Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Good for you

Yesterday was the kind of day that made me feel very sorry for anyone stuck indoors. High 60s, sunny blue sky, birds singing, bees buzzing: Exactly the kind of short-sleeves day we all desperately crave … Read more.

The weight of winter blooms

Gardeners are reputed to be an optimistic group but I think we might just be stubborn. Most of us at least are prone to occasional – usually weather related – bouts of pessimism, gloom-and-doom opinion … Read more.

Harlequin glory bower

One of the most asked about shrubs on the property is the one that nearly hits us all in the nose as we walk towards the North Garden from the mansion. The Harlequin glory bower … Read more.

Declaration of summer

In New England we’re allowed call it summer whenever the switch has been flicked from sweater weather to sweaty weather (starting this past Wednesday). As a Rhode Islander, I can call it summer on Memorial … Read more.

Spring into winter

Spring took two steps back last night. We didn’t get as much accumulation as predicted but it sure felt like winter. Even the birds, who have been so LOUD lately, observed the snow’s silence this … Read more.

Why the Rose Garden stinks

Usually when people enter the Rose Garden they take a deep breath in through the nose and heave a big blissed-out sigh of appreciation … Not today. The roses are still blooming; they are still … Read more.

Resisting the change

Now that it’s officially autumn, illuminated by an exquisitely timed harvest moon, blanketed in morning fog and wrapped in the katsura’s scent of burnt sugar, I am going to have to finally let go of … Read more.

Can you smell that?

I’m definitely on a fragrance kick lately. I don’t know if it’s that my nose is compensating for my other senses – I’m near sighted and I don’t always hear too well… Or if it’s … Read more.

Heaven scent

The air smells so pervasively sweet right now that it’s almost hard to identify which plants are producing all the fragrance. I have now stuck my nose in so many flowers, it’s probably a wonder … Read more.