Gardens
A small, intimate garden
I went over to Olana the other day looking for trees that had big leaves. I needed a leaf to use as a lid on a glass water container for tea. Here you can see the leaves I collected. The vase is the squiggly shaped glass object - designed by Alvaro Alto. Olana, which...
Spring to do list
Finally spring is here. Temperatures today were in the 70's. Low tonight in the 40's. I've finally turned off my heat. Most everything in the garden is showing signs of life. Here's my 'to do list' for the next day or two... 1) Leigh - ask to borrow his seiza bench...
Spring is here
It's a very late spring and still cold, but how wonderful - the magnolia, cherry and daffodils are just now blooming. At last! In February I started looking for signs of spring. The Witch Hazel blooms first in the midst of snow. As the weather started to warm and the...
Lots of greenery
Evergreens are essential for a year round garden. I’ve planted Japanese Black Pines, Hemlocks and Plum Yew. Hemlocks are native to the surrounding woods. I love their lacy, delicate boughs. They like shade and grow well here. For the outer Roji I planted three Boxwood...
Stones are priceless
Stones are priceless in Japan. I"ve seen gardens created in the 16th century that have stones and rocks imported from far away that are worth their weight in gold. Seriously. It"s part of the statement of a lord or king"s garden - or in Japan"s case - the Shogun"s...
Spring wish list
It"s almost February and today it"s snowing. I"m starting to put together my spring wish list.
The garden in winter
The garden should look wonderful in all seasons of the year. The evergreens at this time are the focal point: the round Boxwood balls, the floppy leaves of the Hemlock and the graceful structure of the Japanese Pines stand out in the spare winter landscape. It's at...
One of my favorite gardens only minutes away
Blithwood is the ultimate romantic, hidden garden on the banks of the Hudson River with views of the Catskill Mountains beyond. The Italianate garden is walled on three sides with a small reflecting pool in the center. The garden sits below a turn-of-the-century...
I think this is brilliant
I study gardens. Every summer I sign up for the Garden Conservancy Open House tours. This year I went over to Connecticut, about an hour away to suss out Bunny Williams garden. It's awesome. She has lots of land and many gardeners so she's been able to make a woodland...
