Summer is Ushered in Courtesy of April and May

April is the name I gave to my new Paola scarf. Early spring after all brings narcissus, daffodils and early baby sedum greens.  Love the softness of color this time of year.   These days, most of my time is spent in the garden -from weeding to watering to pruning and mulching. Today, I bought some bone meal to supplement a stubborn rhododendron that refuses to flower. I pruned the plant carefully, applied the bone meal around its base and layered on some compost bought expressly to hold it close around the roots. The plant sits on a steep hill
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Beautiful Bones-Garden Maintenance

This is the year to tackle some overdo maintenance. Anybody else have a bear of a time last fall in trying to get outdoor wood and metal treated? It was raining at the most inopportune times. Both mahogany decks and metal fencing went begging. This week I was able to start on the metal. Next week, the decks? That’s a two-person job so I will pester my dear husband for his help. Actually I consider myself an assistant on that job. Not my favorite project. Check out the photo below. A THIRSTY deck in need of brightening followed by special
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Mothers and Spring

Spring flowers always offer something special. I never tire of looking for them, am thrilled to see them come up and yet, how quickly they pass! Raising children is much the same. You seize those special moments, even as they’re a prelude to another story you never fully expected. This has been my experience as a mother and it’s somewhat bittersweet. Here today, gone tomorrow. Mother’s Day can be an occasion for making time to be alone, holding out for quiet. For me, that’s often time spent in the garden. People who know me know I sometimes prefer plants to
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Your Home Can Be Your Personal Art Place

 “Artists are picky people. The objects they live with — furniture, artifacts, ceramics, works by other artists — are usually carefully chosen, and they look it.”* My parents were both ceramicists, clay their primary medium. They engendered in us a certain mysterious connection between creativity and nature. Potters surround themselves with organic materials including plants. As children, we were in the garden daily in warm weather, playing and raising flowers and vegetables. Bennington Pottery, Bennington, Vermont Last week we visited Bennington Pottery in Vermont, a business that put its town on the map and employed many local residents for years.
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Eleanor and the Promise of Warm Weather in the Garden

Eleanor is a small terracotta planter we bought at Campo de’ Fiori in Sheffield MA. The pot was modeled after a friend of shop owner Robin, who grew up in Rome. The store takes its name from a small piazza where his mother used to buy flowers and vegetables. My Eleanor is outside in the garden on the stone wall- waiting for warmer weather so we can decide what kind of plant hairdo she’ll wear. However. April is the cruelest month. Are your buds covered with ice again? Related Images:
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Spring 2018- TODAY!!

Spring Equinox 2018 begins Tuesday, March 20, at 12:15 pm. Just a reminder in case it’s still snowy over your way. Still, I’m always drawn into daffodil and tulip anticipation. Sort of the opposite of weather worry- and why not? Spring comes every year, regardless of what else is happening at the moment. The predictability is a big comfort this time of year. Related Images:
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First Flower of Spring

Hens and Chicks (aka Houseleeks) eventually grow flower stalks that culminate in real flowers. This lovely image is truly not a first flower. But it could be- I haven’t seen this much color outside in months! Yesterday, after the rain, I spied the plant hugging the frozen ground for dear life even as it turned up its face to sun- is it Spring yet??? Related Images:
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Bring Your Own Sunshine To the Party

It’s time to get Spring serious. March 20 was the first day of Spring! If you have piles of snow outside like many of us do, it’s time to bring your own sunshine to the party. One of my new, up and coming Paola pillows is called Sunny- created from a sunflower in full bloom. Related Images:
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