Mary DuLude, Author at PaolaPrints

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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Bringing Glad Tidings

December 3, 2020

Our socially distant Thanksgiving 2020 has come to a close. And, the last hosta leaf has fallen- dramatic as ever in its subdued and soft hues. I love the colors every season.Next up, glad tidings and holiday colors for Christmas. What WILL that look like this year? Although Larry and I are hunkered down alone in our house, I took advantage over several days to bake up a storm. I take comfort in that. Still, I missed my kids company. Christmas together? One can’t count on it. Lately, I’ve been dreaming about my Mom who died last year. It feels
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New Scarf!

October 28, 2020

Last fall I debuted a scarf called Watermelon, printed on chiffon at 2 yards x 18”- the size of most of my scarves to date. A couple months ago, a family member reached out with a request for a scarf she needed for an event in October. She very much liked Watermelon as the colors matched her sweater, but she needed a scarf that was a lot smaller..and square! Always up for a challenge, I was itching to get started this fall. Sooty mold is a fungus that grows on leaves sometimes infected by aphids. After feeding, insects leave behind a
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I Can’t Believe They Took the Whole Tree

October 5, 2020

Well, they didn’t. Most of the huge tree standing high above the garden was cut down last week. We retained 24” for planting. We knew that for all its height and leafy crown, the tree had lots of rot and had been serving as a home for crowds of chipmunks eating the garden underground. Can you see the stump on the hill? Pruning is sometimes an opportunity for new things. I wait all summer for prices to drop at local nurseries when autumn planting begins! Let’s Hear it For Music! Musicians are suffering the lack of opportunity to share their
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A COVID Baby Shower

August 30, 2020

Following my mom‘s death in the middle of May, life quickly began motoring ahead, almost without missing a beat. Since May, life moved so fast in Spring I almost couldn’t keep up. Most immediately, front and center was planning for the arrival of my first grandchild in mid-September. I’d promised them a shower! I gathered names from family and released my first party invite the week after my mom’s death, scheduling it for July 25- Thinking the pandemic would allow us the opportunity for a multi-generational extravaganza. Not so fast. Pretty quickly, I had to hammer down guest invites to less than
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On the Seventh Day- Pest Control

June 30, 2020

I sprayed the boxwoods. And every week thereafter. Like many, I’ve had some difficulty during COVID remembering what day of the week it is. You know you do too. This blog post will focus on pest control in the time of COVID. I’m grateful for the time to do some long-needed maintenance. I schedule treatments on my phone and have gotten quite involved in managing plant care. Reminder times for certain annual events like pruning are scheduled on my phone. I just finished pruning the miniature lilac- A lilac sets next year’s flowers quickly after the flowers pass. Sometimes, you can
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