Serenity in the Garden

“Light is a thing that cannot be reproduced, but must be represented by something else - by color.”   -  Paul Cezanne

Have you heard about Cucamelons?   Also called mouse melons?   This tiny watermelon look-alike from south of the border is grape-sized and tastes of cucumber with a hint of lime. They are going to be very popular soon, kind of like the 'ipad mini' of the vegie world... Why? because they are  pest free, drought tolerant, easy to grow,  and a vigorous climber/trailer that produces masses of fruit throughout the summer!  from Suttons Seeds in the UK Its botanical name is  Melothria scabra  and it comes from  Mexico/Central America  where it is called  sandita de Raton  (little mouse melon).  They have been grown there since Pre-Columbian times and need a sheltered sunny spot to grow.  from Suttons Seeds packet Their taste is unusual in that - first it tastes like cucumber but the aftertaste is something tart.. Karen Bertelsen of the blog  'The Art of Doing Stuff'  d...

I once had a landscape client named Dr. Maury Leibovitz. He was an older gentleman and asked me to create a perennial garden for him in his large property in Greenwich, Ct.  We had a lot of fun doing it. He enjoyed it greatly. During that time he gave me a tour of his estate's grounds and shared stories of  the magnificent sculptures that dotted the landscape.  I learned that he started out as an accountant for  Occidental Petroleum Corporation and became an associate of the the corporation's late chairman, Dr. Armand Hammer . Leibovitz  and Hammer shared a love of fine art and together purchased Knoedler Galleries and Publishing in 1971. Jo Davidson and Gertrude Stein in Paris - photo by Man Ray  Maury shared stories of how he found certain artists. And one sculpture in particular he loved - Gertrude Stein by Jo Davidson .  He and I stood there  and admired it, set in a pastoral setting, and I listened to ...

   'Summer Beauty' Alliums  contrasted with 'Victoria Blue' Salvia in a planter - photo by Jan Johnsen Plant 'Millenium' or 'Summer Beauty' Alliums in the spring or summer.   Both of them provide gorgeous, butterfly attracting flowers starting in July -  deep green foliage, profuse display of pink to purple flowered globes.   Tough, reliable and deer resistant! Allium  'Summer Beauty' really is a summer beauty with light pink-purple globe flowers in mid-July through mid-August. The leaves are slender and deep green.  It is hardy from Zone 4-9. Photo by Laura McKillop - Allium 'Millenium'   Allium 'Millenium' blooms about a week later and has slighter deeper purple blooms and is a bit shorter,   to 12-20” tall.    It is less hardy - Zones 5 - 8. Allium 'Summer Beauty' and 'Millenium' are fool proof, blooming plants that look great with many other summer perennials like helenium and globe this...

Serenity by Design   Simplicity, Sanctuary & Delight In this engaging  powerpoint, I offer intriguing design ideas for enhancing any garden.   Learn why East is considered the ‘auspicious’ direction, how to use a ‘Golden Rectangle’ to create harmony outdoors, and which colors uplift our spirits in a garden. A very popular talk enjoyed by all - accompanies the book, ‘Heaven is a Garden” (St Lynn’s Press, 2014)    Plant Handout comes with the talk. The Spirit of Stone – Ways to Use Natural Stone in the Landscape  An illuminating and beautiful look at creative ways to incorporate natural stone in a landscape. The ‘spirit of stone’ offers tips for using sustainable stone in garden design, how to design a stepping stone path and ends with secrets of ‘reading’ a Japanese rock garden. An inspiring and popular talk - accompanies the new book, ‘The Spirit of Stone” ...

milk carton gardening   Do you have simple summer garden memories?  I sure do.  And I hope the kids of today will have them too. I hope they remember the simple pleasure of growing carrots in milk cartons, tomatoes in large cans or maybe hollyhocks al ong old fences and lilacs at the corner of a house. We should reclaim these simple things as part of our ordinary life. Hollyhocks Honeysuckle Maybe you have some  memories like this:  It  might be the 'weed' that smelled like licorice ( anise hyssop), Blue Fortune Anise Hyssop The buttercups that you put under your chin,  buttercup reflection under chin - go here for more: Eat The Wee ds the honeysuckle that you could suck a teeny drop of 'honey' from, honey from honeysuckle - for more: Instructables  the sweet smell of roses as you walked past a certain house,  roses on trellis source: Nantucket today  the brigh...

alliums in the garden - Jan Johnsen   The idea that we are living within a world swirling with unseen energies is not new.  The Chinese idea of Tao comes closest to what mystics, tribal peoples and modern day physicists explain as the basis of all life.   The Tao, as Alan Watts writes, is not God “in the sense of ruler, monarch, commander, architect and maker of the universe,” but an “intelligent rhythm” (Watts, “Tao: the Watercourse Way” P 40): “The great Tao flows [also “floats” and “drifts”] everywhere To the left and to the right, All things depend upon it to exist, And it does not abandon them. To its accomplishments it lays no claim. It loves and nourishes all things, but does not lord it over them.             A flourishing garden spotlights this intelligent rhythm and is our everyday “repository of life …….with no claim to its accomplishments”.  Alan Watts uses a watercourse ...