“For anyone curious to learn more about this incredible hidden gem, a forthcoming book, Tashiding, Beyond Earth and Sky: The Gardens of Douglas & Tsognie Hamilton, features hundreds of luscious, full color photographs by Norm Barker, a locally based artist and recently retired emeritus professor from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Over the course of several years, Barker’s patient eye roved across the landscape, capturing it from every possible angle, season, time of day, and weather condition.
In addition to Barker’s luminous snapshots and a foreword by Hillwood Museum Director and avid gardener Kate Markert, the book weaves historic family photos with an interlocking narrative of the deep roots and layers that have converged to build Tashiding as a home, place of respite, source of international camaraderie, and inspired landscape.
Not only does it chronicle in great detail a garden that intentionally combines native plants with those of the Far East, it features architectural details, outdoor sculpture, elegant outbuildings, and details from a life that prioritizes art, family, and hospitality. For many years, Hamilton served as Board President at The Walters Art Museum and his dedication to all kinds of collections is playful and serious–a reflection of a life full of curiosity, travel, and culture.”
— Cara Ober
Editor-in -Chief / Publisher BmoreArt Magazine, Issue 19, Hidden Gems, Spring 2025
“THIS VOLUME IS VERY DIFFERENT from many other garden books. Although it has beautiful photographs of a magnificent estate, it is unusual insofar as the narrative accompanying the images tells a multifaceted history far beyond a description of an idyllic site and its creation. There is no professional landscape architect representing the approach to the terrain. Instead, this is truly a love story, or perhaps many love stories: a storybook romance, a profound connection with the natural world, and deep bonds with places and families. All these strands are woven through this captivating narrative.
You know right from the start that this is not your typical American garden: it’s called Tashiding. Named in honor of the most important monastery in the historic Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim, Tashiding means “a very auspicious place.” The reasons for its name and its unique blending of East and West, Asian sensibilities and Maryland countryside, are revealed through many sides of the story chronicled here. This book embraces this garden’s complicated past and tells the tale of several generations of two families, stories of love and perseverance. In this recounting, there are many layers of history, international political intrigue, and romance, all of which contribute to the richness of the result: a beautiful, one hundred–acre estate in northern Baltimore County that has a bucolic yet distinctly Eastern sensibility. It is a garden like no other.”
— Kate Markert
Executive Director, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington DC
