Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Dahlia Dreams
October is secretly a beautiful month in the garden. The moderate daytime and nighttime temperatures make for an extended season of blooms. Dahlias especially appreciate this change of pace. They are no lovers of our … Read more.
Summer Simmers in September
When September rolls around, many think of school and an end to all the fun that can be had in summer. But, truly, summer lives on in the gardens. With fall not starting until September … Read more.
How to Use Color in the Garden
It is about this time each year that I become enamored with all the color in the gardens. Soft blues and lavenders, bright reds and oranges, pretty pinks and everything in between. I’ve written and … Read more.
Full bloom
When the weather heats up, the flowers come at you fast. Sometimes it seems like a plant will grow six inches overnight. The dahlias we planted a few weeks ago are already blooming. The sweet … Read more.
Exceptional Private Gardens Open for One Day
If ever there was a pandemic trend I could get behind, it is the fact that more and more people are gardening. Being in the garden has allowed so many of us to get back … Read more.
Emphatic, Glorious spring
May arrives with armfuls of bouquets in her arms. Tulips, tulips, and more tulips. We love making color combinations for our gardens each year and testing out new varieties in the Idea Gardens for future … Read more.
Spring Returns
The time is here! The daffodils are beginning to bloom. From ‘Little Gem’ to ‘Ice Follies’ to ‘King Alfred’ and ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, flowers are emerging all over the property. They are not alone, either. … Read more.
Rewarded Patience
The meeting of winter and spring is a humbling time of year. There are days when we go out confidently feeling that spring is here, but March reminds us “Not yet”. Winter’s fingers have not … Read more.
Winter Blooms
In late February, just as my spirit is beginning to get bogged down with ice and snow, hope appears very low to the ground. So low, in fact, that I usually have to lie on … Read more.
Garden Vision
We are here. Dead of winter. Everything looks brown and cold and lifeless. Or does it? The longer I garden, the more easily I can see the future garden in the plants at rest. It … Read more.