As the season’s opening weekend arrived, the garden was bursting with life. The air resonated with the melodious songs of cardinals and warblers, while frogs emerged from meadow ponds, poking their heads above the water’s surface. In the shady wooded areas of the garden, early-spring ephemerals like vibrant bleeding hearts and delicate pastel epimediums flourished, adding pops of color among cool weather grasses. As the end of summer nears, the garden will continue to shape shift, with beds of fiery reds, oranges and yellows and big, bold tropicals scattered throughout the property.
Every year from early May to late October, Dennis Schrader and Bill Smith welcome thousands of visitors to explore their home garden in Mattituck. What began as a simple place of pleasure more than three decades ago has since blossomed into Landcraft Garden Foundation—a sprawling 14-acre botanical wonder unlike any other on the North Fork.
Since its public debut in 2021, the garden has served as more than just a serene and beautiful oasis; it has become a dynamic laboratory of horticulture, inspiring and educating those who participate in its workshops, go along for guided tours or simply wander its lush paths.
Roots of Inspiration
When Schrader and Smith first met in 1982, they bonded over their shared green-thumb upbringing and love for horticulture and design. Smith, who graduated with a degree in environmental design from Parsons School of Design, was working as an interior designer at an architectural firm in NYC, while Schrader, a graduate of SUNY/Cobleskill’s environmental design and horticulture program, had launched his own business, now called Landcraft Design Associates.
By 1992, the couple found themselves ready to plant new roots. They began searching for the perfect location for their first home together and the launch of their wholesale tropical plant nursery, Landcraft Environments. After scouring the country from coast to coast, the Long Island natives ultimately settled on a locale close to their roots: the North Fork.
“There was a great existing nursery industry out here,” Smith recalls. “There was also great support from the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Cornell Research Lab in Riverhead.”
In Mattituck, they acquired a 17-acre plot surrounding a historic 1840s farmhouse. “It was basically an abandoned field,” recalls Schrader of the sprawling farmland. “I think there were maybe two big maple trees out on the front lawn, some locust [trees] and a few other plants kicking around, but that was about it.”
Keeping their business operations separate from their home space, the avid gardeners set out to breathe new life into their property, with no clear blueprint or anticipation of developing it beyond a simple recreational garden.
“It was a place for us to experiment and grow some trial plants,” explains Schrader. “We’d have an idea about doing something and then we’d build it. It really kind of just expanded on that.”
With each spark of inspiration, Schrader and Smith gradually transformed the property into what is now a diverse landscape of over four acres of meticulously tended gardens and 10 acres of rehabilitated native meadows. The garden seamlessly blends various styles and influences, featuring both traditional formal areas and free-form spaces that showcase flora from around the globe.
“The main goal was that we wanted to find unusual plant material,” explains Smith. “We seem to seek out a lot of tropicals as annuals — things that are not hardy here. They’re more interesting.”
Today, the garden is an ever-evolving canvas, with meandering paths that wrap around meadows and shady woodland areas, leading to perennial and mixed shrub borders, formal garden rooms bordered by hedges of boxwood and hornbeam, a neatly pruned linden allée, a tranquil rill garden and a even a vegetable patch—complete with a chicken coop. At the garden’s center are two mirrored annual borders that lead the eyes to the Schrader and Smith’s current residence. There, grand terrace displays of potted plants are changed throughout the seasons.
Every twist and turn in the four-acre garden reveals a unique microcosm. In the woodland shade garden, diverse shrubs like deciduous azaleas and white viburnums thrive, while climbing roses and seasonal exotic vines intertwine around rondels crafted from locusts harvested from the property. Meanwhile, a Mediterranean-inspired garden showcases exotic plants like a towering monkey puzzle tree from Chile, hardy palms and a variety of subtropical fruits trees bearing grapefruit, Meyer lemons, blood oranges, limes and variegated kumquats.
Over a dozen greenhouses also dot the property, providing the space and resources to experiment with diverse plant species and horticultural techniques.
Cultivating a Legacy
As the couple’s garden has grown, so too has its reputation. What began as a private space for family and friends soon became a destination eagerly shared with wider circles. Recognizing the potential to enrich the community, Schrader and Smith embraced the opportunity to open their garden to the public. They started by joining The Garden Conservancy’s “Open Days” program, which gives curious guests access to private properties that are usually inaccessible.
“We were having so many people visit, just by word of mouth, that we thought, ‘Well, you know, we must have something special here,’ ” Schrader reflects. “We thought, ‘We should really try and preserve it and have it go beyond us.’ ”
In 2020, the couple established the Landcraft Garden Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to ensuring the garden’s legacy endures and is enjoyed by the greater community. After delaying the opening due to the pandemic, the garden officially welcomed the public in May 2021, offering solace and connection to those seeking safe outdoor spaces during a challenging period.
“It became a refuge for a lot of people,” recalls Schrader. “It was a really good place for people to meet and be outside.”
Since its inception, The Landcraft Garden Foundation has acted as a “living laboratory,” dedicated to promoting gardening education and enriching the community at large.
Through its mentorship program, students from different universities can work in the gardens alongside professional gardeners, gaining hands-on experience and valuable exposure to the field. The foundation also works with local nonprofits like Slow Food East End, North Fork Side by Side and North Fork Community Theatre, as well as local school groups, to offer tours and other opportunities for partnership.
From early May to the end of October, Landcraft Garden also hosts a slew of educational workshops and lectures on topics ranging from honey harvesting to plant design, as well as a range of outdoor recreational activities like birding, yoga and plein air painting. One of the foundation’s latest initiatives is to raise funding to convert one of its existing production greenhouses into a new conservatory, which would house its comprehensive collections of orchids, succulents, cacti and other tropical plants. It would also serve as a year-round indoor space to host educational and cultural events.
Where the Nature Meets the Arts
Inspired by the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, the foundation looks to connect with and celebrate other artistic communities on the North Fork.
“We thought incorporating art into the garden would attract another element of visitors who are not necessarily horticulture-savvy, but would come to see the artwork and discover the world of gardening,” explains Smith.
Each summer, it hosts the work of an artist with ties to the North Fork, integrating sculptures and installations into the landscape. This year’s guest artist is Jorge Pardo, whose multidisciplinary artwork explores themes of contemporary painting, design, sculpture and architecture.
Music also finds a place in the garden, with Landcraft Garden hosting an annual event every July with Rites of Spring Music Festival, a local music group known for classical concerts in unique settings.
“This is a really nice collaboration because we want to celebrate the natural surroundings with music programs that are inspired by nature,” says Rites of Spring founder Paolo Bartolani.
Planting the Seeds of Tomorrow
Nestled in a quiet residential area of Mattituck, Landcraft Garden Foundation is truly a hidden gem.
As visitors wind along the unassuming road to its entrance, they’re met with the warm hospitality of volunteers and staff members like Jamie Holloway, whose passion for the gardens is palpable as he welcomes them into the horticultural sanctuary.
“I think I have the greatest job out here,” says Holloway, who manages the front desk and plant shop at the entrance. “I don’t think from here, or from the drive in, that you get much of an idea of what you’re going to see once you go through … I get to see the before and after reactions.”
Upon entering, visitors encounter a landscape that, as Holloway says, transcends expectations. Combining their design expertise with this panoply of plants, Schrader and Smith have put their imaginations to work to curate a series of themed garden areas and attractions that are nothing short of magical. There’s a labyrinth crafted from native prairie grasses, a rustic tiki hut sheltering their prized orchid collection and lush tropicals, and a subterranean ruin constructed from salvaged materials. Within the covered stone grotto, surrounded by flourishing roses and hardy kiwi vines — the latter courtesy of Martha Stewart, who holds a place on the foundation’s advisory board — lies a mesmerizing dining area for private gatherings. Here, an elaborate chandelier crafted from crystals and deer bones illuminates a long wooden table and oversized teakwood chairs, creating an atmosphere that’s almost ritualistic in nature.
“The gardens are special because Bill and Dennis are worldly gardeners — they understand design, they know plants and they have traveled the world,” says Kerry Ann McLean, head gardener at Landcraft Garden. “Together and separately, they appreciate classic garden traditions; they’ve seen the wild places plants come from … With that much knowledge, curiosity and passion, they cannot help but challenge themselves in their own garden to see what they can do and create.”
Through estate planning, Smith and Schrader have pledged to give the entire property to Landcraft Garden Foundation over time, guaranteeing its continued accessibility to the public.
“I think one of the great rewards of opening the garden to the public is that everybody leaves with a smile on their face,” says Smith. “We established the foundation, the not-for-profit, with the goal that the garden will exist beyond us, because we realize we are mortal … It’s kind of bittersweet, because you know it’s going to change after we’re gone, but that’s the nature of gardening, really — to change.”
The Landcraft Garden Foundation, located at 4342 Grand Ave. in Mattituck, welcomes visitors every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 26. Admission rates are $20 for adults, $17 for students and seniors, $5 for children under 12 and free for members and children under 2 years old. For additional details, visit landcraftgardenfoundation.org.
