We always look forward to this time from mid-July through August when the Oriental and Hybrid lilies demand center stage in the garden.
With all of the excessive heat and moisture this year, we are living in a version of Jurassic Park this summer.
Dear Fellow Gardeners,
Writing this in the first week of summer sure doesn’t seem like I am in the right season, at least today. This is one of many recent cool rainy days collecting over 4" in a week’s time. Of course, last week we had 95 degree heat and tomorrow there might be a glimmer of summer hope and sunshine. Here in the Midwestern US, we wait so long for our short summers and this year in particular, Mother Nature has been a real tease.
Hello all, and thank you to everyone involved in making of our first annual Tent Event a success May 3rd thru 6th. This sale was quite the challenge long before we even opened our doors, but it was all worth it in the end.
The word ‘vernal’ seems to encapsulate my feelings of late. Definitions include “appearing or occurring in spring”, from the 16th century ‘ver’, meaning spring, and “describing something youthful or fresh”. The light, the temperature variations in a day, the bird activity with high-spirited songs each morning: All are exuberantly telling us times are changing.
During this dormant time of reflection, I have been contemplating what The Art of Fine Gardening really represents in today’s growing world. The phrase has been the mantra of our company since our inception in 1981, but in this tireless era of societal rush, I find it to be the guiding light more pertinent to my approach in the garden than before. My goal for the garden, while linking the home to the land and the plant to the place, is for elements to align and transcend to art. Collaborating with people and nature, the garden becomes an experience, a destination for both mind and body, and ultimately a source for inspiration and abandon. As we look forward towards the potential of the garden in the upcoming year, now is the time to take a moment and reflect on why we must remain mindful of tradition, history, and practice, and then maybe being more referential to the past will lead us towards following a more purposeful and sustainable life in the garden.