Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Old and New Favorites for the Summer Garden
In January, when planning our designs for the gardens on the cold winter’s days, Betsy, Joe and I look for interesting new plants that we feel visitors would appreciate. Our winter plant hunts in the … 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.
The Bristol Summerhouse
An Archives volunteer recently brought a magazine article to share with us. It was “Focal Points” by Garden Antiques dealer, Barbara Israel. She describes a visit to Winterthur to see an exhibit called “Follies: Architectural … Read more.
Plant patience
There are always a couple exceptional plants whose brilliance you wait for from the second they stop blooming the previous year. In the wintertime, it’s the mental images of these plants that keeps you going. … 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.
Observing Nature
Noticing the natural world is an everyday occurrence when you spend time outdoors. As gardeners, we see the strong connection between plants and animals, we happen upon curiosities and are simply awestruck by many new … Read more.
Bring The Heat
When you think of flowering trees, you probably picture dogwoods, magnolias, cherries and crabapples. Yes, these plants are very beautiful, common, and bloom throughout the various phases of spring. However, there are many other flowering … 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.
Noise on the Natives
This week, June 17-24, is National Pollinator week. It is a time to celebrate pollinators, as well as start the conversation on how to protect them. People often overlook the importance of pollinators and just … Read more.