a picture story

photographer unknown 
via Fifikoussout (via *Bootsie)
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Buzzzzz

Image courtesy of weheartit.com


I am posting today on behalf of the honey bee. We are all familiar with the little fellas- the incredible work ethic, the nasty stingers, the delicious honey- but I recently came across the Help the Honey Bees website and it made me really think about them.


I guess since I see bees zooming about my mum's herb garden and our lilacs I don't think of them as a threatened population. It seems, however, that honey bees have been dying off at a drastic rate and they are relied on for a lot more than the occasional sweetening of hot tea. The site noted that bees are responsible for the pollination of more than a hundred crops (we are talking about killer multitaskers as well apparently). I suggest checking the site out sometime to read about these fascinating insects, but there is something so simple you can do if you just want to make sure there are always bees buzzing around gardens and orchards...... plant.


The Honey Bee Conservancy has perfect tips for creating a bee-friendly garden. It really can be as simple as choosing native flowers and planning for season-round blooms. That seems to be the least we can do to make those buzzers busy lives a little less stressful!


Bees@Work courtesy of /kallu on flickr
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In my continuing quest to become a green thumb I have been disappointed with the result of my bulb planting and seed sowing time and again. Someday I will have the type of garden I envy and dream about, but for now my only botanical/floral success has been in the form of window boxes. I have two on the shed out back and am proud to say they looked just lovely throughout last year. In the midst of all the failed flower beds and herb gardens, those window boxes flourished and made me so proud.

If there are any fledgling gardeners out there or folks who are intimidated by the thought of planting at all, I definitely recommend container gardening. Window boxes will never let you down. Here is a simple guide to planting a window box garden provided by treehugger.com to get you started- you will thank me later!













All images courtesy of google.com
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thinking about gardens and poems

"Natalies Garden, Agapanthus and Bee"


My mother is visiting next month and part of the reason I am so excited for her stay (aside from all the mending and re-sewing of buttons that I have planned for her to do) is that she is going to help me set up my first ever garden. Therefore in preparation, I am reveling in these gorgeous watercolors by Jinn 'n Tonic and reading this book by the poet Stanley Kunitz. Yeah, I know, I probably should be reading up on soil and pest control, but all in due time. Right now I'm just loving this...


from "never trying to explain"

by Stanley Kunitz

"Thinking of a new season in the garden feels different from imagining a new poem. The garden has achieved its form; it doesn't have to be new each year. What it has to do is grow. You're not going to uproot the entire garden and start all over. The poem is always a new creation and aspires to a transcendence that is beyond telling at the moment when you're working on it. You know you are moving into an area you've never explored before and there is a great difference."

(published in Kunitz's last work, "The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden")


"The Garden in July"
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Ready. Set. Sow!

Snowdrops courtesy of google.com


The snowdrops are up here in southern New England. This is the beginning. It is time to start thinking about the yard and garden. I promised myself last fall that I would be on top of it come March and get some different bulbs or seeds in the ground. In the past, so many of the bulbs we planted in the autumn months fell victim to voracious chipmunks (or "mipchunks" as my then two-year-old called them) and the flowers that did bloom were simply irresistible to the neighborhood rabbits.

This winter I checked out The All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening from Reader's Digest and I did some online research on my "growing region". At the end of this month I will be planting anemones, persian buttercups, and dahlias. Hopefully this summer I can enjoy something like this......if the rabbits and mipchunks give me a break.



"Anemone...." by law_keven via flickr


"Yellow Ranunculus asiaticus" (persian buttercup) by Luigi FDV via flickr


"Dahlia 'Pink Paradise'" by Eric in SF via flickr
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Thursday, a garden shed, and Etsy

poster by joeseppi


Just to be clear, I am not going to be decorating any regular old shed for today's post. I am going to be designing a lovely (but still practical!) garden shed like the one that I fell in love with in July. A cozy place of escape as well as place to store those necessary tools - is that too much to ask for?


Practical and pretty necessities:


I'm pretty sure that using this will make you handier.
rustic yet refined tool box via cottagefarm

One for herbs, one for flowers.
vintage garden baskets via storybookcharm

Everything must have its place.
oak shed pegs to hang garden tools by FuturePrimGarden

Things need to be clean - even in a shed.
gardener's pot brush also by FuturePrimGarden


Perfect! (but pretend):


Can I get this in my size, please?
miniature garden shed shelf (1/12 dollhouse scale) by JaynesArt


Shed mate:

If there must be a mouse, please let it be this one.
field mouse by Marjji


A place to rest and read:


After a weary day of planting, one needs to sit...
rustic tin roofed wooden bench via polkadotHOME

...and rest one's weary head...
French burlap slips for pillows by PetitCoterie


...catch up on some reading.
1951 Better Homes and Gardens Garden Book via AttysVintage


A shelf full of vases:
Because one needs lots of vases for freshly cut flowers especially if one is very fancy.
lady's head vases via headsup4u


In addition to the poster at the top of the post,
for decoration:

How beautiful sheds can be!
"turn the corner autumn" photograph by AnnWilkinson

Not for planting, but for framing. 1920s antique seed packets via HummingbirdEyes

Weathered beauty.
"Behind The Tool Shed" photograph by photoamato
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shed love

I love small spaces. Cozy houses. Little nooks. When I was in elementary school I had a friend who had a tiny walk-in closet and we would have our sleepovers in it. So the leap to loving sheds - not so big. And isn't this just the loveliest shed, belonging to and photographed by BisyBackson, you've ever seen? Still plenty of rough and tumble and dirty tools, but I would love to hide out in it and read. A tiny little house surrounded by such lush greenery (and with 5 saws within arm's reach!) would just be heaven for a slumber party too.











all images by the lovely photographer BisyBackson
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Edible Garden

Image courtesy of nybg.org
Gardens have been on mind since I read Vivi's post back in April. I would love to think I could get it together for next Spring and plan a space to start one in my own yard. I think The Edible Garden, the summer-long exhibition at The New York Botanical Garden, would send me running out back, hoe in hand, in no time.
This weekend, June 27th-28th, is the opening festival of the Garden , which is set throughout the 250-acre property. The theme is local food and promises to be full of information on fruits, vegetables, and herbs. I can't imagine a more appetizing way to spend the weekend!


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