132 inches (and counting) of snow is too much for this southern girl. I needed a little Flower Power today to get me through February. Happy Wordless Wednesday!

: )  Michelle

Introducing… Maurice and Geraldine- my boxwood topiary ducks. Shown below is their before and after pictures. The before picture was taken in the spring of this past year.  The after photo was taken just last week after their late summer trim.

Maurice is a bit sparse in the head and neck due to a teensie bit of winter kill. He lost his head last year and it’s slowly growing back in. Topiary challenges my patience. One must wait and be hopeful, trusting in the plants’ ability to fill in and reach towards the sun. Thankfully I have so many other things vying for my attention that I can just walk away and leave the growing to him.

My family lived in Dallas, TX until I was 4 yrs old. I had a lovely babysitter named Joy and she had two gigantic white ducks in her backyard named… you’ll never guess- Maurice and Geraldine. This is my little homage to them.

Maurice and Geraldine have their own pond that the dogs, Oliver and Gracie, think is their personal water dish. I don’t mind. The rain continually keeps it full. Do you have a Maurice and Geraldine or a Rocco and Henrietta– a favorite pet or animal that needs a presence around your home? Any chance that you have a boxwood or yew that you’d like to experiment with? Why not add a little whimsy to your landscape?

Shown above is a photo of a Korean boxwood that I have been growing right outside the entrance to the studio. I keep asking myself “what does it want to be?”  Strangely I hear “a teapot” but I’m trying to ignore that since I’m really not a teapot kinda gal… not that I don’t like my tea, mind you. I haven’t decided. But I do know that I’m getting ready to sculpt it into something… so stay tuned. What does it say to you? What kind of topiary do you think it wants to be?

For more information on growing boxwood check out the American Boxwood Society.

Hey, have you heard about Slow Food USA. I like what they stand for… making lunches in schools healthy for children and teaching people about the slow/whole food movement. This weekend they are encouraging folks to participate in a DIG IN. Here’s what it’s all about…

On Saturday, September 25th,  something groundbreaking is happening near you. In Berkeley they’re building a chicken coop, in Chattanooga they’re helping local farmers with their harvest, in Atlanta they’re planting fruit trees at two local schools.

It’s all part of “Dig In” – a day to break ground at gardens and community events, then break bread at the end of the day to celebrate.

Whether it’s building a garden in your local school, helping feed the hungry at a food bank, or pitching in at a backyard harvest, Dig In events will be a fun way to connect with like-minded people in your area – or an excuse for a great day out with your friends!
It could be as small as you and your kids weeding your own garden, or as large as building a school greenhouse (they’re doing it in Missouri!) – the important thing is to celebrate our community and food traditions, and then to sit down at the end of the day together for a great meal.

All over the country on September 25th people will be breaking ground then breaking bread.  It’s part of being a powerful grassroots movement that can bring about the change we want to our entire food system – and have a great time in the process, helping our communities!

So click here to find out what’s already happening in your town, or click here to create your own event.

Farmboy and I have a dinner club event on the 25th so we will not be participating in the Dig In this year but I will plan on it for next year. Check into what is going on in your area! All of the cool kids are doing it!
Michelle

A couple of times a year our neighbors down the street open their gardens to the public to benefit our local nature center Baltimore Woods. I have been attending with Junebug (my mom) on Mother’s day since The Bean was tiny enough to fit into a Baby Bjorn. This is the first time that I have visited the gardens in the Fall.

George and Karen Hanford have created a local treasure in our community. While the gardens are covered in tulips during the Mother’s day tour, the conifers, hydrangeas, ornamental grasses and hostas were the stars at this time of the year. Unfortunately the deciduous trees have not turned yet. That will be breathtaking I’m sure.

So join me for some beauty and inspiration. You won’t be disappointed!

There were many hydrangeas (Pee Gee and Tardiva) blooming and the butterflies were abundant.

Isn’t she beautiful? I love the weeping Norway Spruce next to her repeating her downcast posture.

Don’t we all need some wild boars in the garden?

The bridge to the Koi Pond.

Love this pathway through the pond. It is always a huge hit with the kids on Mother’s Day.

Junebug and I thought these guys looks like a gathering of hooded monks.

The stone from this castle in progress came from the old Jamesville Penitentiary .

The entrance to the Aborvitae Maze.

One of the many beautiful bronzes that grace the property.

Aren’t these Morning Light grass hedges great? They remind me of two giant fuzzy catepillars!

The children’s garden.

Oak alley – a series of English Oaks.

One of the things that I love about this garden is the use of conifers. Although there is nothing blooming in this photograph, the contrasting colors, textures and sizes of the plant material with the natural stone creates a varied, pleasing serene landscape.

One of my favorite sculptures.

Me and the lady who started it all… my love of gardening, that is. Junebug. It began when I was a little girl planting petunias next to her in the red soil of Mississippi. Most of the perennials in my garden now began as off shoots from her beautiful garden in Pittsford, NY. Whenever we get together for a visit, we take our strolls around each others garden discussing what has changed and of course what needs to be done because it is never finished.  From her I inherited the terrible sickness that I refer to as Gottahavethatplant-itis. It’s when you would rather have a new plant than a new pair of shoes! Gasp! It’s true. Where is the doctor? : )

On with the tour…

There are many gongs and bells hanging throughout the gardens.

For more information on Sycamore Hill Gardens please visit their website http://www.sycamorehillgardens.com

I was so happy with my first tomato this summer that I had to document it!  Isn’t it a beauty? I must say that it was delicious and I’ve eaten a tomato and basil sandwich EVERY day since they’ve ripened. Yum.

I am very inexperienced with fruit trees and have no desire to spray them. To my surprise one of the two apple trees that I planted last year was ladened with apples! Some of them have some scab (I’ll save those for the horses) but many of them are lovely. A friend whose father has had fruit orchards for many years has stopped spraying his trees and I am very encouraged that perhaps I will be able to forgo treating them chemically. My theory in the garden is to plant more than I need knowing that some veggies/fruits will succumb to pest. In the end there is plenty for our family, friends and extended family – no chemical treatments necessary. I have finally gotten used to knocking off bugs/slugs into soapy water… I suppose there are worse ways to go! Still gives me the major Willies. What are some of your favorite garden treatments?

Oops! This post went from artwork to gardening in no time flat! It often happens around here. More art and less gardening coming soon! : )

Hi Friends! I wanted to post a quick note about AmpleHarvest.org and encourage those of you who have grown extra produce in your gardens this summer to consider finding a local food pantry and donating some of your excess produce to families who have been hit hard by the economy.

I did a quick search by entering my zip code on their website and found 3 food pantries within 12 miles of me. Pretty neat. So when your family has had enough of those zucchini, squash or whatever… go here and find a place where your excess will be greatly appreciated!

Big thanks to my twitter friends at TheSoilSisters.com for posting info about AmpleHarvest.org and reminding me to share the blessings! Check them out… you will be glad that you did.

Have a great day!

Michelle

Are these guys the cutest things you have ever seen?! What personality in those little faces and bodies. The lovely and talented landscape designer Deborah Silver from Detroit Garden Works contacted me regarding doing some custom work featuring her two little scamps. I went ga-ga over Deborah’s beautiful gardens, Italian pots and charming pups. I think my exact words were “Drool, drool”. Poetic, I know. Art is my gift, words… perhaps, are not.

If you are in the Detroit area you should stop by Detroit Garden Works and meet the celebrities, Milo and Howard. I hear they are quite a hit. Customers often visit the store with their dogs… don’t you just love that! I wish I lived closer. They would totally have to kick me out at closing time. Be sure to visit Deborah’s blog Dirt Simple filled with lots of info and garden eye candy. I loved the before and after Riverside landscape project and the Spring pots with pansies and lettuce. Great idea!

The Corgi design will be soon be available in notecards, limited edition prints, limited edition pillows, linen towels, lavender sachets and linen cocktail napkins. See pictures below for references of Deborah’s beautiful gardens and Corgis!

I got alittle crazy and put it all together! Couldn’t help it.

My nightstand is piled high with vegetable gardening references this time of year. I cross reference everything since I might miss some juicy tidbit that could revolutionize my gardening plans. For instance, I purchased a charming little artichoke this year at a garden center. I’ve not seen them available here in central New York before. What a thrill! So of course I came home and read everything that has ever been written about growing them. Unfortunately my research enlightened me to the bizarre knowledge that I have to “trick” the plant into thinking that it is two years old. If you know me you know that I not good at tricks, pranks, poker, OR jokes for that matter. The trickery is written all over my face. I may as well have my forehead tattooed saying that I am not telling the truth. It’s a gift or a curse- not sure which.

Back to the artichoke- Artie, of course. I have told him that he is behaving like a 2 year old. The pouting and wilting has got to stop. I think he believes me at this point.  If he puts on buds I’m pretty sure that I will have succeeded in the plant trickery. I try to look at another plant when I discuss the Artie’s age so that my face will not give away my untruthfulness. I even feel guilty writing about it.

Upon a little internet research I have found that there is such a thing as Plant Trickery. There are plants that disguise themselves using their appearance or fragrance. We all know of the sneaky Venus Fly Trap and Pitcher Plant who lure clueless bugs they want to snack on. Talk about deception!  In either case THEY are the ones doing the tricking. For our purposes we will disregard this type of trickery since this is a post about tricking THEM.

If you have plants that you need to… let’s say, “disguise the truth” to here are some guidelines that you may want to follow.

• Be kind. No plant likes being made a fool of. Do not ruin the trust you have built- the roots of your relationship if you will.
• Wear glasses when telling the plant the necessary false information. If no sunglasses or groucho marx glasses are available, it may be necessary to avert your eyes. Remember your eyes are the windows to your soul.
• Add some fertilizer. A little manure can help the trickery go down easier and “take”.
• Tell the subjects’ neighbors to keep a leaf on it. Even if they know the truth they are not allowed to share it or “snip-snip”.
• Lastly, when all else fails embrace your plant just as he or she is and call it a day. Life is too short to stress or not adore and embrace what you have.