Sitting on the estate's western terrace as the sun slowly sets, visitors are reminded more of the landscape of Brittany than the prairie of northeast Mississippi, the site of this spectacular 2,000-acre property. "The house was six years in the planning and building, and I've been here more than two years," says the owner, the matriarch of a large family whose business is media and communications. And, except for jaunts to Europe to stock an antiques store she owns with a partner in Birmingham and monthlong summer vacations with friends and relatives, "This is where I want to stay," she states without hesitation.
European influences--mainly French--are evident everywhere, from the picturesque "village" assemblage of structures that comprise the estate's architecture to the antique furnishings inside and the gardens outside. And with a constant breeze, it's clear how the estate's name, "Windy Hill," originated.
"The soil was terrible but the view was wonderful," the owner notes. "We removed a layer of chalky limestone 10 feet deep and replaced it with red clay, then topped it off with 18 inches of topsoil so I could have a garden."
Landscape architect René Fransen of New Orleans explains, "When we came into the project, the site had been cleaned and prepared for construction, the house had been designed, and its slab had been poured. Our challenge was to create garden spaces that would complement the French Normandy-inspired architecture and take advantage of the spectacular scale of the house and its site. Because of the owner's interest in gardening, we knew we needed to create the 'bones' of a great garden, and let the owner fill in the rest, over time."
The approach to the estate, an unlikely dirt-and-gravel road, goes almost two miles before the first suggestion of inhabitancy is glimpsed, a stone gate that signals the estate's entrance. Through the trees are glimpses of the picturesque roofline of the residence and various garden outbuildings, all constructed in creamy-white Texas Hill Country stone and topped in dark gray-blue slate. The quality and details of the stonework are evident in all structures, walls, and walks. Much of this work was created on-site by stone masons from Mexico who resided on the property during construction.
The landscape is divided into distinct garden rooms, each independent in function but connected by two central features: a changing but constant visual connection with the house, designed by architect Ken Tate, and the owner's interest in having separate zones for different garden activities.
On the southern face of the house is a recent addition to the wildflower garden, a gurgling water garden. Another beautiful aspect of the garden is the pool terrace, tucked into a lower level. Though 65 feet long, the pool is appropriately scaled for its surroundings but properly understated in its placement. This area, enclosed with plantings and walls, is at a lower level from adjacent areas so that summer activities for the owner's 14 grandchildren do not intrude into the calm that exists elsewhere.
The major features on the northern side of the house are the rose garden and a greenhouse. "I love my roses," the owner comments, "and I love the constant color they provide." There are old favorites here, antiques such as 'Souvenir de la Malmaison', 'Madame Alfred Carrière', and Lady Banks's rose, together with new varieties such as 'Queen Elizabeth', 'Voodoo', and 'New Dawn'. And from early spring through late summer, a parade of changing blossoms delights the eye and envelops the surroundings in fragrance.
Carefully enclosed in a fence between the rose garden and the house lies a secret garden for the owner's three cats. In their own private space, the cats roam freely inside and out through a custom-designed door. "They sit out here and watch the birds and butterflies," says the owner. "I have my garden, and they have theirs."
The highlight of the landscaping is the west-facing terrace that connects the house with the countryside. As in European garden precedents, there is a dramatic change of elevation between the front entrance and the rear lawn. A stone terrace that stretches more than 100 feet across the back portion of the structure allows spectacular views. The clipped lawn and a pair of perennial beds below the terrace mediate between the hard edges of the structure and the untamed landscape beyond. Here, Fransen placed a dozen 15-foot cedar rose towers, ablaze with rambling new and antique roses, including 'New Dawn', 'Duchesse de Brabant', and 'Cl. Cécile Brunner'.
This may not be the Mississippi landscape most people know; yet it is a landscape that is filled with horticultural interest and references to European precedents, created by a family matriarch with roots deeply planted in the regional community.
