Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Flower-of-an-hour

I don’t know if all of our recent focus on potentially devastating weather is the cause of it, but this week I found myself particularly interested in one of the most easy-come/easy-go plants in our … Read more.

Irene, goodnight

All in all, we were very lucky here. A few trees came down, a bunch of big limbs, and a million-gazillion twigs but nothing extra-precious was lost. There was no damage to any building or … Read more.

An eye on Irene

Along with everyone else along the Eastern Seaboard, we’re battening down the hatches and doing whatever we can to prepare for what looks to be a sizable storm. Some of us (that’s me) can’t help … Read more.

Close encounters

Being surrounded by beautiful flowers, interesting foliage and delicious fragrance is great and all but I think the best reason to grow a garden might be for the privilege of sharing it with a few … Read more.

All grown up

I think I might have an inkling of how parents feel when they realize that their babies have grown up. It seems like the garden is suddenly full of teenagers. I have to crane my … Read more.

A Very Blithewold Wedding

Blithewold has got to be one of the prettiest places for a wedding: there’s nothing like being surrounded by on all sides by a glorious garden, and framed by a sweeping view of the Bay … Read more.

Fresh perspective

The other day when Fred and Dan had the ladder out they invited me up on the north porch roof for a look at the North Garden. I’m a little bit scared of heights and … Read more.

Finding relief from the heat

It’s been pretty hot here lately – unpleasant enough that we gave the volunteers the week off – but this morning, even at dawn, the sun had a particularly malevolent look in its eyes. The … Read more.

Excitement at Blithewold, Summer 1899

In August 1899 there was a flurry of excitement on Narragansett Bay, all played out in the waters off Blithewold. The Herreshoff boat-building company in Bristol had built a yacht that they intended to sail in … Read more.

A perfect partnership

Ever since Dick, our vegetable gardener extraordinaire, first joined his wife Mary in the Blithewold gardens, we’ve had more produce than we know what to do with. (Dick orders the vegetable seeds, starts them, plants … Read more.