Situated on 7.5 acres of land bordering the Long Island Sound in Cutchogue is “Garden by the Sea,” one of five finalists in the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards.
Competing against gardeners from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, with the exception of Quebec, Harriet and Scott Kaufman are hoping their garden will take home the winning prize in the amateur garden category of the website’s contest.
“It would just be a lovely prize for all the love and hard work that goes into trying to take care of this piece of land that we have,” Kaufman said, adding that she and her husband really want to “bring this one home for the North Fork.”
Gardenista is a gardening blog and online store full of Pinterest board worthy shots of interesting gardens.
In order to win, the garden needs to receive the most votes from the public by Saturday, Aug. 15. Currently “Garden by the Sea” is neck-and-neck with “A Tea Garden in Tivoli,” located in Tivoli, New York. Voters can cast one vote per day at the Gardenista website, every day until polling closes.
Winners receive a $200 gift card to prize sponsor Terrain and will receive a writeup on Gardensita.com.
The couple purchased the land 10 years ago when it was overgrown with wild cherries and vines. They have since planted new cherry trees, as well as almost 200 hydrangeas and numerous other plants.
“The scale of the garden is quite wonderful,” Kaufman said. “It’s divided up into lots of different areas so you’re constantly turning a corner and finding sort of a whole new garden opening up.”
Kaufman said her passion for gardening comes from working on the large expanse of land, where the couple changes what they plant each year.
“Before I had this garden I never gardened in my life,” she said. “I didn’t have a green thumb or anything. I think just having a beautiful place that you have to look after, I learned everything as I go along.”
