gardening Archives - Page 2 of 21

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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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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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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Memorial Day 2020

May 25, 2020

See the White Feather Hosta I bought a few years ago. I’ve moved it several times as it failed to thrive. I was so committed to having such an exotic looking hosta, I never gave up. This Spring it re-appeared and I waited to see if once again it might wilt and turn green but guess what? It’s happy and growing this year. Nestled into some dark green and rock neighbors, it really gets to strut its stuff. New garden memories being made. My mother died May 14, in the midst of the COVID 19 outbreak but not from it. She
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Florida: Where Art Meets Nature

May 4, 2020

Florida is many things. Boring is not one of them. Our recent trip on the eve of Spring break, drove that point home. Do you recognize any of the wanton Phalaenopsis orchids in the photo, thriving on the tree trunks? ( I’ve killed several attempting to raise them a dry New England home). They’re at home in Florida. One thing that jumped out in Miami was how intensely nature informs art. I’ve never been to the south of Florida before. As with many temperate places, warmth creates an enduring sense of wellbeing in the out-of-doors. As a plant lover, I totally appreciated
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Celebrating Beauty

April 8, 2020

Beautiful people bring the sunshine. Getting together with others is on hold and will be until the pandemic passes. And when will that be? Social distancing makes one realize what we had. And will we learn to be kinder and more patient in the interim? I hope so. I’ve once again dug into sewing and shooting scarves for Spring 2020. It’s been tedious as my hand is still not 100% after December surgery. Beautiful colors keep one going in crazy times. See more scarves here. Photo Shoot First, There Was Florida I took so many photos in Florida during our March
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Sunshine in St. Pete’s

March 26, 2020

Nothing quite says sunshine like the close up of a white angel trumpet lily. Truthfully, this gorgeous flower did not bloom in my March garden. Since we REALLY needed a little sunshine in our lives – we happily headed south just before Spring Break. And, we left there literally the day before the youthful crazies descended to pack the streets. Social distancing was not yet in vogue. Mother Nature has a way of washing cares away. There are many places in the country I haven’t yet visited, but this year I was determined to visit southern Florida. Larry did not
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The Garden-Winter Dormant

December 29, 2019

This winter I’ve felt particularly dormant. Apologies all around for not maintaining blog posts in recent weeks. My right hand is still in the first of two casts following hand surgery on December 18. This, and future posts are being dictated voice to text. What a drag. However, surgery was the entrée for the Ultimate Christmas Gift. A couple weeks ahead I received a text from my daughter-in-law. ”Could we bring dinner?” No second request needed. Christmas dinner was awesome as several couples and my son, the Maple Bacon King, descended on the house and prepared a MOST tasty dinner.
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Color Transitions

November 21, 2019

Well, I managed to cover the boxwoods this year without freezing to death. The gardens have finally been put to bed in preparation for winter and the holidays. Not before the ground colors conspired to deliver a gorgeous last fall palette of colors. I’ve been thrilled with the bush covers we bought last year- and learned the hard way to not store them in an unprotected outbuilding. One of them got half eaten last year. Some tips about winter garden care in general. We tagged a tree last weekend at Angevine Farm in Warren CT. I can’t tell you exactly
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