Garden Preservation Specialist Bill Noble To Speak March 11 For Horticultural Alliance Of The Hamptons

“Gardening is a little bit like poetry,” says Bill Noble, a renowned garden designer and specialist in garden preservation. So it is only appropriate that his lecture hosted by the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons on Sunday, March 11, in Bridgehampton would be so inspired.

“Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads in Them” is the title of the lecture. It is a line from the poem “Poetry” by American modernist poet Marianne Moore.

“It’s really about the imagination—whether you’re conjuring up gardens or creating a poem,” Mr. Noble said from his apartment in Manhattan, where, even in this concrete jungle, his balcony overlooks “Time Landscape,” a land artwork by American artist Alan Sonfist, and the LaGuardia Corner Gardens.

Mr. Noble was somewhat of a late-bloomer—pardon the pun—to garden design.

“It happened fairly late in my life, largely because I wanted to be outside. I had been working inside, and I felt trapped,” he said. “I had been doing some gardening and went into business as a market gardener, growing about 10 acres of vegetables. I made $5,000 the first year and I thought it was great. I made the same amount my last year and thought, ‘It’s time to move on!’”

He combined his newfound love of gardening and the outdoors with his previous interest in history and discovered the specialty of garden restoration.

Soon, he was offered a job restoring hedges at a National Historic Site: Aspet, the house, studio and garden of Augustus Saint-Gaudens in Cornish, New Hampshire.

Mr. Noble’s work in garden design and restoration now spans 30 years and reaches from his own garden in Norwich, Vermont—which is included in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archive of American Gardens—to Longue Vue House and Gardens in New Orleans, the Hollister House Garden in Washington, Connecticut, and the Gardens of Alcatraz in San Francisco.

Mr. Noble is particularly fond of public gardens. A former director of preservation for the Garden Conservancy, he said, “When I was learning how to garden, visiting public gardens was a crucial way to learn. We become better gardeners by visiting public gardens. I also believe it’s very important to visit public gardens to support them. Public gardens need our support and active participation if they are to survive.”

He emphasizes that once is never enough. “There are some gardens I have known for 30 years that are worth visiting regularly,” he said. “I love seeing how gardens change, because of things the gardener couldn’t have anticipated, or how an established part of the garden is re-imagined, years later.”

On the East End, Mr. Noble has worked with Jack Lenor Larsen at LongHouse Reserve and is colleagues with the managers of the Madoo Conservancy, created by Robert Dash.

Mr. Noble lists some of his favorite public gardens on his website, billnoblegardens.com, and will include some in his lecture.

He will be talking about the qualities he looks for in gardens, such as who made the garden, how the garden relates to the larger landscape, how it relates to the architecture surrounding it, how it relates to a sense of place, how the garden was created, and how it is maintained.

“The designs in my gardens are very plant rich: hardy shrubs, native shrubs and hardy herbaceous perennials. I try not to limit myself. I collect and like growing alpine plants, as well as plants with bold foliage,” he said. “… My garden has its share of flowers, but I am especially attracted to lush, bold foliage perennials. The most interesting thing is how to use foliage throughout the garden. It provides a longer season of interest.”

Mr. Noble feels that gardening is, at its heart, a “creative collaboration of people and plants,” and he works with partners and clients to restore and rehabilitate existing gardens, as well as create new ones.

As for poetry? “I’m a wayward fan,” he admitted. “I spend more time these days reading plant catalogs than poetry.”

With spring just around the corner, the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons is looking forward to hosting Mr. Noble.

“It’s inspiring to listen to garden designers talk about their work, because gardens incorporate color and texture in unique ways,” said Sarah K. Alford, a member of the all-volunteer board of directors at the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons. “I think garden design is an art form, and landscapes are an ever-changing canvas.”

Mr. Noble said, “One of the great things about gardening is that it’s available to anyone who wants to engage with the outdoors. Whether you have a balcony with a few plants, a vegetable garden, flower border or a large estate garden—wherever you find yourself, there’s a way to work with plants and express your love of them.”

A slideshow will accompany the lecture, offering an armchair tour of the gardens that inspire his work. The event will take place Sunday, March 11, at 2 p.m. at the Bridgehampton Community House located at 2357 Montauk Highway.

All are welcome; admission is $10, or free for Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons members. Visit hahgarden.org for details.