Come on, let’s go! I spied this lovely on Absolutely Beautiful Things, which always raises my spirits. I particularly like the wisteria growing on the porch. The house were I grew up had wisteria just like this. I used to babysit three of the sweetest kids in the world who lived in a tiny cottage about the size of this one.
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I’m a container gardening nut — I spent the morning cleaning our terrace and getting ready to plant them for the summer. I love the phrase “city gardens”. I’ll be heading to NYC Grows (a urban gardening celebration) in Union Square tomorrow.
Tulips and magnolia trees on Park Avenue made me love the city today.
Also, loving this lamb’s ear (one of my favorite container gardening plants) arrangement that I spied on Creature Comforts.
I was in the library yesterday and got lost in the gardening section — so many delicious books on gardening, garden ornaments and boy am I ready for spring. In a 1957 Park Bernet auction catalog I found this lovely garden stand made out of wrought iron.
A little later, I spied this, a similar stand in action!
I love how romantic and Parisian this looks. SIGH.
I saw this photo on Apartment Therapy (Jill’s in Copenhagen, lucky duck) and just realized that the dry skin, chapped lips, pasty skin, vitamin D deficiency WILL come to an end. Well, hallaullah!
Thanks, AT, for the hope.
I recieved a lovely email from a reader over the weekend raving about mokki cottages and she even sent a picture of her parents’ mokki:
She writes:
I grew up in Finland and I have spent so many wonderful summer days and endless midsummer nights near a lake or bay enjoying the peace and quiet of a mokki! It is something extraordinary; to give up electricity and many times running water, to spend a weekend or even a week far away from the busy modern life.
I have to say that ‘endless midsummer nights’ sound pretty wonderful to me. Thanks for sharing Minna! Any other cottages out there you’d like to share, dear readers?
This NYTimes article about a retiree who builds a Finish “mokki” or backyard cottage so he’ll have some personal space is fantastic. It contains so many truths about marriage, personal space and love. The most honest part of the piece is a discussion of personal space and the writer reveals that his wife, when they had young kids, would lock herself in the bathroom to have some alone time to read (and her children could communicate with her via written note pushed under the locked door). Sweetly, decades later, his wife still goes into the bathroom to read. Can’t we all understand this need for alone time, for personal space? And, over the years with tiny apartments or too many roommates, I too have turned to the bathroom for privacy on the phone, as a refuge when I need alone time. Still, a backyard cottage beats the bathroom any day.
I’m still on a zen kick, as it where, and love how simple these spaces are. I found a couple of more:
(last image via )
So, i’m developing an obsession with kitchen nooks… I love how clean and bright, how cheery but zen this room is. I’m in need of a get away from my own taste, I think. And, I love those Wegner Wishbone chairs. (via 2 or 3 things I knew… )
Then, check out the exterior of this house….delicious!
(Via Fernlund + Logan Architects)
I stumbled on this image herzensart’s Flickr. Beautiful, right? It’s the 1890s home of Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury (who has a beautiful name to match her beautiful home). Enjoy!
I came across this wonderful garden ornament on the blog of South African designer Denise. I love the font, the rust, the outdoors-ness! Some day I’m going to have a lovely formal garden…
Back in New York, I continued to plant the porch — this container is my favorite to date. I also rescued the white geraniums that were just not getting enough water and transplanted the basil, lemon verbena and sage into organic soil (which I finally was able to purchase in VT) so that we’ll be able to make pesto in the late summer. This container is planted with: Hawaii Sky Blue Ageratum, Pineapple Mint (with lovely white veragated leaves), thrift armeria, white pansies, Johnny Jump Ups, bachelor’s buttons.
I purchased the plants at Chelsea Gardens (expensive but easy to get to), DIMITRIS Garden Center (still expensive, less easy to get to), Walker’s Farm in Putney VT (cheaper, great selection, well established plants) and Home Depot in Brattleboro, VT (cheaper, selection of “staples”, less well established than Walker’s).
What are your favorite container garden plants? Favorite container? Send me pics! Abbey
I love this photo!! I’m particularly proud to have taken both of these. My husband and I were in Vermont this weekend for a friend’s bridal shower (and marathon Gocco wedding invitation session). My father has been working on this moss garden for years. He first planted a privet hedge to the right to provide enough shade for the moss garden. Then, he and my mom have collected moss on their walks and put it between the bench and the privet — the garden is a green, mossy delight. I find garden design inspiring, at least good garden design — that is, making a garden look natural or even wild.
This vermont girl is still in awe of the splendor of early spring and maple trees.
