Garden Dialogues 2026: Orient, NY
The exact address is only shared with ticket purchasers for reasons of privacy. Please reach out to lily@tclf.org if you have any questions.
In a sea of estates on Long Island’s North Fork hamlet that boast pools, tennis courts, and formal courtyards, Historic Orient stands out. Built around a restored nineteenth-century sea captain’s house, Marshall Paetzel Landscape Architecture challenged the status quo of typical summer retreats for New Yorkers with an elegant and refined design solution that effortlessly harmonizes the landscape with the surrounding rural area, truly creating a gardener’s paradise.
In this exclusive tour led by Stacy and Jonathan Paetzel, explore this charming homestead and learn how they brought order and vision to this sprawling 2.5-acre, historic property when they took on the project in 2020.
Born and raised in rural Virginia, Stacy Paetzel was inspired by the agrarian landscape—the opposite of bustling New York, where her firm and her husband’s is now based. Instead of reflecting the city in landscapes of Long Island’s summer homes, Paetzel seeks to find balance between the urban and the agrarian, allowing the humanmade and the natural to harmoniously coexist.
At Historic Orient, the Paetzel’s aesthetic influence shines. Understanding their clients’ desire for a respite for gardening and communing with nature, the designers created a landscape for the estate that was simple and elegant: they minimized human intervention within the existing landscape. The main house is bordered by a dry-laid, English stone wall; towering hawthorn trees; and a formal lawn. Sprawling native grasses were planted across the property to gradually form connections to rehabilitated outbuildings.
Both trained architects, the clients sought the Paetzels’ vision and guidance on how to incorporate these outbuildings, scattered across the landscape at opposing angles, into the landscape design. The footprints of two of the structures that no longer stand were repurposed as outdoor garden rooms, including a bountiful vegetable garden, an intimate dining space, and a cutting garden edged with reclaimed cobblestone.
Homage to the clients’ heritage and family history is woven throughout the property, such as the ancient highbush blueberry grove that is reminiscent of a grandmother’s Maryland roots. A monogrammed threshold stone—reclaimed from a former family estate in Pennsylvania—was inserted into the cobblestone walkway that leads to the home’s main entrance.
Marshall Paetzel’s work at Historic Orient is ongoing: upcoming projects include the conversion of some of the property’s plantings to regional, native species. The Paetzels’ continued commitment to the property is a testament to how this landscape’s story is far from over. Their passion for this project has also resulted in a close friendship with the clients, one built on great trust, demonstrating a level of dedication that goes beyond the landscape.
1.5 LA CES™ professional development hours will be available to attendees, pending approval.
Refund Policy - No refunds will be made for Garden Dialogues
