It is funny how we complain about what a long, cold and wet spring we had......and then when the heat comes, we complain about that too. As a southerner by birth, I grew up in the humid heat of South Carolina.....so i learned a few things about summer heat. First, don't fight it....go with it. Take shady naps in the middle of the day. Stay neck deep in any available water for at least thirty minutes to bring your body temperature down. SWEAT! AND LET YOUR BODY SWEAT! IT IS OK. This concern that one must look cool and calm at all times is ridiculous. We are all sweating anyway, so let's sweat together!! It is healthy to perspire, and it helps the body regulate it's temperature. Plus, the cool shower that follows in the twilight of a summer evening is one of the true luxuries of life. One of my most enjoyable routines is to walk down to the bay after a hot day of weeding and digging and mulching and have a peaceful, cooling swim. Summer is great.
Due to our delayed heat, the garden looks pretty good this August. This is usually the month when gardeners lose their sense of urgency and let Mother Nature have her way. But most of our roses and perennials have hit their prime this month and the garden is looking like some of those pictures we have used for inspiration all winter.
I want to sing the praises of some much overlooked perennials, that are both easy to grow and have added to the August glory in the Provincetown Garden. First and foremost is the Shasta Daisy. She is a glorious addition to every garden and we came about ours in an almost accidental way. A dear friend, a landscape architect with a wonderful garden in town, was doing some cleaning and dividing last fall, and brought us a goody bag of divisions. In a hurry last November, I spaded them in here and there, not really expecting much. To our surprise in June, all the divisions were up and thriving. Now the entire garden is sparkling with the crystaline white blooms of the simple Shasta Daisy. They have such a cooling effect in the gloaming of a summer evening and seem to catch the moonlight late into the night. They truly have taken "pride of place" and have become my new favorite. It all began as a simple, generous gift from a friend, and has turned into a constant source of joy for Partner and I. Funny how friendship works.
Other gifts from the goody bag were a new favorite goldenrod called "FIREWORKS", and once you see the blooms, the name will be obvious. There is a subtle elegance to this beauty. I admired her in Friend's garden and so he included a few pieces of her in his gift. Now she has found her place at the corner of the bird sanctuary at the back of the garden. Very exciting!
Echineacea "GREEN JEWEL" is a new favorite. Reommended by the international landscape archtect, Piet Oudulf, it is the most wonderful shade of lime green with a prominent cone in the center for the goldfinches to munch on this fall. We also have a maturing stand of the classic echineacea "WHITE SWAN", a real beauty when planted in masses (no less than 5 plants in a mass). We are going to increase the amount of echinecea in our garden for next year. They are easy, beautiful and add an element of antique grace to the garden.
Nicotiana, or Flowering tobacco, is our "signature" plant and we love it most at this time of year. It loves the heat, and shows itself to full advantage when it is warm. The most impressive is Nicotians sylvestris. It is five feet tall with candelabras of long white tubular flowers. On a humid summer night, the perfume from these flowers is the stuff of dreams, so plant them near a porch or open window. Nicotiana landsdorffi is a species of flowering tobacco that we will never be without no matter where we live. It has delicate chartreuse bells that self seed everywhere. This plant is like a good party guest: it makes all the other plants in the garden look better by asscociation. The green of this plant mixes beautifully with oranges and reds to "cool them down", or with greys and whites to create a soothing meditative mood.
Coreopsis , or tickseed, is another favorite of mine (not Partner's), but it self seeds and comes up wherever it deems appropriate. I love it's starlike flowers on long stems that catch every breeze. And now there are so many interesting new colors avaialble, but my favorite is still the classic "MOONBEAM" with it's soft lemon yellow flowers.
Daylilies are a gift from God. I love them. They are an honest flower. They are uncomplicated, They work hard. And when they are happy, they blossom like there is no tomorrow! We planted many different varieties last fall, but i have come to prefer the tall lemon yellows most of all. The most wonderful variety is "HYPERION". The flower shape is elegant, the bloom scape is long, the color is subltle, the fragrance is intoxicating and it combines with everything else in the garden to great effect. I know it could be considered a "common variety", but what's wrong with that? Sometimes familiar is nice. Plus, I love peanut butter sandwiches, so that may explain alot. Plant huge masses of daylilies, don't piddle around with one plant here and another there. plant at least ten plants of a variety. This was never made more clear to me than our trip to an island community in Maine this summer. When visiting relatives in a an old cottage by the sea, i went for a walk when conversation lagged. I walked around the house, and on the entire western side of the clapboard cottage was a six foot wide by twenty foot border of orange daylilies! the common orange daylily---- but it was planted (albeit forty yeas ago!) in such abundance, that it was a celebration of summer in it's exhuberant simplicity. Fantastic, and perfect. It was a perfect moment.
I guess what i am trying to say is this: don't overlook simplicity in choosing plants for the August garden. Things are called "common" because they have WORKED FOR GENERATIONS. And if it was good enough for Grandmother, it is fine for me. The romance and novelty of the catalogs is very alluring, and i won't pretend that I still don't fall victim to it now and again...........but when all is said and done, give me the old fashion girls! They know who they are and they know how to grow.....and most often, when the going is tough (in the August sun) they are the ones that are the most dependable.
Stay cool!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Glorious Putter
It has been a long cool, wet spring for most of us in the northeast. It seems to be all people can talk about. And I must admit that it has been an arduous season for the Provincetown Gardener. I was in hospital in May for a biopsy that proved to be negative, thankfully. But the insuing incisions, medications and aches and limitations have slowed me down measureably. Carrying a few bags of manure is no longer taken for granted, and neither is spending six hours in the garden. My afternoon naps, that were once considered a decadent luxury, are now a necessity. So, all this to say, that once again, the garden has proved to be a place of healing and peace, and I am back to ninety percent of myself.
I have always loved the word "putter". My father used this word liberally when I was a child. When asked what we had been doing, he would say "we were just puttering around" or "we're just going out to putter" or "why don't you go outside and putter". The word could include any number of activities from responsible household chores to indulgent peronal enjoyments. I always think of my dad when I use this word and I found that it has become an important part of my recovering physical therapy. Maybe Dad is trying to tell me something.
Now I have told you that my energy level has been compromised over the last weeks, so my usual day long stints of rigorous gardening have been reduce to a series of "putters".....or "putterings". I am able to wander guilt free from little task to little task in such a way that I have seen the garden in a whole new light. What was once an ambitious list of "chores" to be accomplished in a limited amount of time, has now become a wonderful series of projects that take just as much time as they take. We finish when we finish, and then I go take a nap. I think I may have finally discovered some of what Dr. Phil calls "balance". Does it take something as dramatic as a hospital stay to throw you off balance, so that you may regain your real balance? Is that what life is, a constant searching for balance? Like when you first try to learn to ride a bike?
Also, the frantic "A.D.D." pursuit of accomplishing things perfectly has lessened. So I don't flip the compost pile this month, so some of those weeds in the bird area will wait, it will all still be ok. This reminds me of one of my favorite garden writers of all time, Mirabel Osler. I remember getting my first book of hers that is entitled "A GENTLE PLEA FOR CHAOS". This book was a revelation to me and I keep it by my bed so I can refer to her sage advice whenever I am feeling overwhelmed. She advocates for a bit of the "rough edge" in the garden. Let it be loose. Let it be free. Let it be wild and beautiful. This is not to say that we let it all go....to the contrary. It is just that we quit "white knuckling" every single task we take on. Get the project going, put thoughtful work into it, and let it happen............and don't be worried if some leaves still remain untrimmed, or the roses aren't dead-headed..........it is still good. I am sure Ms. Osler is a "putterer".
This also brings to mind another mentor of mine, Diana Vreeland. She said something to the effect (and I paraphrase) "TRUE CHIC INVOLVES A LITTLE IMPERFECTION". And then there is the famous interior designer, Billy Baldwin, who advocated that every room needed a little something "wrong" to make it right. Imperfection is beautiful in it's own right........like that woman you see that has everything "right".....the dress, the hair, the shoes, the bag....she makes an entrance and she accidently stumbles and giggles, and instantly she is beautiful, she is human...she is REAL.
Even though the spring has been long and cool and wet, our April daffodils and alliums and tulips were magnificent, in May our bearded iris were a triumph, and now, in June, our roses are fantastic. We have been bringing in bouquets of the frangrant David Austen rose, 'Gertrude Jekyll' and 'Graham Stuart Thomas' and 'Tamora'------ I am living my fantasy. Yes, there has been some mildew. Yes, there have been some aphids. And YES, my oriental poppies rotted in the ground..........but it has been a BEAUTIFUL SPRING.
I have learned the lost art of PUTTERING, and I have relearned the beauty of Imperfection. What a releif! Now i can go out and enjoy our garden.
I have always loved the word "putter". My father used this word liberally when I was a child. When asked what we had been doing, he would say "we were just puttering around" or "we're just going out to putter" or "why don't you go outside and putter". The word could include any number of activities from responsible household chores to indulgent peronal enjoyments. I always think of my dad when I use this word and I found that it has become an important part of my recovering physical therapy. Maybe Dad is trying to tell me something.
Now I have told you that my energy level has been compromised over the last weeks, so my usual day long stints of rigorous gardening have been reduce to a series of "putters".....or "putterings". I am able to wander guilt free from little task to little task in such a way that I have seen the garden in a whole new light. What was once an ambitious list of "chores" to be accomplished in a limited amount of time, has now become a wonderful series of projects that take just as much time as they take. We finish when we finish, and then I go take a nap. I think I may have finally discovered some of what Dr. Phil calls "balance". Does it take something as dramatic as a hospital stay to throw you off balance, so that you may regain your real balance? Is that what life is, a constant searching for balance? Like when you first try to learn to ride a bike?
Also, the frantic "A.D.D." pursuit of accomplishing things perfectly has lessened. So I don't flip the compost pile this month, so some of those weeds in the bird area will wait, it will all still be ok. This reminds me of one of my favorite garden writers of all time, Mirabel Osler. I remember getting my first book of hers that is entitled "A GENTLE PLEA FOR CHAOS". This book was a revelation to me and I keep it by my bed so I can refer to her sage advice whenever I am feeling overwhelmed. She advocates for a bit of the "rough edge" in the garden. Let it be loose. Let it be free. Let it be wild and beautiful. This is not to say that we let it all go....to the contrary. It is just that we quit "white knuckling" every single task we take on. Get the project going, put thoughtful work into it, and let it happen............and don't be worried if some leaves still remain untrimmed, or the roses aren't dead-headed..........it is still good. I am sure Ms. Osler is a "putterer".
This also brings to mind another mentor of mine, Diana Vreeland. She said something to the effect (and I paraphrase) "TRUE CHIC INVOLVES A LITTLE IMPERFECTION". And then there is the famous interior designer, Billy Baldwin, who advocated that every room needed a little something "wrong" to make it right. Imperfection is beautiful in it's own right........like that woman you see that has everything "right".....the dress, the hair, the shoes, the bag....she makes an entrance and she accidently stumbles and giggles, and instantly she is beautiful, she is human...she is REAL.
Even though the spring has been long and cool and wet, our April daffodils and alliums and tulips were magnificent, in May our bearded iris were a triumph, and now, in June, our roses are fantastic. We have been bringing in bouquets of the frangrant David Austen rose, 'Gertrude Jekyll' and 'Graham Stuart Thomas' and 'Tamora'------ I am living my fantasy. Yes, there has been some mildew. Yes, there have been some aphids. And YES, my oriental poppies rotted in the ground..........but it has been a BEAUTIFUL SPRING.
I have learned the lost art of PUTTERING, and I have relearned the beauty of Imperfection. What a releif! Now i can go out and enjoy our garden.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Over seventy and under six
It is interesting how you need other people to help you see things. Now, I think of myself as a fairly observant person. After all, it is what I do for a living. I am paid to pay attention, observe and process and then create something commercially viable and hopefully beautiful. But it is amazing that sometimes i cannot see the forest for the trees.
Do we just get caught up in the constant drone of our lives so that we cannot see or hear the wonder anymore? With all the worry and fear that is perpetuated on the nightly news, do we become numb and unable to actually feel?
Several weeks ago we had our first guest under the age of six in the Provincetown Garden. Now, this child had barely been able to sleep in anticipation of coming to visit us, and when she arrived, everything was exciting and new and needed to be explored. The gravel path in the potager proved to be a constant source of inspiration for her and she made endless trips back and forth to show me each stone that had captured her attention. My new hybrid peony shoots did not garner nearly the enthusiasm as the cracked scallop shells on the stone stairs.
Then came the all important lesson of how to collect sea glass. We had to explain to this beautiful spirit that ALL GLASS on the beach is not collectable. In order to make it's way into our buckets, sea glass must be sufficiently "cooked" (as Partner would say). This is a scientific term that refers to the tumbling of the glass in the sand that softens the edges and brings out the nuances in the color. So, as the little guest and I explored low tide, she became a discerning collector. Just to see her running from one discovery to another with such urgency made me feel happy. To be in the presense of another person who understood how amazing this all is......she is not yet four, and yet she has more insight into the wonder of this world than most of us.
The following week I received an e-mail from Neighbor telling me how our cherry tree was full of goldfinches and looked as if it were blooming yellow. As I imagined this glorious happening, I was sitting in my office on the 21st floor two blocks form Times Square. Immediately I was transported to the Provincetown Garden..........that feeling of peace came over me and all the mundain problems I had been worrying about seemed not so serious. Neighbor has a way of seeing things that makes me adjust my thinking. I can be running around the garden trying to plant all the newly acquired boxwoods before sundown, and then she will call from her porch next door and tell me to look up and see the red-tail hawk that is circling above. Her sense of wonder and joy in life are a constant lesson for me........stop, breathe......and see.
I am so thankful to have these people as my friends. They help me see this garden and this world in such a vibrant and beautiful way. Some very wise person said that we should spend some time every day with people over seventy and under six.........because they are the ones who relly understand the world.
Do we just get caught up in the constant drone of our lives so that we cannot see or hear the wonder anymore? With all the worry and fear that is perpetuated on the nightly news, do we become numb and unable to actually feel?
Several weeks ago we had our first guest under the age of six in the Provincetown Garden. Now, this child had barely been able to sleep in anticipation of coming to visit us, and when she arrived, everything was exciting and new and needed to be explored. The gravel path in the potager proved to be a constant source of inspiration for her and she made endless trips back and forth to show me each stone that had captured her attention. My new hybrid peony shoots did not garner nearly the enthusiasm as the cracked scallop shells on the stone stairs.
Then came the all important lesson of how to collect sea glass. We had to explain to this beautiful spirit that ALL GLASS on the beach is not collectable. In order to make it's way into our buckets, sea glass must be sufficiently "cooked" (as Partner would say). This is a scientific term that refers to the tumbling of the glass in the sand that softens the edges and brings out the nuances in the color. So, as the little guest and I explored low tide, she became a discerning collector. Just to see her running from one discovery to another with such urgency made me feel happy. To be in the presense of another person who understood how amazing this all is......she is not yet four, and yet she has more insight into the wonder of this world than most of us.
The following week I received an e-mail from Neighbor telling me how our cherry tree was full of goldfinches and looked as if it were blooming yellow. As I imagined this glorious happening, I was sitting in my office on the 21st floor two blocks form Times Square. Immediately I was transported to the Provincetown Garden..........that feeling of peace came over me and all the mundain problems I had been worrying about seemed not so serious. Neighbor has a way of seeing things that makes me adjust my thinking. I can be running around the garden trying to plant all the newly acquired boxwoods before sundown, and then she will call from her porch next door and tell me to look up and see the red-tail hawk that is circling above. Her sense of wonder and joy in life are a constant lesson for me........stop, breathe......and see.
I am so thankful to have these people as my friends. They help me see this garden and this world in such a vibrant and beautiful way. Some very wise person said that we should spend some time every day with people over seventy and under six.........because they are the ones who relly understand the world.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Compost Will Wait
Gentle reader, we apologize for the tardiness of this latest installment, but life has included a flurry of activities of late and we have been on the go go go. The Provincetown gardener has recently had the semi-centennial anniversary of his birth and there was a conundrum of how to celebrate such momentous event. I told Partner that I was perfectly happy to spend hours in my cherished plot and turn the compost pile (a favorite activity). He stated unequivocally that we must mark this day with a special trip, and that, indeed, the "compost will wait".
Now, being in the midst of a finanacial crisis in this country, it did not seem prudent to be spending inordinant amounts of money (or more importantly, charging it!). So, Partner came up with the idea of redeeming all those freequent flier and credit card miles and do this as economically as possible. We had not thought of those "miles" and "points" laying fallow, and during the course of one's career, they can ecru to useable amounts. Our first criteria for choosing a destination was, "direct flight" (no lay-overs to work my last nerve) and "choose a hotel that takes points". This is a project that Partner loves. He is one of those people who finds it fascinating to research any topic in detail and come up with the ultimate solution.....and this he did. We made reservations to go to the hometown of Mariano Fortuny, the favorite painting spot of John Singer Sargent, the museum and enclave of Peggy Guggenheim, and the escape for Henry James...........we were going to Venice !
The Provincetown Gardener has traveled alot during the course of his career, and for some reason, one is never able to relax until the plane actually takes off. So Partner and I spent the seven hour flight trying to believe it was actually happening.....and when we bagan our descent into Marco Polo Airport through the dense clouds, it felt as though we were leaving reality and entering a dream. We were instructed to walk to the dock and pick up a water taxi in order to get to the hotel, but nothing prepared us for the streamlined wooden speed boat that awaited us (not to mention the Italian God driving the boat). Fantasizing we were Maria Callas and Ari on a Ventian holiday with sunglasses and sea spray, we sped across the lagoon and into the Grand Canal.
I must admit that I was somewhat jaded in my anticipation of Venice. I had spent a childhood seeing those velvet paintings with gondoliers and listening to "O solo mio" on the radio....so i was expecting something in the realm of an Italian Disney World. From the moment we stepped into the boat, all preconceptions were dissolved. My eyes were opened for the first time about what everyone had been telling me about. The boat pulled up to the dock of the Bauer Il Palazzo (a "water arrival" as Partner loves to refer to it), next to the waiting gondolas, the bags were wisked away and we were escorted to a table on the edge of the terrace with a panoramic view of Santa Maria Della Salute.....the bascilica immortalized in Sargent's watercolors. Drinking my frst cappucino of the trip, I sat in speculation that generations of tourists for hundreds of years had done exactly what I was doing now...that maybe even John Singer Sargent had painted from this very vantage point.
To say it was a trip full of miracles seems a little cliche, but it is true. The miracle of quiet; Venice has no cars or bikes, only canals and bridges.......the quiet is bliss. The miracle of fog; it stayed atmospheric and moody until about ten in the morning and then the warm Italian sun was out for the rest of the day. The miracle of an upgrade; we were put in a top floor room with a 300 degree view of the city........a bird's eye view of the steeples, campanile and the Grand Canal winding it's way through the pallazzo. The miracle of spring; bearded iris were in bloom in window boxes, wisteria fragrant and covering the pergolas.....while New York still seemed gripped by winter.
Yes, we covered all the touch points of Venice: St Marks Square, Peggy Guggenheim's museum, the Rialto Bridge...........but it was the "getting lost" that i will remember most. Partner and i found the fish market on Good Friday and the produce markets filled with unkown and fascinating vegetables.............the tiny squares with their ancient wells.........and the incredible children that all seemed so happy. We found tiny walled gardens full of camellias, azaleas, pittosporum, roses, iris, peonies and centuries old boxwood. The Italians have made an art out of container gardening; from the selection of the mossy pot to the seemingly spontaneous and unorthodox choice of plants........even if the pots were planted yesterday, they seem to have the mellow serenity of having been there forever. Ancient twisted trunks climb over medieval walls, while delicate scented hyacinths bloom in shadowy corners..........every turn of the head is a miracle.
One of the unexpected benefits of the trip was the unanticipated workout. When you consider that during the course of one twilight walk, you may cross twenty bridges........and each of these bridges has a flight of stairs up and down.......the Venetians could be considered the inventors of the stairmaster. Somehow this gave me free rein to eat as much pasta and gelato as I wanted.
As gardeners, we have an insatiable need to journey forth to investigate other gardens...to see how others deal with their worlds. Italy is an inexhaustable source of inspiration for me, and this trip to Venice will count as a most wondrous experience........from the tiniest window boxes to the grandest campos........a gardener cannot help but be changed forever.
And, YES, the compost will wait until you get home.
Now, being in the midst of a finanacial crisis in this country, it did not seem prudent to be spending inordinant amounts of money (or more importantly, charging it!). So, Partner came up with the idea of redeeming all those freequent flier and credit card miles and do this as economically as possible. We had not thought of those "miles" and "points" laying fallow, and during the course of one's career, they can ecru to useable amounts. Our first criteria for choosing a destination was, "direct flight" (no lay-overs to work my last nerve) and "choose a hotel that takes points". This is a project that Partner loves. He is one of those people who finds it fascinating to research any topic in detail and come up with the ultimate solution.....and this he did. We made reservations to go to the hometown of Mariano Fortuny, the favorite painting spot of John Singer Sargent, the museum and enclave of Peggy Guggenheim, and the escape for Henry James...........we were going to Venice !
The Provincetown Gardener has traveled alot during the course of his career, and for some reason, one is never able to relax until the plane actually takes off. So Partner and I spent the seven hour flight trying to believe it was actually happening.....and when we bagan our descent into Marco Polo Airport through the dense clouds, it felt as though we were leaving reality and entering a dream. We were instructed to walk to the dock and pick up a water taxi in order to get to the hotel, but nothing prepared us for the streamlined wooden speed boat that awaited us (not to mention the Italian God driving the boat). Fantasizing we were Maria Callas and Ari on a Ventian holiday with sunglasses and sea spray, we sped across the lagoon and into the Grand Canal.
I must admit that I was somewhat jaded in my anticipation of Venice. I had spent a childhood seeing those velvet paintings with gondoliers and listening to "O solo mio" on the radio....so i was expecting something in the realm of an Italian Disney World. From the moment we stepped into the boat, all preconceptions were dissolved. My eyes were opened for the first time about what everyone had been telling me about. The boat pulled up to the dock of the Bauer Il Palazzo (a "water arrival" as Partner loves to refer to it), next to the waiting gondolas, the bags were wisked away and we were escorted to a table on the edge of the terrace with a panoramic view of Santa Maria Della Salute.....the bascilica immortalized in Sargent's watercolors. Drinking my frst cappucino of the trip, I sat in speculation that generations of tourists for hundreds of years had done exactly what I was doing now...that maybe even John Singer Sargent had painted from this very vantage point.
To say it was a trip full of miracles seems a little cliche, but it is true. The miracle of quiet; Venice has no cars or bikes, only canals and bridges.......the quiet is bliss. The miracle of fog; it stayed atmospheric and moody until about ten in the morning and then the warm Italian sun was out for the rest of the day. The miracle of an upgrade; we were put in a top floor room with a 300 degree view of the city........a bird's eye view of the steeples, campanile and the Grand Canal winding it's way through the pallazzo. The miracle of spring; bearded iris were in bloom in window boxes, wisteria fragrant and covering the pergolas.....while New York still seemed gripped by winter.
Yes, we covered all the touch points of Venice: St Marks Square, Peggy Guggenheim's museum, the Rialto Bridge...........but it was the "getting lost" that i will remember most. Partner and i found the fish market on Good Friday and the produce markets filled with unkown and fascinating vegetables.............the tiny squares with their ancient wells.........and the incredible children that all seemed so happy. We found tiny walled gardens full of camellias, azaleas, pittosporum, roses, iris, peonies and centuries old boxwood. The Italians have made an art out of container gardening; from the selection of the mossy pot to the seemingly spontaneous and unorthodox choice of plants........even if the pots were planted yesterday, they seem to have the mellow serenity of having been there forever. Ancient twisted trunks climb over medieval walls, while delicate scented hyacinths bloom in shadowy corners..........every turn of the head is a miracle.
One of the unexpected benefits of the trip was the unanticipated workout. When you consider that during the course of one twilight walk, you may cross twenty bridges........and each of these bridges has a flight of stairs up and down.......the Venetians could be considered the inventors of the stairmaster. Somehow this gave me free rein to eat as much pasta and gelato as I wanted.
As gardeners, we have an insatiable need to journey forth to investigate other gardens...to see how others deal with their worlds. Italy is an inexhaustable source of inspiration for me, and this trip to Venice will count as a most wondrous experience........from the tiniest window boxes to the grandest campos........a gardener cannot help but be changed forever.
And, YES, the compost will wait until you get home.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Everyday Celebrations
Last night we celebrated the birthday of our dear friend and neighbor and it started me thinking. We went out for dinner and we laughed and talked, and during the course of the evening I looked around the table and had a realization of how fortunate I am in my life. Partner was regaling the table with another funny story; neighbor was laughing and talking about the birds in her yard and I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude.
Today is Palm Sunday, and for many, this in a celebration in anticipation of Easter. Passover is this week, and the stores are filled with the traditional macaroons and matza. April is filled with birthdays and spring is upon us. Everyday feels like a celebration.............and then I began thinking of all the celebrations I feel.........even the little momentary ones.......that brighten my life.
In the garden, the hellebores are having their first year blooms and I am celebrating! Lenten roses, and they are right on time.......funny how they know exactly when to send up those incredible irridescent blooms. We planted the "Lady Series": 'Blue Lady', 'Blue Mettalic Lady', 'Red Lady', 'White Lady'......they have always been a favorite of Partner, and I have always loved their subtle and discreet charm. So when we planted the second terrace, we created a colony of these beauties and just this weekend we celebrate their forthcoming!
A drive down 6A in Dennis yesterday revealed an entirely new appreciation for crocus. We have always taken our spring "daffodil drive" down 6A, but it usually occurs later in the season when the crowds of naturalized daffodils are in full tilt. But we found ourselves in Dennis yesterday under pewter grey skies, and as we rounded a curve, we saw a beautiful antique house sitting on an acre or so of rolling grounds.........with literally thousands of crocus blooming all through the grass! It was so amazing that Partner turned the car around for another pass and we were given to comparisons with Botticelli's Primavera.......it was a tapestry.....an overwhelming celebration.
Completely by chance, we found the Edward Gorey house sitting on the green in Yarmouthport so, seeing cars in the drive, we pulled in. Being huge fans of Mr. Gorey, we were overcome with the idea of seeing his home for the first time. Alas, it was closed until April 16, when they will open a new show.......so we made a mental note to return. Undaunted, I began walking the perimeter of the house peering into windows and increasing my anticipation for our return......Partner does not like this habit of mine. The Gorey house is arranged in an "ell" that extends into the property, and as I walked around the house, we discovered a huge Magnolia grandiflora with it's amazing green patent leaves in full glory tucked into the ell of the house! A truly amazing celebration of beauty and fortitude as I only know this magnolia to be a southern belle.
So, on this beautiful spring day, with slashes of crystal blue sky and all the amazing bulbs coming up, and so many reasons to be happy........I recommend a celebration. Celebrate the sky, celebrate the new pansies in the nursery, celebrate the laugh you got from your friends. As we were leaving our dinner last night, Neighbor put her arm in mine and said, with strong conviction: "LIFE IS GOOD." This understanding made for an amazing celebration.
Today is Palm Sunday, and for many, this in a celebration in anticipation of Easter. Passover is this week, and the stores are filled with the traditional macaroons and matza. April is filled with birthdays and spring is upon us. Everyday feels like a celebration.............and then I began thinking of all the celebrations I feel.........even the little momentary ones.......that brighten my life.
In the garden, the hellebores are having their first year blooms and I am celebrating! Lenten roses, and they are right on time.......funny how they know exactly when to send up those incredible irridescent blooms. We planted the "Lady Series": 'Blue Lady', 'Blue Mettalic Lady', 'Red Lady', 'White Lady'......they have always been a favorite of Partner, and I have always loved their subtle and discreet charm. So when we planted the second terrace, we created a colony of these beauties and just this weekend we celebrate their forthcoming!
A drive down 6A in Dennis yesterday revealed an entirely new appreciation for crocus. We have always taken our spring "daffodil drive" down 6A, but it usually occurs later in the season when the crowds of naturalized daffodils are in full tilt. But we found ourselves in Dennis yesterday under pewter grey skies, and as we rounded a curve, we saw a beautiful antique house sitting on an acre or so of rolling grounds.........with literally thousands of crocus blooming all through the grass! It was so amazing that Partner turned the car around for another pass and we were given to comparisons with Botticelli's Primavera.......it was a tapestry.....an overwhelming celebration.
Completely by chance, we found the Edward Gorey house sitting on the green in Yarmouthport so, seeing cars in the drive, we pulled in. Being huge fans of Mr. Gorey, we were overcome with the idea of seeing his home for the first time. Alas, it was closed until April 16, when they will open a new show.......so we made a mental note to return. Undaunted, I began walking the perimeter of the house peering into windows and increasing my anticipation for our return......Partner does not like this habit of mine. The Gorey house is arranged in an "ell" that extends into the property, and as I walked around the house, we discovered a huge Magnolia grandiflora with it's amazing green patent leaves in full glory tucked into the ell of the house! A truly amazing celebration of beauty and fortitude as I only know this magnolia to be a southern belle.
So, on this beautiful spring day, with slashes of crystal blue sky and all the amazing bulbs coming up, and so many reasons to be happy........I recommend a celebration. Celebrate the sky, celebrate the new pansies in the nursery, celebrate the laugh you got from your friends. As we were leaving our dinner last night, Neighbor put her arm in mine and said, with strong conviction: "LIFE IS GOOD." This understanding made for an amazing celebration.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Rain
I love the rain. I love the sound of rain. It calms me down. As a child, i remember the rain was always a calming influence on my mother too. Mom was a "doer" and she thought everyone should be "doing" too. So when the sun was shining there were cars to be washed, lawns to be mowed, leaves to be raked, errands to be done. But when it rained, she surrendered and we were left to our own choices. Sitting with my father surrounded by piles of books, the thought still brings me peace. I love the rain.
This morning it is raining in Provincetown. The sound of the drops on our tin roof is soothing and hypnotic. I love knowing that the garden is being saturated in anticipation of the growing season before us.
Yesterday we discovered our first daffodils of the season!!!! 'Tete-a-tete' growing under the 'New Dawn' roses against the wall that seems to gather the heat. Isn't it amazing that no matter how many times you see a daffodil........it always makes you smile. Crocus tomasianus is in full bloom in little colonies everywhere. I am learning the differences between snowdrop 'elwessi' and snowdrop 'nivalis'.........i am a romantic when it comes to the ancient crowds of snowdrops we see all over Provincetown huddling under hedgerows, or old oaks..........they are a complete joy.
Today we will stay in.......with our books and our projects and listen to the rain. What a glorious luxury! With an afternoon nap............it makes for a perfect day.
This morning it is raining in Provincetown. The sound of the drops on our tin roof is soothing and hypnotic. I love knowing that the garden is being saturated in anticipation of the growing season before us.
Yesterday we discovered our first daffodils of the season!!!! 'Tete-a-tete' growing under the 'New Dawn' roses against the wall that seems to gather the heat. Isn't it amazing that no matter how many times you see a daffodil........it always makes you smile. Crocus tomasianus is in full bloom in little colonies everywhere. I am learning the differences between snowdrop 'elwessi' and snowdrop 'nivalis'.........i am a romantic when it comes to the ancient crowds of snowdrops we see all over Provincetown huddling under hedgerows, or old oaks..........they are a complete joy.
Today we will stay in.......with our books and our projects and listen to the rain. What a glorious luxury! With an afternoon nap............it makes for a perfect day.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
THE POWER OF WHITE
It seems that this period of late winter into early spring can be the most frustrating of all. In deep winter, we can settle into the routine of rushing into the house and finding a favorite book or working on a project. In full spring, we have everything to see and do in the garden. But in this time between seasons, we can neither stay in the house nor the garden and we want so much to get going with all things green. The ground is not yet able to be worked, but the days have grown warmer and the snowdrops and crocus are tantalizing.
So, the creative gardener needs some distractions to get them through this interim period. A weekend in the city was an interesting contrast from the compost pile, and rife with possibility, so Partner and I set forth to be inspired.
The best kept secret in New York is Friday nights at the Metropolitan Museum. It is open until nine and there is no one there!!! And those that ARE there, are actually interested in the art they are looking at. We were anxious to see the Pierre Bonnard exhibit as his colors ans composition are a never ending source of expansion for us. But the painting that took us most by surprise was a large canvas in the center of the show entitled "White Interior". The luminosity of all the planes of white in this painting were mesmerizing! It pulled you in, like sitting in a quiet room, watching the afternoon sun cast moving shadows. White was powerful and strong and clarifying, yet very complex. Bonnard showed so many hues of white in this one painting it started me thinking.
So then we turned to one of our favorite artists for further guidance, Andrew Wyeth. In the book entitled, "Memory & Magic", on page 178, there is a painting called "Off at Sea". It is a symphony of white.......the shingles, the bench, the window sill, the clouds........Wyeth is a master of white................the mental wheels continued to turn.......
The next day, Partner and I ventured forth to the New York Botanical Garden to see the orchid show entitled "Brazilian Modern" and inspired by the work of Burle Marx. Now I am already a huge fan of orchids, but my tastes lean toward the more curious varieties. I love the flowers that resemble insects in colors of brown, olive green with hints of lavender or gold. I also like to view the plants growing on tree trunks or wrapping their aerial roots around moss covered rocks. So the large monochrome groupings of technicolor blossoms took me aback at first until i got into the spirit of the show. We came upon a huge wall of white phaleonopsis set cheek-by-jowl into moss - spectacular! With the natural light from overhead, the shadows cast on the blooms gave myriad shades of white...............the weekend was beginning to establish a theme: "THE POWER OF WHITE".
Now we all know the famous white garden created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson. Vita told us she chose white as her theme because the garden would be used primarily in the twilight hours, and the white flowers would be luminous in this light. I must confess, like many, i have been smitten by the simplicity and innate chic of this garden. Vita and Harold were able to reconcile a huge plant list by keeping to a monochrome color scheme.....and avoided the chaos that was possible.
On Commercial Street in Provincetown, there is a small garden that has become a favorite of mine for it's discretion, restraint and simplicity. It is a study in green texture with the fine glossy leaves of the Japanese holly hedge, the bank of oak-leaf hydrangeas, a rectangle of green lawn (tapis vert) and a grouping of iceberg roses. There is nothing more refreshing on a warm summer evening than a stroll to view this garden. Then, with ultimate taste, the designers of this garden have added the punctuation of a huge stand of 'David' phlox.........an incredible white cloud that rises from the green! Absolutely marvelous......perfect color, perfect placement, perfect balance.........THE POWER OF WHITE.
I have always admired restraint in people as well as gardens. As Diana Vreeland said: "elegance is restraint". But, unfortunately, I was born a hunter-and-gatherer......a collector. I struggle between aquiring, and organizing the aquisitions into some kind of pleasing composition. This is where I believe the "power of white" can bring a sense of serenity to the chaos. Snow-in-summer with it's optic white carpet, pee gee hydrangea, spirea "bridal wreath", "white trumpator" lily flowered tulips, 'David' phlox, digitalis 'alba' (white foxglove).........so many ways to incorporate the calming influence of white into every season.
So, this year, we will explore the clarifying properties of "white" in the landscape and the garden. If one cannot restrain..........one can at least calm by taking advantage of the "POWER OF WHITE".
It seems that this period of late winter into early spring can be the most frustrating of all. In deep winter, we can settle into the routine of rushing into the house and finding a favorite book or working on a project. In full spring, we have everything to see and do in the garden. But in this time between seasons, we can neither stay in the house nor the garden and we want so much to get going with all things green. The ground is not yet able to be worked, but the days have grown warmer and the snowdrops and crocus are tantalizing.
So, the creative gardener needs some distractions to get them through this interim period. A weekend in the city was an interesting contrast from the compost pile, and rife with possibility, so Partner and I set forth to be inspired.
The best kept secret in New York is Friday nights at the Metropolitan Museum. It is open until nine and there is no one there!!! And those that ARE there, are actually interested in the art they are looking at. We were anxious to see the Pierre Bonnard exhibit as his colors ans composition are a never ending source of expansion for us. But the painting that took us most by surprise was a large canvas in the center of the show entitled "White Interior". The luminosity of all the planes of white in this painting were mesmerizing! It pulled you in, like sitting in a quiet room, watching the afternoon sun cast moving shadows. White was powerful and strong and clarifying, yet very complex. Bonnard showed so many hues of white in this one painting it started me thinking.
So then we turned to one of our favorite artists for further guidance, Andrew Wyeth. In the book entitled, "Memory & Magic", on page 178, there is a painting called "Off at Sea". It is a symphony of white.......the shingles, the bench, the window sill, the clouds........Wyeth is a master of white................the mental wheels continued to turn.......
The next day, Partner and I ventured forth to the New York Botanical Garden to see the orchid show entitled "Brazilian Modern" and inspired by the work of Burle Marx. Now I am already a huge fan of orchids, but my tastes lean toward the more curious varieties. I love the flowers that resemble insects in colors of brown, olive green with hints of lavender or gold. I also like to view the plants growing on tree trunks or wrapping their aerial roots around moss covered rocks. So the large monochrome groupings of technicolor blossoms took me aback at first until i got into the spirit of the show. We came upon a huge wall of white phaleonopsis set cheek-by-jowl into moss - spectacular! With the natural light from overhead, the shadows cast on the blooms gave myriad shades of white...............the weekend was beginning to establish a theme: "THE POWER OF WHITE".
Now we all know the famous white garden created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson. Vita told us she chose white as her theme because the garden would be used primarily in the twilight hours, and the white flowers would be luminous in this light. I must confess, like many, i have been smitten by the simplicity and innate chic of this garden. Vita and Harold were able to reconcile a huge plant list by keeping to a monochrome color scheme.....and avoided the chaos that was possible.
On Commercial Street in Provincetown, there is a small garden that has become a favorite of mine for it's discretion, restraint and simplicity. It is a study in green texture with the fine glossy leaves of the Japanese holly hedge, the bank of oak-leaf hydrangeas, a rectangle of green lawn (tapis vert) and a grouping of iceberg roses. There is nothing more refreshing on a warm summer evening than a stroll to view this garden. Then, with ultimate taste, the designers of this garden have added the punctuation of a huge stand of 'David' phlox.........an incredible white cloud that rises from the green! Absolutely marvelous......perfect color, perfect placement, perfect balance.........THE POWER OF WHITE.
I have always admired restraint in people as well as gardens. As Diana Vreeland said: "elegance is restraint". But, unfortunately, I was born a hunter-and-gatherer......a collector. I struggle between aquiring, and organizing the aquisitions into some kind of pleasing composition. This is where I believe the "power of white" can bring a sense of serenity to the chaos. Snow-in-summer with it's optic white carpet, pee gee hydrangea, spirea "bridal wreath", "white trumpator" lily flowered tulips, 'David' phlox, digitalis 'alba' (white foxglove).........so many ways to incorporate the calming influence of white into every season.
So, this year, we will explore the clarifying properties of "white" in the landscape and the garden. If one cannot restrain..........one can at least calm by taking advantage of the "POWER OF WHITE".
Monday, March 16, 2009
I am a gardener. I do not profess to be a learned horticulturist or landscape architect. I am an amateur gardener who loves the company and the cultivation of plants and the solitude of my garden. When I first came to Provincetown over twenty years ago, I remember being seduced by the gardens and would spend many summer afternoons wandering the tiny streets and alleys looking through gates and over fences. Notebooks were filled with scribblings and thumbnail sketches of ideas I wanted to remember, and I would write down the addresses of noteable plants I wanted to keep track of, or a garden design I might try to emulate. My love for Provincetown grew with each trip back to town. And as the seasons changed, I was able to discover the many different facets of this town I am now blessed to call home.
Partner and I found our first garden in Provincetown deep in the West End just after September 11, 2001. In retrospect, we must have been running; trying to escape a cty that now seemed threatening. We had been dreaming of a place in town, but this event was our catalyst, and we made the move. The garden we inherited was the work of a talented and passionate gardener who, years before, had passed on. We felt sheltered by the huge old lilacs he had planted, and the smell of the sweet autumn clematis in bloom will forever be connected in my heart to this beautiful place. Possessed with a working knowledge of New England plants, this first garden was a primer on the special eco-system of Provincetown. We grew with the garden, and through trial and error, we followed the path of all relationships and learned from our successes and our failures. Our hollyhocks were one of our proudest moments. The Japanese anemones started to colonize, and the daffodils multiplied. The garden was a place of solace and peace; somewhere we could escape to, somewhere we could belong.
In 2007, we began a new garden from scratch. It is located closer to town, and has the close proximity of neighbors and neighborly things. We left the isolation and the privacy of the West End garden and are creating a space that is more part of a community; a true Town Garden. During these recent insecure times, the garden has helped us refocus on what is important in our life, and has given us a reniewed sense of purpose and creativity. With each new bulb, shrub or daylily, we are investing in something tangible.....something real. The training of the 'New Dawn' roses has made us optimistic about the future and our part in it. If they can climb up this huge trellis, then anything is possible.
A garden is a metapor for the life we lead and the world we live in. Some plants must have a specific soil to grow abundantly, and some plants are tenacious no matter what the obstacles. That is one reason I love incorporating wildflowers and natural species into the garden plan. Wildflowers are tough and adaptable. Like the wild asters that grow between the rocks at the Breakwater; their beautiful lavender blooms cover the rocks even though the plants have found only a small crevice in which to root. Not only are they able to grow, but they thrive! And then there is my favorite example of the wild artemesia growing out of the pavement at Herring Cove. I remember discovering her basking in the hot August sun, during a dry spell, growing through a crack in the asphalt only to reach her roots into the sand beneath. And yet her silvery leaves were celebrating her place on earth happily and triumphantly. This beautiful artemesia has shown me the power of perseverance; going on and going through no matter what the obstacles appear to be.
A garden is hope. A garden is an investment in the future. Every leaf, every seed is a gesture toward a better tomorrow........a more beautiful tomorrow
Partner and I found our first garden in Provincetown deep in the West End just after September 11, 2001. In retrospect, we must have been running; trying to escape a cty that now seemed threatening. We had been dreaming of a place in town, but this event was our catalyst, and we made the move. The garden we inherited was the work of a talented and passionate gardener who, years before, had passed on. We felt sheltered by the huge old lilacs he had planted, and the smell of the sweet autumn clematis in bloom will forever be connected in my heart to this beautiful place. Possessed with a working knowledge of New England plants, this first garden was a primer on the special eco-system of Provincetown. We grew with the garden, and through trial and error, we followed the path of all relationships and learned from our successes and our failures. Our hollyhocks were one of our proudest moments. The Japanese anemones started to colonize, and the daffodils multiplied. The garden was a place of solace and peace; somewhere we could escape to, somewhere we could belong.
In 2007, we began a new garden from scratch. It is located closer to town, and has the close proximity of neighbors and neighborly things. We left the isolation and the privacy of the West End garden and are creating a space that is more part of a community; a true Town Garden. During these recent insecure times, the garden has helped us refocus on what is important in our life, and has given us a reniewed sense of purpose and creativity. With each new bulb, shrub or daylily, we are investing in something tangible.....something real. The training of the 'New Dawn' roses has made us optimistic about the future and our part in it. If they can climb up this huge trellis, then anything is possible.
A garden is a metapor for the life we lead and the world we live in. Some plants must have a specific soil to grow abundantly, and some plants are tenacious no matter what the obstacles. That is one reason I love incorporating wildflowers and natural species into the garden plan. Wildflowers are tough and adaptable. Like the wild asters that grow between the rocks at the Breakwater; their beautiful lavender blooms cover the rocks even though the plants have found only a small crevice in which to root. Not only are they able to grow, but they thrive! And then there is my favorite example of the wild artemesia growing out of the pavement at Herring Cove. I remember discovering her basking in the hot August sun, during a dry spell, growing through a crack in the asphalt only to reach her roots into the sand beneath. And yet her silvery leaves were celebrating her place on earth happily and triumphantly. This beautiful artemesia has shown me the power of perseverance; going on and going through no matter what the obstacles appear to be.
A garden is hope. A garden is an investment in the future. Every leaf, every seed is a gesture toward a better tomorrow........a more beautiful tomorrow
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