Spring In My Garden

I started working early in my garden today.  The sky was streaked with pink, orange and blue as the sun rose between the branches of my 40 yr. Old olive tree. Mocking birds were singing, there are so many different songs from this one incredible bird. As I wander through the pathways of the garden I find the deep purple Dutch iris and pink freesias blooming, they are such a brief bit of spring color but so worth it.  There is a stand of white freesias further out by the lawn, heavy with blossoms, they need a wire frame to support them....   Continue Reading

Day Three – Three Days in Rio

 A tour of the Rio Botanic Garden w/ Lais Tammela, 

Lais is a biologist and a certified tour guide with Tours by Locals. She grew up near the garden and often visited throughout her childhood. During her years as an educator, she brought her students here, conducting research of lichen growth on the royal palm walk, comparing the lichen as the trees progressed from the street to further back into the forest.  Immediately we were excited to have her guide us around the garden....   Continue Reading

Topiary Park, Columbus, Ohio

“a landscape of a painting of a landscape” 

Wander into the painting
Topiary Park in Columbus Ohio is an amazing landscape.  It is in the words of its creator, James T Mason, “a landscape of a painting of a landscape. … If an artist can paint a picture of a landscape — art mimicking nature — then why not a sculptor creating a landscape of a work of art — nature mimicking art? The topiary garden is both a work of art and a work of nature.”...   Continue Reading

Daffodils, Jonquils, Narcissus, Oh My!

For those of us who love flowers, it is hard to imagine anything more delightful than Daffodils. This sunny yellow flower trumpets the return of spring showing up in gardens, paintings, and poems. Its arrival promises to end gray winter days.  If they are not sprouting up in your garden, you may find bundles of closed buds appearing in markets in early March. We snatch them up to bring the promise of sunshine into our homes. They are for me an addiction, I am determined to see them open and believe in the season to soon follow.  The sweet scent entices me to close my eyes and think of green shoots, fertile soil and blue skies. Addiction may be the right word as “Victorians once thought the scent of daffodils to be as dangerous as any narcotic.” (Kingsbury) We truly can be made to be fearful of anything....   Continue Reading

Oh the gardens you will find!

We’ve been traveling in New Zealand for just a week and already I’ve been asked “Do you ever get tired of visiting gardens?” Exploring the world through gardens brought me here.  How can anyone get tired of seeing such incredible beauty, creativity, and passion of gardeners?...   Continue Reading

Peace Gardens

Writings

As I began my garden travels in August I fled the high temperatures of the Valley and I fled from the highly charged political debate engulfing our country.  I longed for peace in a garden as only nature could bring.   As our country and the world grapple with so many conflicts I try to remember conflict is part of life. Peace Gardens remind me citizens throughout the world see gardens as a path to peace....   Continue Reading