Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Bulb Security

Spring is upon us. The temperatures have risen to sweatshirt-friendly and, slowly but surely, the life hidden within the earth begins to emerge. All the hard work the volunteers and garden crew put in last … Read more.

April Anticipation

I always get fuzzy about lions and lambs in March. Is it always one or the other? (In like a lion, out like a lamb. In like a lamb, out like a lion.) March represents … Read more.

March-ing into Spring

Spring reappears as if from the dead. The winter rest is ending. The first spring bulbs have now emerged and delight us with their long-awaited blooms. The bulbs we planted last October have risen from … Read more.

March Mudness

As basketball fans anticipate March Madness, gardeners anticipate the mud season as a final mental toughness test for the time between late winter and early spring. March’s muddiness can be just another hoop to jump … Read more.

Cut Of Life

As we continue to hunker down in the greenhouse through, dare I say it, what will hopefully be the last of the snow and ice, the future of glorious gardens is being determined. While the … Read more.

The Fine Details

It’s astonishing how much time passes as I examine and admire the fine details of tree twigs. In the winter, a bare tree is just a bare tree from a distance, but upon closer inspection, … Read more.

Sweet Surprises

The day before the start of March, February has hit us with another round of snow. It is light, white, and fluffy. As much as I dislike the chill of winter, it’s hard to be … Read more.

Winter’s Walk

All it took for Betsy and me to be out the door on a chilly day was Joe to say that he just thought he heard an owl in the water garden.  I have not … Read more.

Brave Souls

I like to think that the creators of our current calendar were trying to be kind when they made February the shortest month of the year. In all truthfulness, March has historically been my least … Read more.

The Optimism of a Gardener

Vita Sackville-West, the owner and co-creator of the great English garden Sissinghurst, wrote, “The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising and never satisfied. They always look forward to … Read more.