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This Week’s Finds

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After an abundant June in the garden, with a symphony of colors and scents, and plenty of blooms to pick – peonies, lupine, iris and delphiniums – the garden is experiencing a dip in productivity, as am I. The Shasta daisies and echinacea are the only flowers going strong right now, attracting some of the most gorgeous butterflies I have ever seen. Some as big as the palm of my hand. The limelight hydrangeas have been rather shy bloomers this year and are taking their time forming their frothy panicles. Just when I thought my hydrangea luck had turned. 

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June Blooms

Happy Wednesday, dear friends!  It’s been a while… I hope you’re doing well! It’s the end of the school year here in Western Massachusetts and we’ve been busier than ever with school functions, recitals, dance performances, field trips, bake sales and, sadly, goodbye parties. Life has been filled with activity and I’ve been trying very hard to keep my head above the water. For the last few days we’ve had the joy of dog-sitting a gentle (and incredibly needy for affection) golden doodle and his company has brightened up my days. 

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Spring Flowers for a Colorful Cottage Garden

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Today’s post is just as much for my benefit as I hope it is for yours. I’ve noticed a few things I’ve done wrong with my spring flowers and bulbs this year that I wish to correct in the fall, and I’m writing this as a reminder for myself. Despite some obvious setbacks, gardening in a colder New England climate (we’re zone 5b for cold hardiness, though it sometimes feels closer to zone 1) has its advantages. For one, you get 5+ months of rest from your toil, and plenty of time to learn, dream and plan all the wonderful things you’ll do with your garden come spring. Then reality kicks in and things perhaps don’t go as planned, but at least you tried. Gardening comes with a steep learning curve, but also many shortcuts and rewards.

Spring flowers in New England - Royal Star magnolia
Star magnolias in bloom
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