TL;DR
Get garden gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A Homes & Gardens report details how designer Charlotte Moss shaped the garden at her Virginia property around a water rill, European garden references and personal memories. Moss says the landscape is designed both for quiet use and for hosting; the report does not provide a construction timeline or independent assessment of the garden.
Charlotte Moss’s Virginia garden brings together European design references and family memories, according to a new profile by Homes & Gardens. The interior designer, author and philanthropist describes a landscape organized around a water rill, with planted areas and terraces intended for both reflection and entertaining.
Moss says the property’s original garden was small and fenced, with peonies, other flowers and herbs, while much of the surrounding landscape was dominated by trees. She describes removing older trees and planting magnolias, sycamores, boxwoods and apple trees as part of a broader redesign. The work also included a green parterre beside the flower room and expanded hardscape for sitting and hosting.
The central water feature links an upper rill to a main pool and then to a lower rill, which ends at a round basin topped by an obelisk. Moss says she wanted the rill framed by copper beech trees and grasses, combining movement in the planting with the sound of flowing water. She connects the feature to memories of Rousham Gardens in Oxfordshire and other European rills.
Other elements draw on specific visits and recollections. Moss says espaliered apple and pear trees against the house were influenced by a garden in France. An iris garden in a brick area retained from the original house includes limestone columns and climbing roses trained along chains. She traces that rose arrangement to Eyrignac in France’s Dordogne region, describing it as a feature that invites visitors toward the garden rather than keeping them out.
A Garden Designed for Sound and Gathering
The profile shows how personal memory can inform practical design choices: the rill supplies sound and movement, while paths, terraces and seating establish places to gather or sit alone. Moss says she approaches garden design much as she approaches interiors, aiming to make both welcoming and to create distinct areas for different uses.
That approach matters to readers interested in how a garden functions beyond its appearance. Moss describes the landscape as part of hosting, with a stone sofa beside the pool and a terrace used for dining and drinks. The account also makes clear that the garden’s references are not presented as a strict reproduction of European sites; Moss says impressions from travel return naturally when she is creating or re-envisioning a space.
Products Worth Considering
Orbit B-hyve XR 16-Zone Indoor/Outdoor Smart Sprinkler Timer
VEVOR Walk-In Tunnel Greenhouse with Watering System, 15 x 7 x 7 ft
Orbit B-hyve XD 4-Port Smart Hose Watering Timer with Wi-Fi Hub
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Travel and Family Memories in the Plan
Moss’s account connects the Virginia design to earlier experiences in several places. She says her husband drew her attention to the sound of water at Keukenhof in the Netherlands, during a visit to see the tulips. The experience stayed with her, and she later added a water feature to the garden at their East Hampton home. Seeing the rill at Rousham helped make water the main feature in Charlottesville.
Her planting choices also reflect more personal history. Moss recalls her maternal grandmother growing irises, and remembers the short life of a cut iris as a reason to pay attention to it while it blooms. She describes a childhood memory of her grandmother placing one iris in a vase, a gesture she says she understood differently later in life. The garden’s iris beds therefore connect a family memory with a preserved brick garden and a distinct planting design.
The flower room is another part of the garden’s daily use. Moss says its windows look onto the small green parterre and that the room also holds plants being rotated, orchids returning to bloom and plants awaiting repotting. The source account presents this as part of the property’s working garden life, not just its entertaining spaces.
“The visual memories from my travels are inescapable.”
— Charlotte Moss, quoted by Homes & Gardens
Details the Profile Does Not Provide
The source is a first-person account published by Homes & Gardens, and the design history is presented through Moss’s recollections. It does not give dates for the redesign, identify the landscape professionals or contractors involved, or report on the project’s budget. It also does not independently verify the garden’s planting inventory or provide measurements for the rills and terraces.
The profile describes the garden as a Virginia landscape and refers to the Charlottesville garden, but it does not give a more precise location. It is also unclear when the reported interview took place or whether any recent changes have been made since it was conducted. The account offers Moss’s design intentions and memories, rather than a broader evaluation of the garden’s current condition.
No Further Project Update Given
Homes & Gardens’ report presents Moss’s account of the garden but does not announce a new construction phase, public opening or planned change to the property. The next development, if any, is not specified in the source material. For now, the published profile is the available update on the design and the memories Moss says shaped it.
Key Questions
What is the main feature of Charlotte Moss’s Virginia garden?
The main feature is a linked series of water channels, pools and a basin. Moss says the upper rill connects to a central pool and lower rill, ending at a round basin with an obelisk.
Which European gardens influenced the design?
Moss cites Rousham Gardens in Oxfordshire as an influence on the rill and Eyrignac in France’s Dordogne region as the inspiration for a rose-covered chain arrangement. She also says a garden she visited in France influenced the espaliered fruit trees.
Why are irises meaningful to Moss?
Moss associates irises with her maternal grandmother, who grew them. She recalls that the flowers do not last long once cut and says the memory helped her value paying attention to them while they are in bloom.
How is the garden used for entertaining?
Moss says the garden offers freedom to move and fresh air for gatherings. A stone sofa sits beside the central pool, while the terrace is used for dining and drinks.
Does the report say when the garden was redesigned?
No. The Homes & Gardens account describes changes Moss made to the property but does not give a timeline, budget or details about the people who carried out the work.
Source: homesandgardens.com
