Sitting on a Paris bench in May I was enjoying a view of the Eiffel Tower. The beds of the park had been freshly dug exposing the rich dark soil and I knew colorful summer plants would be arriving soon. An elderly woman came walking through the grass pulling her shopping cart. She stopped at the flower bed. In the bright light of day she removed her red trowel and a plastic shopping bag. Bending over she began carefully filling the bag with fresh soil.
Category: Garden Articles
Garden of Heart, Art & Flower
“The ongoing relationship of a human being with a certain plot of ground is at its heart a romance, for to garden honestly is to fall in love, in love with the rhythms and miracles of nature, in love with life itself.” Scott Ogden, The Moonlit Garden
Changing the View
September to December
If you ever indulge yourself in the Home and Garden TV fantasy experience of an entire remodel in less than an hour you realize, in more rational moments, life isn’t like that. Living through a major garden redesign is one of those events that remind you what reality really looks and feels like.
Rich’s Workshop
Rich works with metal, wood, tile and glass. He likes to figure things out, he measures so carefully, to the 64th of an inch. Here he is in mid project of some of the work he has done for the garden.
Military Tanks Among the Flowers
In all my wandering through beautiful gardens I never expected to see a row of military tanks landscaped with potted plants. A collection of 11 army tanks ranging from a 1917 WWI vehicle to the Abrahams tank of Desert Storm line up as if ready for inspection. The big guns now silent, sit under the shade of large oak trees. In Catigny Park, 30 miles west of Chicago, there is just such a scene. It startled me. It made me stop, sit down and think about military equipment in a beautiful garden. But then the profit of travel and exploring gardens is learning and here I had much to learn.
Loving Santa Fe
Santa Fe – Fans already know that the climate, creativity, culture, and cuisine are reasons enough to visit this unique city. If you needed another reason to love Santa Fe, you have it now in the newly opened Botanical Garden. This special garden adds another level of enchantment for this high desert region, especially for gardeners!
Trees Drop Stuff!
The season changes and the leaves of summer’s lovely shade begin to fall, prompting a collective groan as gardeners from the east coast to the west reach for the rake. Falling in red, yellow and brown, the leaves float down, crackling underfoot as you walk along. Yet you might count yourself lucky if leaves are all your trees drop.
Down the Garden Path
Walking a path into a new garden is an exciting moment filled with anticipation. Map in hand, you scout the areas and choose the path you will follow. You are ready to enjoy new sights, sounds and smells.. Before you charge ahead after looking down at the map, look further down and notice the path!
Self Realization Lake Shrine Meditation Garden
When the intense heat of summer kicks in we find ourselves hiding from the sun. Physically the heat slows us down, it strains our brain and finally our spirits wilt. We need our garden for green and shade, with a bit of water rippling by and a breeze to cool us down. Hopefully you find this right outside your back door, if not search for it in your travels.
What would a gardener do?
When the lottery jackpot grows large we are entertained by stories of speculation as to how a lucky winner might spend the prize. Well, what would a gardener with a passion for beauty and nature do with unlimited funds? Robert Allerton, born in 1893, won the lottery in a sense as he was the only heir to a great fortune accumulated by his father Samuel. “Samuel Allerton amassed more than 80,000 acres of farmland across the Midwest. The elder Allerton was a founding principal of the First National Bank of Chicago, and held prominent leadership positions in five major stockyards, including the Union Stockyards of Chicago.” (Allerton Park website) Robert worked tirelessly to spend the vast fortune that he inherited. His constant effort produced two incredible gardens and major donations to both the Chicago Art Institute (6600 items) and the Honolulu Museum of Art.