This is the third program in the Great Homes and Gardens lecture series.

This dazzling portrait of a one-hundred-acre property and reconstructed stone farmhouse in the Maryland countryside reveals how its owners—without retaining a professional garden designer—developed connections to the land and environment through intuition, experiment, and deep-seated appreciation for both art and nature, an approach that any gardener can use, and every designer will appreciate.

Behind the expansive and inspiring Tashiding landscape lies an extraordinary story: Douglas Hamilton, a young man from an established family in northern Maryland, traveled to New Delhi in 1972 and fell in love with Tsognie Wangmo, the eldest child of the last king of Sikkim, shortly before the Himalayan royal kingdom was taken over by India. They married and, almost twenty-five years later, bought a crumbling stone farmhouse on a plot of land in the mid-Atlantic countryside, centering their enchanting garden around the renovated historic house. 

Stunning photographs take readers on an exquisite visual tour of the property, exploring its varied influences, including the family histories and cultures of its owners. The breathtaking images celebrate the beauty of the numerous gardens throughout the seasons.

Douglas and Norman will sign copies of Tashiding: Beyond Earth and Sky, The Gardens of Douglas & Tsognie Hamilton following the lecture.

Images courtesy of Douglas Hamilton and Norman Barker.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

5:30–6:30 p.m. | Explore Hillwood

• Enjoy Hillwood’s mansion, gardens, and greenhouse.
• Find the perfect memento from your visit at the museum shop.
• Members receive an extra 10% off regularly priced merchandise when they attend in person on the day of the event. This offer does not extend to online or telephone purchases.

6:00–6:30 p.m. | Members-only wine and cheese reception. Join today!

6:30–7:30 p.m. | Lecture 

7:30 p.m. | Book signing. Tashiding: Beyond Earth and Sky, The Gardens of Douglas & Tsognie Hamilton is available in the museum shop.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Douglas Hamilton Jr., a self-taught gardener, credits his lifelong curiosity about the natural world, horticulture, travel, and Asian aesthetics as inspirations for the gardens he and his wife, Tsognie, developed at Tashiding. Douglas serves as board chair of Hamilton Associates and related entities, a family of entrepreneurial companies where he served as CEO for thir¬ty-seven years. A former board chair and president of Baltimore’s renowned Walters Art Museum, Douglas has also served on the board of the Bhutan Foundation as well as those of the McDonogh School and the Valleys Planning Council. Douglas and Tsognie have two sons, Douglas III and Palden, and three granddaughters, Charlotte, Alice, and Tara.

Norman Barker is a Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Art as Applied to Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Norman is an award-winning science photographer, writer, and designer. His work appears in textbooks, journals, and museums worldwide. His photographs are in the permanent col¬lections of more than forty museums, including the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the George Eastman Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Science Museum in London. He is an Accredited Senior Imaging Scientist and a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in Great Britain and the Biocommunications Association.
 

ABOUT THE GREAT HOMES AND GARDENS LECTURE SERIES 

Escape February’s dreariness and immerse yourself in the stories of extraordinary homes, lush gardens, and the people who brought them to life in this four-part lecture series.