Holding Onto Green

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
Read More

Complementary Colors

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.
Read More

Color, Color, Color!

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
Read More

Post Garden, Travel Bug

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
Read More

Wheelbarrow Days

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
Read More

Life in the Garden

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
Read More

New Beginnings

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
Read More

Living in Harmony – Inside and Out

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.
Read More

Bringing Glad Tidings

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
Read More

New Scarf!

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
Read More