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A DRAMATIC SETTING AND SOME BROADWAY-LINKED CLIENTS GIVE A JAMES DOYLE-DESIGNED WESTCHESTER COUNTY GARDEN ITS MOMENT ON CENTER STAGE

Theatrical is the word James Doyle often chooses to describe the Waccabuc garden he designed with his team for a couple of Broadway-based clients. And sure enough—enter the stone gates, glide by the long, placid reflecting pool with a larger-than-life bronze, apparition-esque statue by Hanneke Beaumont seemingly walking on water—and show-stopping drama abounds.

Part thriller, part mystery, mainly melodrama, with lots of levity and a generous dose of romance sprinkled in, the landscape grips its audience on all levels. But this particular production is staged far from the theater district. James Doyle and Kathryn Herman at James Doyle Design Associates did more than just lay out a landscape that mesmerizes those who venture through the front gates—they wrote the script for a an engaging, exhilarating botanical saga. This Westchester garden has a grandeur, scope and repertoire far flung from the ordinary.

The ghostly statue sets the mood, but it's only the beginning of a series of surreal spaces that explore form, shape and symmetry. When guests slip through wisteria archways, weave through the obstacle course of geometrically sheared shrubs, brush by the billowing beds massed with carefully choreographed perennials and ornamental grasses, it's virtually impossible to remain detached. There is no casual observer in this landscape, where the world is, indeed, a stage and everyone within it becomes a character in an ever-evolving plot. From deftly orchestrated tapestry beds, herb gardens and vegetable parterres surrounding the French Normandy-style house, to the scrolling beech hedges, meadows and an amphitheater, the gap between reality and fantasy widens as one roams. It's a garden with intrigue and depth. You're driven to partake of the scenery at every juncture—it's suspenseful.

Every element—the flourishes, swooping lines and sharp edges—frames the distant rolling hills and glistening sunsets and are in symphony with their surroundings. For Doyle, the setting dictated the process. He took one glimpse at the views in situ, walked the space, talked with his new clients and envisioned the entire setting. Of course, it took seven years and a pair of incredibly trusting, tasteful and insightful homeowners to actualize his vision. In the end, though, he captured the dream with resounding success.

To create the garden, Doyle and his team considered the fact that the couple has a deep-rooted affection for nature, loves being outdoors and spends time entertaining friends and houseguests. So the grounds needed to be full service. They had to nurture the clients' desire for moments of repose, and they needed to provide the lush, riveting backdrop to animated seasonal badinage among friends. Secluded sitting, dining and reading areas weave together alongside sweeping promenades. Every texture is part of the frolic, and colors are highly suffused but never random. Volume and mass give each element a sharp profile. And every sprig is checked and balanced to carry its weight. Even the ornamental grasses are meticulously shaped to make their statement without upstaging other players. If this space is otherworldly, it is certainly carefully directed.

Throughout this landscape, there's an over-arching feeling of being suspended in quotation marks. That's the libretto of the landscape. From the flowering cherries flanking the ghostly bronze statue that seems to float above the canal at the entry drive, to the archways of vines and curvaceous hedging, to the modern, textural parenthesis-like columns of rubber tires (a creation by sculptor Chakaia Booker), one gets the impression that this landscape speaks its lines without the slightest stage fright.

Or, more accurately, the garden that Doyle envisioned—and executed—sings. It's a landscape with a lyrical quality. There are plenty of seating areas sprinkled throughout this stage, but they're only infrequently used. Because this garden, for all its drama and magnificence, always earns a standing ovation.