Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Dahlia Dreams

October is secretly a beautiful month in the garden. The moderate daytime and nighttime temperatures make for an extended season of blooms. Dahlias especially appreciate this change of pace. They are no lovers of our … Read more.

Exceptional Private Gardens Open for One Day

If ever there was a pandemic trend I could get behind, it is the fact that more and more people are gardening. Being in the garden has allowed so many of us to get back … Read more.

Bee-Loved

Pollinator Week in the US always seems a little early for us here in the northeast. Traditionally celebrated the last full week of June, Pollinator Week is a time to remember how important pollinators (and … Read more.

Highs and lows

Today we reached the point in the season when it truly feels like summer.  It’s hot and humid outside and we are waiting on another thunderstorm to possibly roll through the area.  What better time … Read more.

Everything is Beautiful

Roses.  Roses.  Roses.  Everything is so rosy here at Blithewold!  This is my fifth season working with Gail in the gardens, and I find myself blown away by the roses once again.  Last week I … Read more.

Showers and flowers

April showers (and May showers and June showers) bring lots of flowers!  Yes, I know it’s been a chilly spring full of rainy days and nights, but all the rain is a blessing to our … Read more.

From planning to planting

I am so ready to see the sun!  After the drought last summer, I didn’t think I’d ever grow tired of rain again, but here I am.  It’s not so much that I don’t want … Read more.

Dreamy dahlias

Happy autumn!  The light shifts and the nights get cooler, but there is still so much color here in the gardens.  A lot of that color comes from dahlias and sages (Salvia spp.), which are … Read more.

Color vision

  Every once in a while, the plans we make for a garden turn out just as we hoped.  That perfection doesn’t happen quite as often as I would like, but the unpredictable factor in … Read more.

The News

I love new plants.  It always feels a little bit like Christmas morning when I see a new plant come into flower for the first time–except I have to be patient as it unwraps itself. … Read more.