Wednesday, May 14, 2025
By Donna Leanos
As May unfolds, Georgetown’s private gardens begin to hum with that distinct blend of refinement and restraint—the kind that pairs clipped boxwood with Grecian statuary, and lets a single urn command a courtyard like its holding court.
There’s a certain art to a proper Georgetown garden. It doesn’t shout; it suggests. A tucked-away topiary here, a marble bust nestled among peonies there—every element whispers elegance with a wink. These are not just green spaces, but living compositions where design,
history, and horticulture mingle.
Elizabeth Taylor’s former garden in Georgetown is a reminder that drama and dignity can coexist. A tulip-lined path and apple, fig and cheery trees—her aesthetic lives on in gardens that understand the power of quiet opulence.
This month’s 95th Georgetown Garden Tour offers a rare glimpse behind the ivy—into spaces where tradition and artistry meet. But even without the invitation, these gardens speak volumes. They’re stage sets for summer evenings, sculpture galleries in bloom, and perhaps most of all, a masterclass in the elegance of restraint.
Photo of Garden Tour “Secret Garden” (Background Photo)
Secret Garden Earrings, The Phoenix. $595.
Moth Painting The Phoenix. $55.
Topiaries. MANSE. Price varies.
Little girl with butterfly 19th c. Cote Jardine Antiques. $4250
Travertine Lion Statuary, L’Enfant Gallery. $24,000 for the pair.
Elizabeth Taylor Print. Etsy.com. $47.25