Clio | Diana | Euterpe | Carla | East | Butterfly | White | Topiary

Miss Hogg conceived of the East Garden as an outdoor room that extended the east facade of the house into the landscape. A long hedge shields the garden from the entry drive and the woodlands beyond. The focal point of the garden--a raised terrace with a small octagonal pool--is framed by a semicircular hedge and a wrought iron fence. The fence incorporates a lyre motif, a classical detail that symbolizes Miss Hogg's love of music.

The azaleas and camellias seen here were among the first to be introduced into Houston. Banks of azaleas are arranged in rows in front of the hedge walls, their colors moving from pale to deep pink. Duchesse de Caze pink camellias, an ancient and now rare variety acquired from Avery Island in Louisiana, are planted on the outside of the hedges. Look for flowering pansies in January through April, camellias in February and March, and azaleas in March and April.

In 1968 the long narrow beds in the center of the garden were changed from flowering annuals to Japanese boxwoods, which are clipped in a scroll design that mimics the wrought iron panels on the adjacent East Terrace. While she lived at Bayou Bend, Miss Hogg decorated the covered terrace with pots and hanging baskets, further integrating house and garden.

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