For our third annual Outdoor Living Awards, entries poured in from all over the country in the form of classical courtyards and shaded dining terraces, modern farm expanses and pretty poolside retreats—all of it evidence of just how central al fresco spaces have become in our everyday lives. Interior designer and passionate gardener Bunny Williams and ICAA president Peter Lyden returned to our judging panel once again, seeking out strength and utmost livability in garden design. From an agrarian haven in Connecticut to a discreet courtyard in Maine, here is a look at this year's winners—each a verdant lesson in the power of nature.
Chicest Poolside Lounge
Design by Historical Concepts and Marders
Ultimate Courtyard Oasis
Design by G. P. Schafer Architect and Mohr & Seredin Landscape Architects
Gold-Medal Garden Stroll
Design by James Doyle Design Associates
Sublime Agrarian Masterpiece
Design by Janice Parker Landscape Architect
Meet the Five Horticulturists Forging a New Path in Gardening
She is clearing gardens of toxic chemicals, one fearless initiative at a time. He has built a legacy in outdoor furniture that has helped shape an industry. Plus, a historian digging deep into the stories of Black American gardeners, Wethersfield's game-changing leader, and a topiary grower with a cult following. Crowned Veranda's first-ever Forces of Nature, these revolutionaries are shifting the landscapes around us for the better, with clear visions of the health, livability, and legacies of tomorrow's gardens. The key, they say—whether in shaping topiaries or documenting stories untold—is both a firm grasp of the horticultural world of yesterday and a clear view of the possibilities of tomorrow's garden.
The Judges
Bunny Williams
“The most important thing in a garden is that you feel at home. I’m most drawn to landscapes that relate to the house in an a really magical way,” says the interior designer, whose Connecticut garden was featured in the PBS documentary Bunny Williams: Not a House But a Home last summer.
Peter Lyden
“I was struck by how well these gardens followed the contours of the land—there’s such beauty in working with nature, not against it,” notes Lyden, president of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. To find out more about its Bunny Mellon landscape curricula for designers, students, and enthusiasts alike, click here.
Our Methodology
VERANDA editors chose the top 35 entries for blind judging by Williams and Lyden. For information and submission guidelines for the 2023 awards, see veranda.com/outdoor-living-awards-2023.
