a garden maker's notes

Songwriter Cheryl Wheeler sings “when fall comes to New England, the sun slants in so fine”.  Indeed, and misty mornings greet the superb range of coloring in this part- shade garden.  Rusts, yellows, greens, and blues all add to the texture of the different plant forms and masses. I always find it amazing that dying [...]

Reading this morning’s paper, I wonder at what I’m reading. Politics, violent unrest, people saving a farm stand, unique art exhibits that lead one inside oneself. I wonder what to make of what I read. How do i process this? How do I to use this information to make myself more—astute, kind, smarter, creative? Then, [...]

Out the kitchen door, to the right off the landing, I’ve positioned the compost bin for easy access. I’m rewarded with views of my back garden and this one of my front.  It’s a view of the front I only see from this angle so it’s a treat. Today I was rewarded by pink dianthus [...]

Mid-day yesterday I finally got outside to see what I had been admiring all morning from my office window. Not the best time of day to photograph, but today it’s about what I can share.  And I can share my delight in the red tulips that capture my attention with their vivid cheerfulness.  Coupled with [...]

The Boston Flower Show open through March 18th stimulates all your senses. I’ve so many great photos of  beautiful garden rooms with lovely details and features. Difficult to choose one photo, but the enchantment in the exhibit designed as a children’s garden featured above won my vote this morning. As a landscape exhibit Judge representing the [...]

Away over President’s Day holiday weekend, I returned to find the Witch Hazel ‘Arnold’s Promise’ in full bloom! This wonderful Hamamelis leads the way to springs’ bounty. Depending on the winter it blooms from anywhere from late January or early February to April. In last year’s record- setting cold and deep snow cover winter it [...]

Arriving at this home before this landscape renovation (see ‘before’ photo below), you may well wonder why this landscape needed renovation. After all, the lawn looks great and the plantings are okay. That’s it.  Just looked ok.  But the great lawn can’t make it a special place to live. Walking the path on a dry [...]

The garden’s a mess–the hard frost took out most of the perennial foliage. But look at what I see out my windows and as I travel the garden path. The first photo shows a close-up of the late fall foliage color. The planting composition you see below shows spirea  in yellow with brown flower remains, [...]

The Laceleaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Filicifolium’) looks great with or without snow in October.  The normally light green leaves become this rich “red” color in the fall. Often starting to “turn” at leaf’s edge in late August, this maple plays a starring role in this part of the garden. In early spring, its’ brilliant red [...]

Welcome to the side entry to this sanctuary garden retreat. Designed to provide privacy and special views from the new four season room, this garden also provides gathering spaces on the new lawn and in the courtyard area around the bend. You can see the field-stone stepping stone path at the edge of the photo. [...]