Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood, owners of Garden Angels

With more than 15 years of experience in creating stunning residential and commercial landscaping, Garden Angels in Water Mill combines expertise in horticulture with an eco-conscious philosophy. Garden designers and owners Vladimir Orlovsky and Blake Wood tell KDHamptons, “We have a very hands-on approach, and the gardens we create are fun, fresh, and always full of gorgeous flowers and plants.” Vladimir and Blake share spring planting trends, tips, and dream concepts in this NEW KDHamptons Garden Diary, below:

KDHamptons: How would you describe the Garden Angels philosophy?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: We create fabulous gardens that are designed to capture the unique aesthetic of each specific client. We work very closely with our clients, and handle all aspects of design, installation and maintenance ourselves.

KDHamptons: Which kind of Hamptons client is right for your company and garden design style?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: Our clients are like family to us, so we are very choosy when selecting who we work with. They must love plants and appreciate beautiful things. The nature of our design process makes it essential for us to get close with the client, so we must feel a connection with them. We don’t do the one size fits all “Hamptons Garden” that is prevalent on the East End, so our design styles are really dictated by the client and the specific site. Generally, our clients are people who seek something unique and different. Oh and they must love Freddie, our Norfolk Terrier. He goes everywhere with us and keeps watch over every property.

Freddie!

KDHamptons: Please describe a Garden Angels project you are you most proud of?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: It is hard to narrow it down to just one but we are extremely proud of the progress we have been making on one particular estate in Southampton. The property was acres of brambles, vines, dead trees and garbage when the current owners purchased it. We have been cleaning, clearing, re-foresting and planting area by area for the past several years. This project is really a labor of love for us and the owners have given us free reign to create something cool.

We have used native and ornamental plants, trees and shrubs, to create woodland paths and meadows that support a large variety of wildlife. This year, we are creating a new fragrant cutting garden at the property, which will line a path to an existing pergola. Our goal is to give these clients many usable areas throughout the property and magical little spots for their daughter to play in and let her imagination to run wild.

KDHamptons: What has been the most over the top request at one of your properties?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: Well, “over the top” on the East End is totally relative! Currently, we are working on installing a hedge created from 35 foot tall columnar trees to block a new construction that is being built across the street from one of our clients. It is understandable that you wouldn’t want a neighbor to be peering into your pool, but using narrow specimen trees to do this is a little over the top due to sheer number you need to give you complete privacy. It might sound jaded, but we do become accustomed to requests here that might seem a bit extreme elsewhere.

Long House Reserve

KDHamptons: Who do you think has the most stunning garden in the Hamptons?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: There are a lot of stunning private gardens in the Hamptons and the best way to see some of them is by participating in garden tours organized by several of the local horticultural groups and museums. If we had to choose one must-see garden in the Hamptons, it would be Jack Lenor Larsen’s Long House Reserve in East Hampton. The grounds at Long House are impeccably maintained, the use of sculpture in the garden is spectacular and it is open to the public. If you need inspiration for your own garden, Long House is definitely the place to find it.

KDHamptons: What should Hamptons gardeners be focused on in April?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: April is the time to cleanup leftover leaves and winter debris from your property. It is time to put fertilizer and compost under everything. Your trees and shrubs will also benefit greatly if you spread a nice layer of mulch under them after they have been fertilized, this will also give your property a fresh look for the spring. If you have a vegetable garden, now is the time to plant cool weather crops like lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, etc. April is also the time to start enjoying all the spring bulbs and flowering shrubs that are FINALLY starting to bloom!

KDHamptons: What do you think is the most overdone landscaping concept in the Hamptons?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: The most overdone landscape concept in the Hamptons that really irritates us is what we refer to as the suburban oasis. These gardens seem totally out of place with their surroundings and they feel really fake. They are just too over-designed, too ornamental and nothing feels natural about them. Look around you; we are in the Hamptons, not the suburbs.

Also, you see a lot of new homes being landscaped with hedges of baby evergreens planted on top of each other, not giving anything space to grow in. Or you see a young tree that will one day be huge, getting planted right on the side of a house. Yes they might look cute now but just wait a few years and see how they mature. Unfortunately, concern for how a property will look years down the road is not something that all landscape companies prioritize.

KDHamptons: Do you have a “darling” concept that you love to execute in the Hamptons?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: An amazing concept that we really love is recreating a meadow using only native wildflowers and grasses. This works especially well with a contemporary home or even a traditional farm house. Until recently, using native wildflowers was not often considered, unless of course someone had to re-vegetate an over-cleared property. For us, it feels as if landscape design ideas have almost come full circle again and replanting what was once here now feels new.

KDHamptons: What do you love most about living in the Hamptons?
Vladimir Orlovsky & Blake Wood: What we love most about living in the Hamptons is how accessible everything is. The beach, nature preserves, farmland, vineyards, dining, shopping, art, theatre, you name it, it is all here. We literally walk into our backyard and pick fresh berries to make jam with and that is just amazing to us. We are totally blessed to live and work in the Hamptons and not a day goes by that we don’t realize this. Plus, we are close to New York and can run back for a fix whenever we freak out about not living there anymore.

** For more information go to: www.gardenangelsny.com, or contact Vlad & Blake today at gardenangelsny@aol.com

VLADIMIR ORLOVSKY 917.885.4636

BLAKE WOOD 917.364.8387

210 HEAD OF POND ROAD, WATER MILL, NY 11976