Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Color after Labor Day

It’s not my intention with this post to brag but we’ve still got a lot of color in the gardens. So many visitors seem surprised by that – and as shocked as if we were … Read more.

Picking up steam

I’d like to take just a moment to fulfill my duty as a New Englander and complain about the weather. For the past week or two it’s been hot. And not only has it been … Read more.

Bee-lated update

I’ve been meaning to tell you about Fred and Dan’s discovery for a few weeks now but keep getting distracted by garden tours, award worthy blooms, days off and other shiny things. A month or … Read more.

Downhill from here

With the summer solstice behind us and all of the gardens planted, we’ve officially turned the corner and begun the  slide into summer. Now if we could just switch the weather machine to its summer … Read more.

Reading the future

Positive visualization is a skill we gardeners get a lot of practice in. I think for any of us, whether we’re planting one or two things or designing beds, visualization goes way beyond garden-variety optimism … Read more.

Closing the gap

As gaps go, this wasn’t a bad one in my book. Just now I seem to prefer a garden in budded transition – I think it satisfies my need for a glass is half full … Read more.

Emerge

Take a pretty close look right about now and you’ll see it everywhere – spring is just poking it’s head out of the ground.  The daffodils are 4 or 5 inches tall in some places, … Read more.

Sow chilly

I’ve gone soft.  The thaw we had a couple of weeks ago has totally ruined me for the rest of winter.  I can’t go outside in the freeze anymore without complaining every bit as bitterly … Read more.

Heliotropium arborescens

When I first started at Blithewold I wasn’t the biggest fan of heliotrope.  It’s been a Rose Garden staple since way before my time, and I developed an almost instant aversion to it.  I found … Read more.

Is that your final answer?

Gail and I have been focused for the last couple of weeks on the seed orders and for the past couple of days we’ve been editing choices, paring down ideas, trimming the fat and trying … Read more.