You’ve probably heard that old agricultural chestnut: What grows together, goes together. At Landcraft Garden Foundation (4342 Grand Ave., Mattituck, 631-298-7216), founders Dennis Schrader and Bill Smith believe art factors into that sprung-from-the-earth notion, too.
Landcraft’s Sculpture in the Garden program began in 2021 when Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone approached the foundation with an idea: Why not add actual art into the art of landscape design?
The three were already acquainted: Schrader, Smith and Rondinone met through a mutual friend and worked together when Schrader was enlisted to design the garden at Rondinone’s Mattituck residence. And for the past five years, their Landcraft collaboration has proved to be a creative wellspring.
Each year, the Foundation’s volunteer art committee selects an artist whose work is shown in the garden for the season. So far, they’ve featured minimalist sculptor Ned Smyth, who lives and works on Shelter Island; married couple Sam Moyer and Eddie Martinez, American artists who contributed 14 works between them; Tennessee-born Virginia Overton, who works with repurposed materials associated with factories, farms and construction; Cuban artist Jorge Pardo, who contributed vibrantly colored familiar objects transformed into artwork; and Sara Sze, whose intricate installations were suspended within the garden spaces.
“Having a world-class artist such as Ugo as curator has allowed us to bring globally acclaimed artists to the North Fork,” Schrader remarks.
Landcraft Environments began in 1982 when Schrader, a horticulturalist and garden designer, and Smith, an interior and garden designer with a specialty in environmental design, started the design firm in Baldwin, Nassau County. Ten years later, after spending time on the North Fork, they moved the operation to Mattituck, starting a wholesale nursery business that specializes in rare and unusual annual and tropical plants.
The Foundation, born in 2020, is simultaneously dedicated to the preservation of the East End’s natural environment and using it as a way to inspire, educate and foster a love for gardening, horticulture, design and the arts.
Indeed, the magical Mattituck garden has much to offer all who visit. Comprised of a diverse array of plants meant to inspire experimentation with various horticultural techniques, plant diversity, breeding and design, the Foundation has consciously aimed to provide a peaceful, stabilizing site that’s accessible to the public. Adding sculpture to the mix was a natural outgrowth of Schrader and Smith’s mission.
The Landcraft Garden Foundation and greenhouse business site on Grand Avenue in Mattituck is 17 acres total. That figure includes about four acres of cultivated gardens and sculpture and close to 10 acres of rehabilitated native habitat, all of which is open to the public when the garden is open. Schrader and Smith also maintain a private residence on the property, where they live in an 1840s farmhouse that was renovated in 2017.
Sculpture isn’t the only form of art represented at Landcraft. “The arts and wellness programs add an additional dimension to the garden,” says Schrader. “[They] have reinforced the concept that gardening is a form of artistic expression.” The Foundation also has a Poetry in the Garden series with hosted readings and a Wellness in the Garden program featuring yoga classes.
Landcraft often hosts other nonprofit groups, too, such as Pilobolus Dance Company and Rites of Spring Music Festival, as well as lectures by well-known garden designers like Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter House and Gardens in the U.K., wildlife rehabilitators and floral designers.
They’re now in the process of converting a production greenhouse into a conservatory, ensuring the option of a dedicated indoor events space. It’s estimated to be completed by 2027. Be on the lookout for workshops for adults and children on various topics, like puppetry, photography, birding and plant propagation, offered throughout the season.
Landcraft Garden Foundation is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from May 1 to Oct. 31. Guided tours are held at 10:30 a.m. both days, with larger group tours and some workshops and events held mid-week. To learn more, visit landcraftgardenfoundation.org.
