Ina Garten Just Gave Everyone a Special Tour of Her Secret Garden in the Hamptons

Most of Ina Garten’s stunning backyard and landscaping are familiar to her fans. Her East Hampton home makes frequent appearances in her Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and on her television show, where the outdoor areas serves as the setting for her famous garden parties. But this week on Instagram, she gave followers a chance to really explore the details of what’s growing in the famous garden and how it looks up-close. 

“It’s a beautiful day in East Hampton and I thought it would be really fun to take a tour of the garden,” Ina says. “So come with me,” she continues, leading the camera down a gravel path lined with ferns. That, she explains, is the shade garden — the crape myrtles are responsible for the eponymous shade and they “give a little structure to it.” Then the path switches to big square paving stones that lead to a vine-covered arched doorway. This, she says, is the door to her secret garden.

The walled garden is where she grows tomatoes, lavender (she loves the smell of it), and “lots of fresh herbs that I use in cooking,” including sage, chives, thyme, and tarragon. She also grows flowers there, and shows off her white roses. Then she brings the camera over to one of her two fig trees, showing off the little buds of fruit starting to grow. “I use the leaves for platters, and the figs are just delicious,” she says. 

Then, always helpful, she offers a little advice to anyone admiring her outdoor space. “Even if you don’t have room for a garden, you can always put pots of herbs on the window sill, like basil and tarragon, and have delicious herbs for your cooking.”

What’s your favorite part of Ina’s garden tour?