Hostas Up and Coming

In the world of flowers, hostas do well as faithful border plants, returning each spring and spreading- blooming innocuously in the shade. Nothing much to write home about. Related Images:
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Eclectic Home Decor

Joseph Louis Juste is a 20th century Haitian metal artist whose work would rightfully be called eclectic. After falling in love with this piece at a great place called Black Rock Galleries (several floors of eclectic home décor)… Related Images:
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The Many Faces of Spring

This week, I had the pleasure of cleaning the garden as tulips and daffodils spotted the landscape. I don’t have a lot of tulips because my garden is new, and well, you know how it goes, you can’t never get enough tulips. Do I pick or do I leave them out to decorate the land before all the green returns? The azaleas are all budded up- I’m so relieved to see them this year- they totally bagged out last year. But guess what? With the threat of frost, we ran around the other night with bed sheets and clothes pins
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You’re no Michelangelo!

Ever heard that? It’s easy to forget that although Michelangelo is a standard for artistic excellence, he suffered many of the issues artists often do- finding success against the odds. His mom died when he was six and his business -oriented dad wasn’t too keen on his career choice. Related Images:
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An Invasive Species in My Garden

I’m in love with an invasive species. Spiraea japonica. In fact, last fall, I transplanted some shoots in the hope of encouraging its spread in my yard. When you have a large area to cover, sometimes, you go for those plants that thrive. Managing their growth is not rocket science. You have to stay on top of it. No gardener is happy to have her garden space dominated by anybody. Until my dear Japanese spireas overwhelm their neighbors or lose their beautiful color, I’m all in. I found this site though that might be of help if you’re questioning a
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Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors

Look around outside. New greens are everywhere. The azalea buds are humming along…colors are light and refreshing. The pale orange on the right side of the photo is the blush of a nearby narcissus. There are no intense colors out yet. Instead, you see tiny spots of color across the whole landscape. Walking through is like a treasure hunt- what’s up today? Related Images:
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Back to Basics- Only the Beautiful Need Apply

In springtime, as the temperature warms the house, aside from wanting to live outside, I’m also inclined to want to empty the house of anything extraneous, anything not quite beautiful. When we first added the mahogany deck off the living area, it was fabulous. (And it’s almost never looked so good). I couldn’t resist dropping some of my Aquilina pillows onto the deck to make the point. Related Images:
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Clean Up, Accent on Azaleas

Everybody knows that roses this full are simply not open yet in Connecticut. Just the other day I was pruning off dead wood as I raked and cleaned around the little green tulip, daffodil and grape hyacinth shoots coming up all over the place. Related Images:
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Things That Go Together

I’ve always been fascinated by flowers that draw matching pollinators. They look like they go together. On the other hand, do you think a flower might feel upstaged in the company of one as lovely as this butterfly? Related Images:
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