Hello garden ....glad to make your acquaintance again.....

I am reacquainting myself with every inch of my garden this year.  I have been too busy over the past three years to pay attention to the sensual garden I planted for ME, over the last ten years.  From the pristine white tree peony blooms shattered by the rainy days of last week to the  vivid purple phlox brightening up my shady walkway, I wander... remembering seasons past.  The swollen buds of the herbaceous peonies and the rose bushes wait in anticipation to please my visual, as well as my olfactory needs.  I see the empty spots that yearn to be filled with color.  I hear the birds singing songs of thanks for uncovering food for their young. I watch bees buzzing with glee for the chance to perhaps pollinate something that will make me smile.  

There is life in my garden, there is texture, color, fragrance and hope for yet another season of smiles...... this year, I will make time to enjoy the awesomeness of my garden.

The Garden Calleth.....................

I have been inside doing my end of year clean up and I had to walk the dog.  Aminia has been so loyal since I have been inside and under the weather.  When we came out of the house, I was greeted by the most perfect bud......

What a way to start the day!!!!  When I came back from walking her, I realized that I needed to take a walk through my garden....just to see what was going on.  Imagine my excitement when I realized....hmm....December, almost New Year's and a relatively warm day in winter........what season is it????  It is Hellebore season of course!!!

Left to her own devices, my Hellebore Heaven has given birth to some wonderfully healthy babies!!!!!  My Hellebores are nestled beneath a Cornus Florida from Biltmore Estates (I need to plan another trip down there.  Their wine is absolutely divine....their plants are wonderful as well!).  I mulch this area in the Spring and use Kelp as a fertilizer a few times over the season and it seems to be the right spot to increase my brood of Hellebore's.

I seriously anticipate this time every winter.  It is a sign of the season to come and is also more important than the seed catalogs.or the Garden Club first meeting in the new year announcement....yep these things add some kind of excitement to a cold winter day if you are a gardener)!! It is a sign of survival...a sign that my method of xeriscaping has been tried and true for 6 years now...how exciting is this...at least to me it is!!

Since I was outside, I decided to check the pots of pansies, I bought too late, but put them in anyway.....

Yep....still looking good to me.  Which made me think.......what else is gong on out here, while I lay inside nestled under covers with my trusty Aminia by my side......well let me share.................

(Why is this tree peony singing Donna Summers - I will Survive.....as I always say, disco is not dead!!)

Tree peony buds always seem to say - even if you did not water me, I have been known to live for hundreds of years,,,,just check out the tree peonies at the Woodrow Wilson House in Staunton, Virginia.  A intimate garden at the rear of the house has a substantial stand of tree peonies that have been there for quite some time or take a trip to China and see them growing in the mountains. A Xeric gardeners dream plant!  I won't tell you about the blooms..wait til Spring!!!.

From the Dutch Iris...

to the German Bearded Iris (this one is a clear sunshine yellow)

to the Sedum "Neon".....there is a lot of activity in my garden right ow.   uh oh...what s that....I forgot something....drats......I thought I finished ........oh well.....I have a little more work to do....where is that sot ground when you need it!!!.

Let's see what happens!!!!  See ya in the garden.............

Philadelphia Flower Show 2012.......I anxiously await the moments

I could not think of a better way to celebrate meteorological Spring than to spend the day in Philadelphia patiently awaiting day 1 of the Philadelphia Flower Show.  After joining the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for this year, I received two tickets for the flower show. I live in District Heights, Maryland, why one might ask would I join this fine organization ??  Well, I grew up visiting the gardens of Longwood and Winterthur with my family,  My Dad remembers designing a Victorian Garden display for the Smithsonian during his tenure there.   A large watering can with an intricate watering system to keep the installed plant material alive.  I remember wondering why they call Mahonia Oregon grape hollies???..Why did they call boxwoods, boxwoods when they were not at all shaped like a box??  I was quite inquisitive about why the hydrangeas were blue when he watered them with Miracid.  I remember that he thought I should be a girl...a lady and not play in the soil as I so desired.   I became passionate about nature and gardening and promised myself that I would garden with a passion when I became an adult.

(Photos from Nemours Historic Home and Gardens)

Well fast forward......I am now an adult and garden passionately for private homeowners, grow and eat organically and return my debris back to the land, as I consider myself a Steward of the Land.  Having had the experience of the beauty and grandeur of these wonderful historic homes and gardens I have sought out more places of note to visit.  Pennsylvania has more than just these two, of course. I took a small group to Chanticleer (A Pleasure Garden) and Nemours Mansion and Gardens last Fall.  I cannot share with you the beauty that beheld us while visiting Chanticleer.  What a terrific place to get awesome inspiration and information on what best practices are used throughout the garden.  The peace found while strolling through this garden is truly something that every gardener should experience at least once....it certainly earns it's name as a pleasure garden.  Here are a few scenes from Chanticleer.....a tease for the must see....

Nemours requires a reservation for visiting.  This is another one of the DuPont Properties that has undergone renovation and is truly a hidden jewel.  Opulence, decadence and a terrific borrowed view of a landscape that quietly says Welcome in  a serene and orderly manner.  I have visited several of the DuPont properties (known and under known) including the Hagley Museum and grounds and I have to share that the selection and siting of the DuPont Homes and Properties focused on  beauty....as well as functionality. 

Knowing that the PHS offers a Reciprocal Admissions Program, Library Services to enhance the knowledge of gardening, garden visits and so much more...how could I not join??


Hey Dad............I am about to start another season of playing in the soil!!!

              I can read his mind..can't you?


Here's to 2012 and another year of gardening........passionately!!