Seaside Sanctuary - Magowan Memorial Garden, Southampton, New York - Brief Article

Country Living Gardener, Dec, 2001

visitors of all faiths find solace among the dunes

At St. Andrew's Dune Church, in Southampton, N.Y., the music never stops. Always, the gull's piercing cry and the surf s steady rhythm accompany worshippers and visitors as they stroll the grounds. Originally a lifesaving station built in 1857 by the U.S. government, St. Andrew's is an interfaith church noted for its roster of guest clergy of various denominations, who speak on Sundays from late June to early September. It is also known for its extraordinary garden, commissioned and funded eight years ago by the late Doris Magowan, in memory of her husband, Robert. Under the guidance of the church board of trustees, the Magowan Memorial Garden is an evolving project, with new features and plantings added as time and reason dictate.

Originally co-designed by Dudley Mason and Laurie Carson, the Memorial Garden proves that high winds, salt spray, and drought are no impediment to determined gardeners. "We wanted to work with the site as it is, rather than plop in a formal garden," recalls Mrs. Mason. The look is deliberately natural, with an emphasis on indigenous plants such as swamp mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) and drought-tolerant ornamental grasses. Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) provides a handsome windbreak. Today, the Memorial Garden is cared for by professional gardener Diane Czelatka, who enjoys experimenting with a wide range of annuals and perennials. "I'll try one of just about anything," she notes. "If it works, I'll buy more."

Indigenous plants and ornamental grasses thrive in coastal gardens memory gardens

To commemorate a person or event, consider these options:

Personalized landscape: Fill a garden with flowers and shrubs loved by the person you wish to remember. Cuttings, divisions, or seeds from the honoree's own garden will make your landscape especially meaningful.

Victorian garden: Choose plants from the Victorian language of flowers that exemplify traits of the person to whom the garden will be dedicated. For instance, pansies signify thoughtfulness, while hawthorns denote a hopeful spirit.

Remembrance tree: Nothing recalls a special event or loved one better than a maple, oak, willow, or other long-lived tree. Plant your specimen carefully, and keep it watered, especially during the first two summers.

Memorial bench: A teak or redwood bench (crafted from farm-raised wood) can be set in a preexisting garden, providing comfort to passersby. Add an engraved plaque, available for about $20 at trophy shops, to commemorate a friend or special occasion.

The Zone 7 Magowan Memorial Garden at St. Andrews Church (established in 1879) features thick stands of self-sowing white cleome that hug the church foundations. Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha, foreground) flourishes in sandy soil.

Billowing mounds of ageratum (foreground), purple salvia, pink and apricot dahlias, and ornamental grasses caress the dunes.

A perennial tableau includes easy-care fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hamelin', center). Miscanthus tinctorius 'Variegatus' and magenta crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica, center). Opposite, bottom: Brick pathways provide structure and discourage thousands of annual visitors from trampling plants. This page, right: Native swamp mallow returns year after year. Hardy to Zone 5, the stalwart four-foot perennial boasts pink, red, or white flowers six inches or more across. This page, bottom: Salvias, including purple S. farinacea 'Victoria', which perennializes here, and scarlet sage (S. splendens), carpet the dune beneath wind-resistant Hinoki cypress. As established Japanese black pines fall victim to an unstoppable infestation of black turpentine beetles along the Atlantic coast, cypress trees are taking their place.