Landscape Pleasures, the annual Parrish Art Museum garden symposium and tours, will take place this weekend, marking a strong return of the garden and architecture program this year. (See details of the Southampton Arts Center's Architecture and Design Tour on Friday, June 16, in this week's "Bits and Pieces." Guild Hall's Garden as Art event returns on June 24 as well.)
The Parrish proceedings begin on Saturday at the museum in Water Mill with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. followed by three speakers from 9 to noon. On Sunday, self-guided garden tours will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at properties in Amagansett, Bridgehampton, and Southampton.
Charles Birnbaum, Raymond Jungles, and Rebecca McMackin, all landscape architects, will be the speakers this year.
Mr. Birnbaum founded the Cultural Landscape Foundation after serving for 15 years as the coordinator of the National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiative, with a decade in private practice in New York City before that. His focus has been on landscape preservation and urban design, for which he has received significant medals and prizes. For the foundation he has created a searchable database of designed landscape heritage nationwide, called "What's Out There."
Taking a detour down South, Mr. Jungles has been the founder and principal of his own Miami-based firm, which has been in existence since 1982. The award-winning landscape practice has preserved and protected existing ecosystems while keeping in mind their impact on bettering the human condition.
Ms. McMackin worked for 10 years as director of horticulture at the 85-acre Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she managed the diverse flora organically. She also led research into urban biodiversity and ethical management strategies that has been influential in individual gardens and entire urban parks systems. Her native wildflower garden graces the entrance of the Brooklyn Museum, and her work has been featured in The New York Times and on public radio and television.
There are five gardens participating in the tour. The designers include Hollander Design Landscape Architects, LaGuardia Design Group, Landscape Details, and Piazza Horticultural. Further details about the gardens will be provided with the tickets to the tours.
Tickets are $250 for the talks and tours, or $200 for members. Those who purchase a sponsor level ticket at $600 or higher will be invited to a cocktail party at a private residence on Saturday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
