Lance Avery Morgan
In Her New Book, “Flowering Outdoors,” The Philosophy Celebrates Chic Outdoor Rooms That Balance Structure, Style & Soulful Beauty
Photography courtesy of Margot Shaw and Rizzoli USA
Margot Shaw doesn’t see the garden as an accessory. She sees it as a destination. In Flowering Outdoors, her newest book from Rizzoli USA that debuts February 17th, Shaw makes a persuasive, lyrical case for treating exterior spaces with the same care, intention, and emotional weight we give our interiors. The result is not a how-to manual, but a philosophy, one rooted in beauty, individuality, and the quiet power of living well outside, as Curated Texan’s Lance Avery Morgan learned as he caught up with the green-driven dynamo.
“It’s my fond wish that readers will see and appreciate outdoor spaces truly as an extension of their interiors,” Shaw explains. “That in creating an exterior plan, they consider the life al fresco as significant and salutary as life indoors.” For design and gardening dynamo Margot Shaw, the garden isn’t an afterthought or a seasonal bonus. It’s another room, one where daily life, celebration, and reflection naturally unfold.
Central to that idea is Shaw’s concept of outdoor “rooms.” Just like inside the house, these spaces rely on scale, proportion, and a sense of order, but never at the expense of personality. “I believe there is beauty in symmetry,” she says, noting that architectural principles translate beautifully outdoors. “That said, it’s equally important to give voice to individual styles.” A lover of woodland gardens or wild grasses doesn’t have to abandon structure altogether. “There can still be order in the midst of drifts of ferns or a sea of wild grasses,” she adds.
Few elements establish that order more effectively than containers, which Shaw treats as both architectural anchors and expressive accents. “Containers are an immediate impact item whose effect can be heightened by repetition,” she notes, pointing to Michael Devine’s now-iconic line of blue-and-white temple jars in his Orange, Virginia garden. Their rhythmic placement lends structure and contrast to an otherwise informal landscape, proof that containers can quietly choreograph how a garden is experienced.
When choosing containers, Shaw suggests starting not with rules, but with observation. “I think it’s helpful to walk through the garden and decide where you want your eye to linger,” she enthuses. That pause might call for “a pedestal and urn or sculpture in the opening to punctuate and draw the eye,” or something as modest as “a simple row of terra cotta pots with white geraniums to establish visual interest on some humdrum steps.” Material and durability matter, especially in extreme climates, and proportion is key. “We want to see the container (and its contents), but not let the space be overwhelmed by it.” Still, she’s quick to underline that these are preferences, not mandates. “These are not rules, they’re my tips. Someone may really want a container to consume the vignette. So, the real rule is pick what pleases you.”
That same respect for personal taste carries over into Shaw’s approach to outdoor entertaining, where flowers do far more than decorate a table. “If you adore roses and gather bowls full for a tabletop, then you will like your scheme and be sharing your personal style,” she says. Flowers become emotional shorthand, communicating who you are without a word. For those craving visual drama, repetition can elevate the entire setting. And cutting directly from the garden? That’s nonnegotiable in Shaw’s book. “Cutting from your garden to dress the party is a clever and cost-effective move and marries the gathering even more to the garden.”
Simplicity, another Shaw signature, is often misunderstood, especially at the highest levels of design. “Simple can mean liqueur bottles each with a single bloom dotted around the table,” she says, referencing Sharon Santoni’s effortless Normandy entertaining, “or it can mean stopping at a nursery to pick up an interesting potted plant that plops into a faux bois cachepot.” Outdoor entertaining, she notes, naturally leans toward the informal. “Garden parties lend themselves to more natural, organic arrangements and containers,” even when the occasion itself is special.
Seasonality also plays a starring role in Flowering Outdoors, particularly in places like Texas, where traditional gardening rules are more suggestions than law. Shaw urges readers to begin with what’s already growing nearby. “It’s really fun and fabulous to have peonies in the dead of winter,” she admits, “but my taste runs to quince branches in February in Alabama or Lenten Roses in julep cups, things I can harvest from our wild and woolly property.” For Texas, she points to plants like Cedar Sage, Winter Honeysuckle, Winter Daphne, and Lenten Roses, while also advocating for evergreen branches long after the holidays. “They’re natural and graceful, for the most part, and are quick to make a statement.”
Photography, of course, is essential to communicating all of this, but Shaw insists authenticity comes first. “Our subject matter is intrinsically inspirational,” she says, noting that each contributor brings a highly defined point of view. “The subjects themselves are all very much ‘who they are,’ which made our photo shoots and image picks organic.”
Years of editing FLOWER magazine have given Shaw a global perspective, yet her affection for Texas is deeply personal. “Having lived in Dallas, attended UT Austin for interior design, and having logged lots of time in Houston, I am seriously pro-Texas,” she says. That enthusiasm shows up in stories highlighting Cathy Kincaid, Cassie LaMere’s unforgettable Round Top glamping extravaganza, and Denise McGaha’s Decatur ranch. “We really go where the pretty is,” Shaw says, “and Texas has plenty of it.”
The book concludes with a primer on garden architecture, furniture, and living sculpture, a section Shaw included with intention. “I have a yen for people to be empowered and inspired to live surrounded by flowers and garden beauty,” she explains. By familiarizing readers with these elements, she hopes they’ll feel confident experimenting outdoors. After all, “it’s much easier to rip out and replace a failing flower bed than a sofa we’ve realized doesn’t suit.”
That flexibility, she believes, makes outdoor spaces the perfect place to be bold. And if Flowering Outdoors had a single guiding philosophy, Shaw captures it simply and poetically: “Flowering outdoors is a way to add your brushstroke to an already perfect painting.” We love that Margot Shaw is making the world a greener and more beautiful place to be.
