Crape Myrtles
Fact: Most trees bloom in the spring. Another fact: Most second (or third or fourth or, frankly, fifth) homeowners aren’t in the Hamptons until Memorial Day. So what’s a Hamptonite to do?
Enter the crape myrtle. According to Linda Silich, landscape designer and one of the founders Groundworks Landscaping in East Hampton, the tree is becoming “ubiquitous in the Hamptons due to being one of the few trees that blooms in the summer that comes in white, pink, purple, and beautiful bark.” Trending in particular? The single-stem crape myrtle, which gives a more streamlined and elegant outdoor look. Even better than one crape myrtle are multiple. “They look really great to create a tunnel,” says Silich.
How much does a crape myrtle cost? As with every plant, it depends on size and type. A medium-size tree (let’s say 14 feet) is around $800, although the one linked here isn’t a single stem. Prices for those are more in the $1,000 to $1,500 range (and that’s if you want to do the planting yourself—avoiding the planting fees often charged by architects and designers). Yet Hamptons nurseries can stock crape myrtles that stretch way beyond those heights—a full-grown tree can reach 40 feet. Or more: Last summer, Marders in Bridgehampton had a 65-foot crape myrtle for $95,000.
These Specific Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas have long been the It flower of an East Coast summer. But not all hydrangeas are created equal! One variety, Endless Summer, is the classic white T-shirt of hydrangeas, if you will. But the new kid on the Further Lane block, according to Silich, is a variety called Let’s Dance—its mophead is bigger and its petals brighter, and it blooms for three to four months while holding its size.
Then there’s Ruby Slippers. “Maybe I don’t even want to tell you that because I don’t want everybody else to take it,” Hammond says. “But it starts out white and cute. Then it turns this deep rose color and stays on all summer until the fall—when the leaves turn this burgundy color.”
Getty Images; Illustrator Christian Zelaya
Hornbeam Hedges
The most common hedge out in the Hamptons traditionally has been privet, the waxy green shrub long called “a living fence” that’s relatively easy to grow in any type of soil. But the problem with privet? In the winter, it loses its leaves—exposing the houses behind it. More and more landscape designers are finding that their privacy-focused clientele will pay more for varietals that keep their leaves even during the colder months. (They also cite the pandemic, when many of their clients spent several months across multiple seasons in their Hamptons homes, as a turning point.) So that’s led to an uptick in the evergreen Osmanthus hedge.
