Blog

If you’ve been following along here for long, you’ll know I love self-seeding plants, and volunteer plants that pop up in interesting places. This year, I’m trying to document these happy accidents a little better, so I’m presenting here, three lightly planned plant combinations that made my heart sing this summer. Delphinium + Monarda + Conflowers. The purple Monarda at the back (Monarda ‘Purple Rooster‘) and Delphinium (Delphinium ‘Connecticut Yankee’) have been growing in the same spot for a couple of years, but the purple coneflower seeded itself there, and took this little color-study vignette to the next level. Hooray...

As someone who spent time studying wild plant communities and habitats, I can’t help but think about plants and their origins. When I’m considering a garden, these questions come to mind – Where was found before it before it became a common garden plant? What other plants might it have grown near? And, of course, is it a native plant? So, I’ve always chosen native plants for the main structure of my garden, especially in areas I hope to naturalize. Over the years, I’ve added trees, shrubs, groundcovers like may-apple, Aronia arbutifolia, Christmas fern, inkberry, tulip tree, oak leaf hydrangeas...

For someone who creates and sells stationery, I’m not always confident or consistent when it comes to writing my own personal notes. I have been known to falter in the face of a condolence note, or dither and delay writing thank you notes. It helps to remember that social correspondence is all about caring for others and kindness - we write a thank you note to let someone know a gift has been both received and appreciated, or their entertaining efforts enjoyed and applauded. Other times, a review of basic principles of traditional note writing helps. The ‘rules’ of etiquette...

Growing annuals from seed to fill in the space formerly filled by lawn. If you follow me on instagram, you’ll know I’ve been working on a new garden in 2021. It all started in September of 2020 when we cleared my exisiting raised beds, all the remaining grass and a few ancient shrubs from the front of the house. (PJM Rhododendrons – anyone remember those?) Our contractors then put in brick walkways, and a few mulched pathways to loosely structure the space. They also planted a few shrubs at the font of the house, and a shade garden of native...

I’ve been having so much fun with my new Bottle Branch washi tape, and I’m excited to share what I’ve been doing. First, for the uninitiated, here are a few basic facts about washi tape. Washi tape originated in Japan about 15 years ago when someone had the brilliant idea of creating printed masking tape. It gets its name because early designs resembled those that adorn Japanese washi, traditional handmade made paper. (More history here.) Washi tape is light, slightly transparent paper tape that’s versatile, removable, and kind of addicting. Here are a few ways I’ve used, or plan to...