We got behind a bit this week with garden planting. The terrible wildfires in Canada created such hazardous air quality that outdoor work really had to be suspended. But a few things are finished. And lavender hedge is done although I haven’t photographed it yet. But here are a few moments that are ready. Can’t wait for a few weeks to pass so they fill in and out.
A new bench to welcome guests on the front stoop and a container of petunias, impatiens, and grass.The other planter. I’m planning to spot hydrangeas between the day lilies.
I’m finding that, somehow, my garden tools got lost in the move. Had to go buy a shovel the other day. I need a rake and a leaf blower. But this is all part of creating the home.
Been absent a bit this week. We were settling in, unwinding, doing minor repairs and the like. We had great weather up until last night. I’m already working in the garden. Tomorrow I will share my brand new lavender hedge.
Today I realized the azaleas are fading. The Siberian irises had a gorgeous flush. So happy I got to see them for the first time. I only have a few peonies. I definitely have to plant more this fall. They are nearly done. The nepeta is shining, keeping the local bees happy and the Russian sage is just a few days away from the first bloom.
I went out to the nursery for more lavender. I will devote a post to my driveway garden in the next few days. That may be the most complete of my beds. But are they ever complete? Even as I fill in blank spots, my mind is racing towards the later season plantings. I’m craving an Autumn clematis to climb up the corner of stone wall by the garages. But it’s spring, so I will try hard to stay focused.
As I brewed my afternoon tea, I clipped a few remaining spring flowers. They will all be gone in a few days, alas. So happy nepeta blooms all summer.
The last of the peonies and Siberian iris.A few sprigs of nepeta visit the silk hydrangea and my kitchen horse.
Bought myself a new shovel today. Gardening recommences tomorrow morning. I saw a few buds on some other plants and bushes. My two apples, my pear, and my peach are absolutely laden with fruit. The squirrels always get the peaches and pears before they even ripen. But my apple trees usually gift me in September.
We pulled onto the drive way as the landscaping crews were mulching. Despite feeling like I have more mulch than plantings, the beds do look great. The Siberian iris are just peaking in some places. But in others, they are beginning to finish. Got a few peonies on the baby plants I put in our first fall. We lost a few of them so they go back in the list to be added on to.
The collies are in heaven. They were chomping at the bit to be out at dawn. They went out and haven’t come back in yet. the weather is clean, fresh and a little on the cool side for my thinned out Florida blood. The dogs would beg to differ!
Schuyler in the “mulch” garden.Spencer “en guard”.It’s a glorious morning. And wouldn’t my horses love that clover!
So good to be home. Working on unpacking and getting comfortable today.
I’m an avid Pinterest user. I am on nearly everyday saving inspirations, vignettes, and plain old stuff! While I do still save dressage related images, in recent years I have really used the site to hone my interior design, architectural, and lifestyle tastes. There are thousands of pictures on dozens of boards. I think I’m more organized on that site than on my phone. Which impresses me. That said, I really should edit, archive, and delete more often.
While my home style has loosened and grown more eclectic over the years I have remained true to my traditional, classic roots. I still prefer English country house and Cape Cod coastal styles. Southern maximalism weaves through but I’m a Yankee at heart. I have a few boards that groan with saves. “New York and New England Aesthetic” probably has the most stuff. But “Cove House”, “Kitchen Inspirations”, and my “What if I lived in…” series are close seconds ( especially Nantucket).
I’ve learned a lot about architecture thanks to Pinterest. Patrick Ahearn and Gil Schafer are favorites. The shingle style of Robert Stern is another. Indoors, the designers are too numerous to mention.
I love my Design Vignettes board. The choices are more eclectic. They reflect mood as much as style. I wish I could figure out how to import photos from my site over here. In the meantime, I will hit my phone and share some vignettes over the years that I have taken myself.
Food always recurs. West Palm Beach kitchen.Fireside.Living room bookcase at Christmas.Ordinary Kitchen arrangements. How to make the functional pretty really matters.Long views.Table Settings. In this case, brunch at Bella Blu Farm.Cookbooks in the Bella Blu Farm kitchen.Food Again.Library in Garden City.Master bedroom looking out to the Sound. Cove House.A favorite! The dining room in Waccabuc set for company. Photo:Jenna Valente.Cooking in the Cove House kitchen.The bar at Waccabuc.Kitchen Desk at Cove House. Subject to change daily!
That’s it for today. We are still foot tapping Florida, looking forward to going back to our beloved New York.
So I am envying other people’s beautifully presented blogs. And I am struggling to capture a photo from Pinterest or other sites to publish here. I am more than happy to give credit. I simply can’t figure out how to do it. Adding my own photos for attention as I am working on planning the front garden.
As I await going north, I thought I’d dwell on things I’m really looking forward to seeing. I am fairly crazy about hydrangeas. Hydrangeas may well be one of the top five reasons I could never live in Florida all year long.
My first awareness of how important they are in my landscape was probably going to Cape Cod as a child. Suddenly, there were these BLUE flowers. Up until then I don’t think I was conscious of blue flowers. I was in love. Subsequent trips to Nantucket and the Hamptons sealed the deal. I simply wanted a traditional shingle style house, on the beach of course, overflowing with hydrangeas. Through all the other style homes I had over my lifetime, that particular idealized environment never faded.
The hill garden at the Cove House goes a long way towards that dream. But I still have areas to line with my favorites!
Our new back stairs off the deck are begging for hydrangeas on either side of the walls.Spotting some to breakup the fence line is another thought. I’d include the white variety as the heads get so lovely in the fall.Definitely on either side of the chimney.Free photo from word Press. But it’s greatAnd we have to have them in our house. This is the dining room in our former Victorian home.
Bella Blu by the Bay 