Last weekend LaLa, Junebug and I took a nice walk through the historic Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY. I thought you might enjoy some beautiful images of the fantastic fall foliage in Central New York and some Upstate history as well.

The cemetery was founded in 1838 and covers 196 beautifully landscaped hilly acres. It is one of the first rural/garden cemeteries in the US. Most weekends informative tours are held by the Friends of Mount Hope to educate the public on the importance of Mt. Hope and many of its famous residents including; Susan B. Anthony, Fredrick Douglass, John Bausch and Henry Lomb, Margaret Woodbury Strong and horticulture scientist George Ellwanger.

But, of course! I have just completed an order of notecards, linen guest towels, sachets and beautiful pillows for the Newport Restoration Foundation featuring what else but three topiary camels.  I am very fortunate to be able to work with some wonderful organizations like the Restoration Foundation.

I was approached to do a design featuring the topiary camels (shown at top) on Doris Duke’s estate Rough Point in Newport, Rhode Island. The topiaries appear to be iron frames planted with soil, moss and various succulents.  They are replanted annually and “dressed” according to the theme of the awards presentation at Rough Point. They have even been known to wear pearls!

Shown above is a completed pillow and the coordinating notecards available for purchase through the Restoration Foundation. The accompanying information provided by the organization reads: The purchase of the items mentioned above will support preservation efforts organized by grants through the Newport Restoration Foundation in Newport, R.I. Along with funds raised at the annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards celebration, this income assists community renewal projects such as brick and mortar restorations, garden revitalizations and planning seminars. Ms Duke’s adored camels, which lived at Rough Point, her home in Newport, have been reproduced in topiary form on the property. Each year they are appropriately accessorized for the awards presentation at Rough Point.

For more information on the Newport Restoration Foundation founded by Doris Duke please visit their website newportrestoration.org

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

Oh, it’s great to be home! Totally enjoyed my trip to Philadelphia for the Flower Show this year… lots of fun, friends, food and flowers! Did I say flowers? Oh, and there were flowers. Lots of them. Little ones, big ones, crazy ones, pink ones, fragrant ones and even one named “Snoopy”… who knew!? Next year’s theme for the show is “Springtime in Paris”. I’m already inspired. Put it on your calendar! I hope the following images provide motivation to attend next years’ show or just garden eye candy for those of us who have endured a hard winter! Please excuse the quality of some of the photos. I was reduced to using my iphone as a camera having left CNY in a flurry to avoid a snowstorm and managed to forget my good camera!

The theme for this years’ show was “Passport to the World”. Garden displays from India, Singapore, South Africa, Holland, Ireland and the US were featured. I think the India exhibit was my favorite. I loved all of the color and the openness of the design.

A giant hot air balloon depicting the globe greeted everyone as they entered the show. This photo was taken the night before the preview as the landscapers were in a shallow pond wearing waders while installing the most gorgeous and gigantic lily pads that I have ever seen.

The enormous giraffe in the South Africa exhibit was magical. The structure was made out of rebar and little glass vases with orchid blossoms were hanging throughout the sculpture. The photo was taken the night before the PHS preview.

The Ireland exhibit. Love the topiary Irish Harp and use of stone.

This “orchid tree” and the moss carpet at its base made up of various mosses and succulents was one of my favorite elements at the show. Gorgeous! Photo doesn’t do it justice.

These “icy” designs were for the the New Zealand exhibit if I rememeber correctly. It was very theatrical. This exhibit was Farmboy’s favorite due to his extreme love of all things cold and snowy. Crazy… I know!

Shown above are photos of the India display. The colors were so vibrant. The rose medallions surrounding the bubbling water features were very impressive. There were performances of a traditional Indian wedding under the canopy during the show.

There were a number of displays that featured “living walls”. Walls made completely of plants. The textures and colors were lush and I especially enjoyed this example. Sorry for the fuzziness of the photo!

The images above are of the Holland exhibit. Who doesn’t LOVE tulips, bicycles, daffodils and scented geranium topiary standards?! I want tulips growing in the tiles of my laundry room. How cool is that?

The two images above show the charming Beatles inspired garden created by volunteers to honor the retiring PHS president Jane G. Pepper.

I went gaga over this display… the colors, texture and lighting. It was featured inside a large shipping crate. A very interesting and “out of the box” exhibit. Anne and Mike from our dinner club came to the show and Anne suggested that I do something like this for our next dinner club! Ha! That’s a good one!

I always enjoy the fashion part of the flower show. The image above is an example of one of the combinations entered in the fashion and arrangement competition. The designers have to relate the garment and the flower arrangement to each other following a given theme. Fascinating.

Isn’t that the cutest?! Love the pussywillow umbrella and those lime green wellies with the purple anemones!

Flower lampshade anyone?

I sat in on a fascinating bee keeping lecture by Jim Bob the Beekeeper in the Gardener’s Studio.

I especially like the competition section of the show. It totally appeals to the plant geek in me. Shown below are some highlights from that part of the show.

A pretty succulent.

The Front Porch competition.

The orchids at the show are spectacular…

as well as the Bonsai.

Medium sized niche arrangement.

Ikebana Arrangement

Tiara made from plant materials! Can you believe that?

Another beautiful, sculptural tiara made from plants.

I always find the miniature rock gardens interesting. I’ve got to make one of those hypertufa containers and do one of these!

And last but not least… my latest little obsession. Terrariums. I purchased a few plants and a cloche and base at the show. Stay tuned for my first terrarium in many years!

Hope you enjoyed the photos! I’ll have a few more to post at a later time. If you were are the show… what was your favorite garden display? Do tell!

There are many topiaries of note at the Philadelphia Flower Show. A number of them I have seen year after year here in competition. After seeing the myrtle entries it has inspired me to try myrtle as an indoor topiary specimen. I love the fine leaves and the tightness of form that it creates. Hope you enjoy seeing some of this years’ entries! Stop back by for highlights of the display gardens… coming soon.

While staying at Ballyduff Manor in Thomastown Co. Kilkenny in Ireland last summer Farmboy and I found the most wonderful secret. A gorgeous private garden out beyond the old stable and barn.

Farmboy went out early to explore the grounds the morning that we were leaving for Dublin. After a few minutes he came in and insisted that I come… forget the lipstick. Sorry DH Holmes Jr. Board in Mississippi wherein I learned I was not completely dressed until I was wearing lipstick. Oh, if they could see me now… practically naked. Nevertheless… we went trapezing out into the dewy morning and to my delight I saw a most beautiful sight. A lovingly trimmed boxwood hedge parterre. Behind it there were sheets blowing in the morning breeze strung between the apple trees. Heavenly. Established. Quaint yet of substance. Personal and intimate. I loved it. The parterre was surrounded by a perennial bed and path on one side, an old greenhouse on another, the high wall of the barnyard on the other. The fourth side opened onto to a beautiful grassy lawn framed by corner plantings then surrounded by a fence.

During our traditional Irish breakfast in a formal coral painted dining room over looking the River Nore, we spoke with the charming owner, Brede, about the origins of the garden. It was designed by her mother-in-law who spent most of her waking hours tending it. The garden used to be 4 times the size but over time it had been downsized to aid with the upkeep.  I would have loved to have seen it in is glory! Wouldn’t you?!  A wedding was to take place the following weekend in the garden and I could just picture the giant reception tent on the grassy lawn next to the parterre and fruit trees. Lucky bride. For a lovely B & B stay in the country be sure to visit www.ballyduffhouse.com.

It is a crazy time of year here at Michelle Masters Studio! We are in full scale preparations for the Philadelphia International Flower Show Feb. 28th – March 7th. This years’ theme is Passport to the World featuring garden displays from India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Brazil and the United States. In addition to the breathtaking displays, there will be thousands of plant and floral design entries as well as free gardening presentations.

Michelle Masters Topiary Art will be featured in the Marketplace along with 170 other retailers from around the world. I will be manning the booth (#535) all week with my delightful mother. We will be featuring framed art, pillows, stationery, fine linens, marble coasters as well handcrafted soaps and live rosemary and angel vine topiaries. If  you are coming to the show be sure to stop in and say hello. If you have never been… put it on your list of things to do! You will not be disappointed. For more information visit- www.theflowershow.com

On a recent trip to NYC we found a pair of enormous dinosaur topiaries outside of the American Museum of Natural History. They were very festive holding Christmas wreaths and made a lovely sculptural statement. I believe Topiary Joe created these big guys.

If you could have any topiary created in your yard/landscape what would it be?

What do these things have in common you ask??? Well, funny you should ask. I am strict about 8 pm bedtime for LaLa and the Bean. However… on Monday nights there is “The Roadshow”. My son can hear the intro music from anywhere in the house. He gets down-right grumpy if I watch it without him. While Farmboy is out watching Monday Night Football- LaLa, the Bean and I pile up on the couch with popcorn and watch Antiques Roadshow. We marvel how so-and-so bought such-and-such for a dollar at a yard sale only to find out that it’s worth a gazillion dollars at auction.

A couple of weeks ago while watching and crunching, the Bean said, “Momma, I want to go to The Cloisters.” Excuse me? “I want to go to The Cloisters.” Am I hearing things? What do you know about The Cloisters? “There is a famous tapestry there of a unicorn that I want to see.” How do you know about the tapestry? “In one of my Magic Treehouse books Jack and Annie travel to the Cloisters to solve a riddle and release the captured unicorn in the tapestry.” After I picked myself up from the floor, I thought… that needs to be encouraged and rewarded. The Bean is a reader. A lover of books at 8 years old. I’m thrilled.

While watching Leslie Keno discuss a beautiful old Kentucky highboy the Bean went on to say, “I also want to go to the Empire State Building, ride in a taxi, see the Statue of Liberty and ride the subway.” Well, okay then. What can I say? I got all excited and started planning our trip before the next commercial came on. After whipping the Bean up into a frenzy about a quick trip to The City, the next morning I realized that I hadn’t yet breached the topic with Farmboy. Ooops. I wasn’t quite sure how he would feel about traipsing through NYC with a 5 and 8 year old in tow. Sweet man that he is, his response… “Let’s do it!” LOVE that guy!

After cooking two turkeys (don’t get me started about the benefits of brining) and having 12 others over for Thanksgiving Dinner, we left the next day. I packed LaLa and the Bean’s clothes as they packed their cuddlebugs. What a trip we had!

The highlight of my trip? The Cloisters. The Bean introduced me to the tapestry. How did he know that I needed a reason to visit there? Secretly I have always wanted to go. I’ve seen those lovely gardens in magazines. The tapestry was icing on my cake and I now have a lovely porcelin mug to remind me of the magic of The Cloisters, Reading and The Antiques Roadshow.