There are shapes, objects, and forms relating to each other. Stufano's gardening aesthetic, however, the art is always changing, never static. He is, in fact, a restless gardener, unafraid to remove a plant that no longer adds to the landscape or to plant a species that may take years to bloom. One day this spring Stufano pointed out a small, rare dogwood with variegated leaves growing on a slope overlooking the estate's main house, which now serves as a visitor center and the site for classes and family art programs. The dogwood had recently replaced a long-standing horse chestnut.
Gardeners often get too attached to their plants.
Daily change, even if it's barely noticeable, he believes, is the hallmark of a great garden. Even his greenhouses are continually in flux, with some of the potted plants inside them rearranged every day. A woman paints on the Great Lawn before a burgundy-leaved form of redbud, Forest Pansy. As he continued with his gardening advice, Stufano's words took on the force of metaphor. In the garden, people often avoid change because what they plant won't grow fast enough for them to enjoy it.