the whole “lawn suburban nature wasteland” and you are teaching us we can do it without spending a fortune.
It is possible everywhere! One can have a “wildlife sanctuary” on a balcony! Just see The National Wildlife Federation.website!
This is the wave of the future for our “young’uns”! The future of our nature resides with them!
What a whole lot better I feel now that I know Renee!!
Now enjoy the two gardens she did in New Orleans………and get started! this should be happening across the land! A new Paradigm!
Who wants lawn when you can have birdsong…and natural habitat?
Penelope
(too bad I am not the New York Times)!!
enjoy!!
24 Responses
Wow, I can only imagine how beautiful her garden is in person. Thanks for incentive to get to work in my garden. 🙂
Karen
Wow, I can only imagine how beautiful her garden is in person. Thanks for incentive to get to work in my garden. 🙂
Karen
I thought that was who she was! I remember that article (can’t remember where I put my keys, though). I was charmed then and still am. Always love it when a woman has the vision and the confidence to follow her own path, build her own path, encourages herself to carry on creating her own, personal conversation with her garden.
Perfectly said; as usual. Brilliant, actually! “home before dark” Perfectly said in “few words’ I suppose someday I may learn that. Probably not.
thank you!!!!
I thought that was who she was! I remember that article (can’t remember where I put my keys, though). I was charmed then and still am. Always love it when a woman has the vision and the confidence to follow her own path, build her own path, encourages herself to carry on creating her own, personal conversation with her garden.
Perfectly said; as usual. Brilliant, actually! “home before dark” Perfectly said in “few words’ I suppose someday I may learn that. Probably not.
thank you!!!!
This is completely unbelievable, so so happy you showed us to us. xx’s
This is completely unbelievable, so so happy you showed us to us. xx’s
The inspiration continues….
Thank you for sharing the passion & efforts of others as well as yours!
That’s what makes you & your blog so special!
Cathy
thank you so much! How fun to see the people who respond to this “magic”; which benefits nature and beauty; and goes against all that unnatural and manicured landscaping that poisons nature…..and animals!
It is changing!
The inspiration continues….
Thank you for sharing the passion & efforts of others as well as yours!
That’s what makes you & your blog so special!
Cathy
thank you so much! How fun to see the people who respond to this “magic”; which benefits nature and beauty; and goes against all that unnatural and manicured landscaping that poisons nature…..and animals!
It is changing!
What a shame this magazine is no longer around. I would have been a subscriber!
Talented and creative individuals can’t help but cultivate beauty as they see it and her gardens are fantastic! French country gardens are my personal favorite, thanks for sharing.
What a shame this magazine is no longer around. I would have been a subscriber!
Talented and creative individuals can’t help but cultivate beauty as they see it and her gardens are fantastic! French country gardens are my personal favorite, thanks for sharing.
This is very inspiring- thanks for sharing this beautiful lady’s garden simply amazing.
This is very inspiring- thanks for sharing this beautiful lady’s garden simply amazing.
So glad I sent you these articles. I will never forget how I felt the first time I saw them and then I recognized her “style” from your post when you met her. I’m happy others can enjoy the beauty.
Brenda! Thanks to YOU!!
I never even heard of this divine magazine!
It was all thanks to you that I was able to share these articles!
Thank you so much! What a compliment to Renee that you “recognized” her style!
She is thrilled and complimented that you remembered….and by all of the comments! Thank you to all my readers who left comments…..you have no idea..this is really fun and so meaningful to her…….and her husband!!
ps I took some more and better pictures of the interiors of her house here in Montecito…I am adding it on to my first post…!
Go peek after tomorrow! I think I was in such a state of shock….it is a wonder my camera worked at all!!
Thank you, Brenda!!!
So glad I sent you these articles. I will never forget how I felt the first time I saw them and then I recognized her “style” from your post when you met her. I’m happy others can enjoy the beauty.
Brenda! Thanks to YOU!!
I never even heard of this divine magazine!
It was all thanks to you that I was able to share these articles!
Thank you so much! What a compliment to Renee that you “recognized” her style!
She is thrilled and complimented that you remembered….and by all of the comments! Thank you to all my readers who left comments…..you have no idea..this is really fun and so meaningful to her…….and her husband!!
ps I took some more and better pictures of the interiors of her house here in Montecito…I am adding it on to my first post…!
Go peek after tomorrow! I think I was in such a state of shock….it is a wonder my camera worked at all!!
Thank you, Brenda!!!
It’s really really beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing this, Penelope. It’s important to believe and share this kind of things, this kind of free beauty, we need this. A hug from Italy, Bettina
It’s really really beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing this, Penelope. It’s important to believe and share this kind of things, this kind of free beauty, we need this. A hug from Italy, Bettina
I lové Renees gardiens. I had the pleasure of spending time with Renee and Gordon when Fifi o’neil photo graphed it with photographer Mark Lohman, my daughter was the prairie bride for her garden wedding, due to release in Fifi’s new book Prairie Wedding Style.
I adored their home and gardens, as for there new addition garden casita room there are no words for the beauty and grâce they sur round themselves with rustic garden trèsures.
Thank you for this beautiful share.
Bisous
Xx
Doré
I lové Renees gardiens. I had the pleasure of spending time with Renee and Gordon when Fifi o’neil photo graphed it with photographer Mark Lohman, my daughter was the prairie bride for her garden wedding, due to release in Fifi’s new book Prairie Wedding Style.
I adored their home and gardens, as for there new addition garden casita room there are no words for the beauty and grâce they sur round themselves with rustic garden trèsures.
Thank you for this beautiful share.
Bisous
Xx
Doré