Mary DuLude, Author at PaolaPrints

Holding Onto Green

August 24, 2022

Impossibly, today is a little cooler following a long dry summer here in Connecticut. It’s nice to not be constantly worrying about the last time I watered my garden residents. And it’s wonderful to look out and see the dark soil, nicely saturated. Mother Nature does such a better job than I. This is the first year that almost all the hostas, day lilies and phlox were chewed away pre -bloom. Mysterious nocturnal marauders assaulted my little garden. I started spraying a Bonide product called “Repels All,” after the fact. It holds some hope for next year and I’ll begin spraying
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Soil Amendments For the Garden

June 6, 2022

Yikes. Once again I’ve waited too long to write a blog post. So much going on. Let’s jump right in!. Some of you may know that I’ve been making scarves for a few years. I’m designing with images I’ve taken in my gardens for almost five years. Aside from adoring gardening, the beds provide me with ongoing photographic material. This year has been incredibly busy so I finally dove into necessary soil amendments to the flowerbeds. Hmm. Happily, I also had the opportunity to create and produce a quantity of beautiful chiffon scarves for my high school classmates. Featuring the Morning
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Complementary Colors

March 2, 2022

It was quite by coincidence that I found myself looking at two new scarves that just came back from printing and discovered that together, they resemble colors of the Ukrainian flag. Go Ukraine! Variants of blue and orange are complementary colors, that is, colors opposite one another on the color wheel. Did you know that the national flower of Ukraine is the sunflower? Coincidence! It’s easy to look out at the world during this time of war and feel alternately confused and angry. I think it’s best never to look at anything important, complacently. I urge you to do the same.
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Color, Color, Color!

February 1, 2022

I really can’t get enough. Especially in winter. It’s white everywhere! Color rich experiences have been an integral part of my life from, well, forever. As children, before we bought bags of Valentine cards at the drug store, we were charged with creating mad quantities of pink, red and lace cards for classmates on the kitchen table. For Christmas, we hand cut linoleum block prints that we printed and made into holiday cards that we’d then trot out to neighbors to sell. Colored paper, colored inks, textures and glue. Craft heaven! I’m waiting on the return of a test print
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Post Garden, Travel Bug

December 7, 2021

Does this sound like an unusual play on words? It does to me. It’s quite simple really, now that the garden has been put to bed, Larry and I hit the road to shake off COVID cabin fever before the BIG holiday rolls in. We drove to Montreal for Thanksgiving, taking a leisurely drive to stay overnight at a hotel in Lake Saranac. Driving the following morning was a breeze, even though we got a taste of “lake effect” snow. Oh, oh. Winter IS here, and once again, we headed north. Latte! The gorgeous red shoes shown above are not
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Wheelbarrow Days

October 6, 2021

Leaf drop is in full swing and the wheelbarrow has been overloaded per usual this time of year. Remember this-frost is coming! First frost could come as early as October 5 here in Connecticut, probably starting closer to October 19. Hard to believe. The glads are in the basement and transplanting is under way. I planted some dutch iris a few years ago and discovered they were yellow. The plant shape worked really well behind the astilbe but the color wasn’t my favorite. The Real Reason I Garden To make beautiful designs from my garden flowers!!! See a favorite new chiffon scarf
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Deep Dive Into Summer

August 17, 2021

Yikes! The insane humidity has finally broken in Connecticut. Gardeners can go outdoors again. So much everywhere has been in a state of climate upheaval. And yet, here, in Connecticut, I really can’t complain. Happily, my own garden residents are independently motoring along – the generous periodic downpours have been a mixed blessing outdoors. Good growth yet LOTS of weeds with significant mildew, insects and slugs. Safer spray and Slug Magic have helped me combat the undesirables. After I shoveled on a 3-yard mulch cover in early Spring, I’ve realized I need at least another yard to beat back excess
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Life in the Garden

May 28, 2021

Some years ago when I began creating gardens at our new home, planting flowers was a means to an end. At the time my goal was to incorporate floral images into artwork for fabric printing. I’ve only begun processing some of my new flower images for this year. I’m just starting the rhododendron above, superimposed on a blue Orrefors crystal vase. Five years ago, we excavated the side yard to mitigate standing water. Once the yard was drained, the space was reimagined as a formal garden -close to the house, so I could keep an eye on watering and pest
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New Beginnings

May 15, 2021

I’m not exactly sure why but in the midst of the Covid epidemic, I landed on the idea that this Spring I would finally get the grounds mulched for early flowering season in May, just AFTER fertilizing all of the beds. So, winter cleanup, cultivating, fertilizing and mulching all of the gardens BEFORE May 1. Out of my flipping mind. Nothing new here folks. Shown above is the first full Spring season for my new panicle hydrangea first pruned this February and just draped with a brand new scarf- not even named.. Azaleas and tulips incoming. I’m pleased to say, the
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Living in Harmony – Inside and Out

February 21, 2021

In the cold white of winter, I sometimes morph into a night owl. Recently, my excuse to roam in the wee hours was to indulge in some new lavender chamomile tea. The next night it was organic peppermint. Who needs sleep when you can sip hot tea and listen to the warm hum of a pellet stove? One may have to purchase a vial of oil to expand the lavender experience. Case Study Architect Whitney R. Smith’s permanent home in Pasadena Whitney Smith lived an enviable life pursuing architectural design one might only fantasize about. “Smith joined a group of L.A.
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