Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Lotus Appreciation
It’s the time of year for cutting back the gardens, hunkering down indoors, and contemplating all we are so thankful for this season. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) . This was … Read more.
Along the Garden Path
Fruit of the Fall Walking down the garden path this week is staff horticulturist, Joe Verstandig. When fall finally arrives, it is simply impossible not to notice the brilliant colors that sweep through the trees. … Read more.
Along the Garden Path
Leaves Aplenty Walking along a path sprinkled with fallen leaves releases my inner child-like nature. It may be the familiar crunch under foot or the shuffling tendency of my feet to brush the excess … Read more.
Hold Onto Your Leaves
October’s glorious foliage gives way to November’s leaf drop. All the beautiful leaves are now dancing around our feet as we walk the paths. Crunching leaves is such a satisfying sensation. However, if you are … Read more.
fall spectacular
There’s been a flurry of bulb-planting activity here the past few weeks. Fall is like a mirror image of spring for a gardener. Everything you worked so hard to create is taken apart and put … Read more.
Along the Garden Path
Nature’s Beauties Great and Small A walk along the garden path this time of year will have your gaze upwards instead of at garden eye level. The peaking fall foliage of specimen trees on … Read more.
Captain George A. Lyon
George Lyon was a captain in World War I. In July 1918, as he waited for orders to Europe, he wrote a touching letter to his wife, Marjorie, “…a farewell note to tell you how … Read more.
Along the Garden Path
Autumn Light, Bird Calls, Unearthing Toads Two perennial late-blooming favorites, Chrysanthemum ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’ and Aster ageratoides ‘Ezo Murasaki’, are taking the cool weather in stride. Their flowers stand out in the sparse gardens and … Read more.
The Wait
When October turns the corner towards Halloween, I feel The Wait begin. Frost is on the horizon. Some parts of Rhode Island have had frost in the last week. Blithewold is in one of the … Read more.
Along the Garden Path
Gardener’s Optimism, a Cereus Surprise and Metasequoia Flowers What a difference a week makes! After hauling in the greenhouse plants on a warm, humid day, we now have a chill in the air and frost … Read more.