Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Monarch Update
About a month ago I wrote about how to make your garden more pollinator-friendly (you can find that here). We had just found approximately 15 monarch caterpillars on the swamp milkweed in the North Garden. … Read more.
September’s Seasonal Celebration
Sunny September days are my absolute favorite. Gail and I are constantly talking about how much we love this month. The gardens are glorious, the weather is very close to perfect, and we (try) to … Read more.
September Burns Brightly
Though summer is beginning to fade, the gardens are bigger and better than ever. The moderate September temperatures bring the best blooms into flower. It is still summer here and the flowers have not forgotten. … Read more.
Pollinator-friendly
Every garden can be a pollinator garden. It does not need to look “messy” or wild or be composed completely of native plants. (I personally love a slightly wild look to a garden.) I want … Read more.
The Value of a Garden
Lately I’ve been mulling over the importance of gardens and gardening. It will come as no surprise that they are valuable to me, being that I have chosen horticulture as my profession. But what is … Read more.
Lotus Love
When August arrives we all take a moment to reflect on the gardens as the heat forces us to slow down a bit. I am so grateful for our tropical plant collection when the intense … Read more.
Midsummer Magic
I have been overwhelmed with the gardens this week. “Overwhelmed” is a word often given a negative connotation in today’s language. The word originally comes from Middle English with the meaning “to turn upside down.” … Read more.
A Garden to Call Home
Visitors often ask if I have a garden at home. The truth is that I live in a small apartment in the city and have a few favorite annuals in containers outside and a small … Read more.
Poppies Forever
The Shirley poppies (Papaver rhoeas) are one of the most ephemeral and beautiful parts of the gardens. The flowers are here for a day or two and then form seed heads where the soft-as-silk petals … Read more.
Pollinators
It’s National Pollinator Week and I wanted to take a minute to talk about how connected the gardens at Blithewold are to all wildlife. We focus on growing beautiful gardens to inspire you, but we … Read more.