by Douglas Hamilton Jr., Photography by Norman Barker
ORO Editions, 2025
"Tashiding" loosely translates to "a very auspicious place". This garden was named in honor of a monastery in the historic Himalayan kingdom of Sikkin, which was once home to Tsognie Hamilton. Tsognie met her husband Douglas in the early 1970s when he was there on a hiking trip. They married in 1974 and settled back in Douglas's family home, in the countryside near Baltimore. In 1998, they purchased a nearby property which included a farmhouse and a pond.
The house and the property were in neglect, and the couple began extensive renovations, first by getting the house rebuilt. The property then had to be cleared of weeds and brambles, and thousands of new trees were planted. Years of development followed, which included expanding the pond, establishing streams and water features and bringing in tons of stone.
Today, the garden is a "unique blend of East and West". It features stunning stone work and water features as well as a tea house, an aviary, courtyard garden and a rose and peony garden.
This is a sumptuous book that details the making of the garden as well as the histories of both Douglas and Tsognie's families. Today the garden is often open for garden groups, tours, and home to the Bhutanese Archery Festival, which Douglas and Tsognie helped organize.
The highlight of the book is by far the photography, some of the best I've ever seen produced in a book this size (the book measures 13"x10"). The photographer, Norman Barker, spent years photographing every aspect of this extensive garden.
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