Whether in the form of upholstery, framed artwork, or fresh flowers themselves, florals were a common motif in decorator John Fowler’s spaces. It should come as no surprise, then, that his own English cottage was surrounded by two acres of gardens, as captured in AD’s January 1975 issue. The home itself dates back to the 1730s, but the property’s gardens were entirely reinvented by Fowler. “There was no path in the garden at first,” Fowler told AD. “There was no light, no drainage, nothing. But once I concentrated, I felt the rhythm of how it would be, and I saw it all finished. A master plan was conceived at the beginning.” He chose to blend the “untidiness of the English garden” with the formality of those found in Italy and France: Grapevines run wildly along the ceiling, providing an enchanting atmosphere.
A working greenhouse
In 1996, Ted Turner purchased all 591,000 acres of Vermejo Park Ranch in pursuit of good hunting and fishing. Eventually he decided to open the property to visitors, offering “recreational opportunities for sportsmen who, though they can’t afford a ranch of their own, can afford a week here,” as he told AD in the June 2005 feature on the spot. The home where Turner himself would stay in the early 2000s is Casa Grande, a grand stone structure that dates back to 1908. Jane Fonda helped Turner redecorate the home when the pair were married in the ’90s, working with interior designers Barbara Pohlman and Robin Laughlin. Fonda’s aim was to “restore the ranch to what it had been, more of a Teddy Roosevelt look.” Amidst Casa Grande’s sizable square footage is a greenhouse, seen at the far right of the structure. Vermejo still accepts guests today; according to its website, the ranch’s menus heavily feature produce grown in the on-site greenhouse.
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