Robert Dash built Madoo, a two-acre garden in Sagaponack, New York, by treating the environment like a canvas. The late artist and gardener spent over four decades transforming a flat plot of land into a lush oasis. He used a Gesamtkunstwerk approach, which means a total work of art where every single element, from the plants to the structures, contributes to a unified whole. Dash applied this philosophy to a space defined by salt-laden winds.
A Haphazard Vision
Dash organized the environment not into traditional rooms but into bewildering moments that bleed into one another. He thought of these spaces as individual exhibitions within a larger gallery. The plant palette features heavy doses of astilbe, euonymus, and hydrangea. While these choices might seem stodgy to a modern eye, the specific methodology Dash used to assemble and care for them reveals his artistic vision. At the entrance, Paulownia tomentosa trees are cut to the ground annually to encourage juvenile shoots with elephantine leaves.
Deeper in the garden, a stand of fastigiate ginkgos is closely planted and pruned to create a sequence of sculptural columns. These are underplanted with clipped box balls. Graphic paths in unusual materials criss-cross the space, highlighting the horticultural inventiveness of the site. The features bounce off hues found inside the artist’s two prismatic living quarters on the property.
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It might seem surprising that a garden billing itself as distinctly American contains a shocking amount of European influence. The book details Dash’s friendship with and reverence for British garden grande dame Rosemary Verey. Elements like a Pompeiian-style terrace and Persian rill are not simple copies but reimaginings. Dash treated the garden as a place to experiment, similar to how he approached his paintings.
Painted Structures
The most direct link between Dash’s artistic practice and the garden is found in its physical structures. Arbours, fences, chairs, a cadre of benches set on rolling wheels, and a central gazebo are painted in lively shades of mauve, citron, and azure. These colors mirror the paint-by-numbers feel of his artworks. This creates a visual harmony that makes the house and garden bleed together.
