Summer is in full swing. With alternating downpour and incredibly hot sun, it feels like the tropics. Doesn’t it? I continue to struggle around the yard to cover gardens with hemlock mulch- the weeds are threatening to take over again so we’re covering as many as we can with a thick layer before the next rain. Related Images:
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Blue can be a challenging color to work with. Take morning glories, specifically midnight blue. I’m crazy about them, and yet their particular blue color is so intense, it can be hard to integrate with other colors. Related Images:
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This week I was talking with someone who was against any kind of pest management. She was pleading for recognition that gardening was simply therapeutic. She just enjoyed working in the garden. I get it. I too, am a garden junkie- out there mindlessly engaged, and not too worried about much. Except bugs and their kind. Related Images:
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I remember wondering after seeing the movie Amadeus, whether a true artist had to be crazy, or totally eccentric. (Think Van Gogh) there’s a long list of artists that fit the bill. (Intoxication is often a common theme). Related Images:
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All my pillow designs are born in the garden. Right now, the hostas in particular are emerging in all their glory. At a time when the peonies are starting to fade, the green foliage around them is blooming crazy. Related Images:
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Isn’t everybody wild about peonies? That romantic profusion of color, endless ruffles and a divine SCENT that permeates the house. The wet weather jumpstarted my peonies and I barely had time to stake them before they burst open at five feet tall. Related Images:
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Color choices are very personal and largely begin with an instinctual response. And yes, opposites really do attract. Related Images:
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Solomon’s Seal is an elegant native American woodland plant- a bittersweet herb that includes an active ingredient also found in Lily of the Valley- blooming now in Connecticut gardens. Related Images:
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Litchfield, Connecticut flowers are still flirting with Spring. I took this photo in May 2015, after a hard rain. This year, I lost most of my tulips and the late bloomers are just coming in. The peonies have thrown up shoots and buds, waiting to be staked before their heads fatten and fall over from heavy, sweet flowers. And yes, the Japanese beetles are getting their fill on the last emerging hybrid lily leaves. I find and squash those bugs whenever I can. Pests. Related Images:
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It’s hard to believe we were away from home for two weeks in search of pillow sales at High Point Market, NC. It’s great to be back in Litchfield, which means a welcome return to the gardens. Paola Pillows started in the garden. I’ve missed that time. I’m sure people garden for all different reasons. The escape into quiet beauty is right up there. At the same time, isn’t it also about indulging in the work of your hands? The pleasure of just putting your hands and body into it. Less so your mind. The actions of gardening bring comfort.
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