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Happy Monday, dear friends! Last week was one of pure joy, ease and relaxation and, frankly, very little work for me (as you could probably tell by the absence of a second blog post). But my conscience being what it is, and having some stories to share with you that I think you might like, I thought we could do a Monday morning catching up from my favorite coffee shop, latte in hand. Here are some of the topics, home tours and items that have been on my mind these past few days:
1. Watching a great gardening show can be almost as satisfying as the real thing, and an interesting learning experience, too. Growing a Greener World is a wonderful show on PBS that is particularly appealing to the beginner gardener. It covers the basics of planting, caring for and harvesting vegetable gardens, and features gardeners and homesteaders from across the country. Do you know it? One particular episode on the solitary mason bee was mind-opening to me and made me seriously consider adding them to the garden. Unlike the honey bee, the mason bee lives and works alone, does not produce honey (nor does it sting), yet it is a much more effective pollinator, and a low-maintenance addition to any yard.
Mason Bee Revolution: How the Hardest Working Bee Can Save the World
2. If you love old houses and enjoy a thoughtful restoration, then you’ll probably enjoy the current season of This Old House! The team is working on a 1720 Cape Ann Gambrel cottage in nearby Ipswich, MA. The house was built in the English style of mortise and tenons joinery and has been remarkably preserved. If you’re interested to see the restoration process unfold, you can check out some of the episodes below:
This Old House Season 44 – 1720 Cape Ann Gambrel in Ipswich, MA
3. For the Northeast gardener:
Simple Guide to Pollinator Plants
4. Rose shrubs can be a lovely addition to any cottage garden. Here are two of my favorite climbers:
5. Two inspiring projects by the late Robert Kime, featured in Alastair Langlands’ book Robert Kime:
A Stone Cottage in Ardagh, Ireland
6. A chic drinks table from Amazon (of all places):
7. I’d love to add this wooden garden obelisk (another great Amazon find) to my garden, covered with pink clematis:
I hope something caught your eye in today’s post. Wishing you all a great week ahead!
Such beautiful tulips, Eva!
I have a New Dawn rose bush–they are SO hardy! It’s been transplanted 3 times to different places in my yard, and still blooms profusely all summer. I cut it down to almost nothing each fall and then again after it blooms in the summer and it regenerates like magic!
Thanks for reminding me to watch This Old House–it’s an oldie but goodie.
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Good morning, Diana! Thank you so much for your comment, I hope you enjoy the Ipswich, MA season of This Old House. The current team is one of my favorites. And yes, New Dawns are very hardy and bloom profusely when they’ve found the right spot in the garden. I fear cutting back mine, but maybe I should – before the thorns tear up all my jackets 🙂
xo, Eva