One of the places I like to shop, Marianis
Since people like to know where I shop, I thought I'd give you a little tour of Mariani Gardens, located in Armonk, New York, Mark Mariani, the owner, has been working with gardens and landscape his entire life and this fantastic nursery certainly reflects his knowledge and understanding of nature. Mark has an impressive collection of rare and unusual trees and shrubs, annuals, perennials, pottery, and décor for both garden and home. I love strolling through the grounds, the greenhouse, and the showroom to see Mark's latest finds. There's even a wonderful little café to stop for a bite of something yummy or to sit and sip a cappuccino.
1 Here's the entrance to the Mariani Gardens parking lot.
2 The main door is nicely decorated for autumn.
3 Mariani has an interesting selection of garden sculpture.
4 And very interesting wooden furniture
5 Another nice bench
6 This is Garret Negri - Garden Décor Manager - and Erika Petrilak - Home Décor Manager
7 Mariani offers an impressive selection of aged clay pots, unique ceramic vessels, and flower boxes.
8 These containers are nice to look at even when empty.
9 Great garden supplies
10 A collection of wonderful Botanical Interests Seeds
11 The outdoor courtyard has an interesting array of specimens.
12 Another view
13 Beautiful boxwood
14 All shapes and sizes
15 A bright autumnal display leading into the greenhouse
16 A wonderful collection of annuals, perennials, and tropicals
17 A flowering dracena surrounded with staghorn ferns
18 Lovely begonias displayed with the unmistakable pots of.....
19 Ben Wolff! benwolffpottery.com
20 There are also Guy Wolff pots guywolff.com - Ben's dad.
21 The very attractive leaves of the croton plant - a tropical
22 The amazing bloom of a bromeliad - another tropical
23 A really great table
24 Contemporary furnishings in the showroom
25 A photographic mural
26 Another display
27 A tiled wall with cascading water
28 All sorts of bowls, trays, and frames
29 This distinctive floor lamp is constructed out of pieces of driftwood.
30 This wonderful buttress is the wood of a tropical tree.
31 A dining room display
32 And another
33 And more curios
34 In the back corner of Mariani's is a very nice florist shop - here are stalks of amaryllis, cala liles, and protea pincushion flowers.
35 Many, many colorful blooms
36 This tassel flower is called love-lies-bleeding - it's terrific in arrangements.
37 Ania Szurawski - floral designer - busy at work
38 Adjacent to the show room is the Mariani Cafe, which serves delicious food made from local ingredients.
39 A nicely composed salad
40 A fresh fruit and vegetable juice bar
41 Crepes being made on a crepe griddle - they're filled in a variety of ways.
Photos By Eliad Laskin
Wow Martha!! I could spend all day in a place like that. I especially like the dining room displays and the cafe looks neat too. Have a Happy Autumn.
Posted by: Theresa G. | September 22nd, 2009 at 1:33 am
Wow....a real City Secret in New York. I´m very fascinated about those gardens an the wonderful pictures! Very nice!!!
Posted by: Emily | September 22nd, 2009 at 5:05 am
Mariani Gardens looks like a gardener's slice of heaven! Wish I were close by to go visit. Perhaps it has a website; I'll take a look.
Posted by: Lynn from For Love or Funny | September 22nd, 2009 at 6:22 am
Fabulous photo tour--thanks Martha. One could spend the whole day--especially if you stop in the cafe for a lunch break--yummy!
Posted by: Cathybytheriver | September 22nd, 2009 at 8:04 am
Absolutely gorgeous! I love this time of year and cannot wait to go on some photo outings. Happy autumnal equinox!
Posted by: Kari | September 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 am
Dear Martha: saw you on the Grand Tier level at the Met opera gala last night. You too looked glamourous. But alas a paparazzo was in the way and I coulnd't get close to get a phot with you to post on my web page! However I did get a photo with you at the gala last year.
Posted by: Ricky | September 22nd, 2009 at 11:29 am
Now that is an upscale nursery!
Posted by: Alyzabeth | September 22nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Thanks for the photo, and for the add. I caught the show today home sick with a allergy or something. I'm glad you're doing well, and shopping. MSLO Love the Blog.
Posted by: kristin svens | September 22nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
The Gardens are around the corner from our Greenwich home and the Cafe is a wonderful place to eat.
Posted by: Amanda | September 22nd, 2009 at 12:50 pm
WOW, what a lovely mix of indoor and outdoor gems! The pots especially: what an amazing selection. I think the containers can be just as important as the plant.
Posted by: Sue, The Home-Aholic | September 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Hi Martha! I'm so glad you featured Marianis. I absolutely love eating lunch there!
Posted by: Eva Ryan | September 22nd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
You should also try the new Wine Geeks Armonk, opened by Derek and Carol Todd of Casellula and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. With some lovely art by Allen Stafford.
Posted by: Daniel | September 22nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Hi Martha,
I just wish we had a nursery like Mariani Gardens in my neck of the woods! Their displays are so attractive and I love the courtyards. I just know I would go crazy in there with all there is to see and buy. I especially like the mural in photo #25 - I miss autumn leaves so much. Thanks for showing us so many great places to visit. Trish
Posted by: Trish | September 22nd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Oh my, how lucky you are! One could probably spend several days in such a wonderful place as Mariani Gardens. Thank you for sharing such a treasure!!
Posted by: Cathy | September 22nd, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Wait! There's something wrong in the first photo! Frannie and Sharkey are missing! (Fellow-readers, go to today's 'TheDailyWag' blog...you'll see what I'm talking about... [giggle] )
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Seriously...what a place Mariani's is! I said while viewing the first couple photos 'I like it I like it!' Gee whiz - talk about one-stop-shopping! I LOVE the availability of the garden supplies on the shelves (soils, fertilizers, etc). Of course, there's the plants - the nursery portion of the business... The home decorating vignettes of room displays are really neat, and I think EVERYONE loves to sit down if they have time and partake of a tasty well-made sweet treat along with a good cup of coffee!
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Wow! Mariani's has GOT to be one of a kind! I really enjoyed my visit!
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"The kiss of sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, One is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth."--Dorothy Gurney
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | September 22nd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Please join our effort to get Martha Stewart back on local stations in many markets that have completely dropped The Martha Stewart Show - twitter.com/MarthaStewartTV, thanks!
Posted by: MSTV Twitter | September 22nd, 2009 at 6:13 pm
What an absolutely beautiful place! It is gorgeously merchandised and looks like such a pleasure to explore. I hope to visit one day!
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | September 22nd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
This is one incredible garden shop! Hope you bought something very special.
Posted by: sherey | September 22nd, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Hi Martha, I just love the beautiful places you visit to shop, dine, hike, etc. You are so kind to share all of these fantastic places and events with us. You just make my day everyday and I certainly appreciate all that you do. These photos were excellent and I just love seeing more of Ben and Guy Wolff's wonderful pottery again. The Mariani Gardens are absolutely stunning. Loved your show again today. It was so great to see Alexis on your show again. She looked so cute today and looks more and more like you as time goes by. Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | September 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
I've been hearing GREAT things about Mariani Gardens for quite some time and this article really does justice to their reputation.
That said, I want the world to know that the talents of my friend Tony F. Hawkins, the store's home decor stylist deserves a special mention.
The merchandise looks gorgeous and Tony's work inspires visitors to visualize everything for use in their own home.
Keep an eye out for Tony's interior design work. The firm name is Fitz Interior Designs, LLC. Look him up!
Posted by: Alan Tanksley | September 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm