A Clean Slate

Sometimes the only thing to do is wipe the slate clean.

When we first bought this house, there were grand plans and deep pockets.  The long list of plans included a deck and all new landscaping (and accidentally running over that speed limit sign...).  Then life decided to show us a different set of plans.  Although these were the toughest plans I've worked with to date, and included some really, really tough losses (loved ones, jobs, savings) they also came with some really big blessings - getting to spend precious time with loved ones, learning that there's more to life than work (or a paycheck for that matter), a clean bill of health, a happy marriage, two new grandchildren and a deeper understanding that life is precious and time is fleeting.

Like John Lennon said, "Life's what happens when your busy making plans".  Plans these days are pretty much a clean slate. "Planning" is much more organic in the sense that we have a general idea of where we are headed and we otherwise "plan" to suit the weather.  I will say this, the things that get accomplished are executed with a sense of pleasure that was missing prior to these last few years. Before, it seemed that the more money I made, the more  money I needed in order to pay for the stuff that I thought I "needed" to make it all feel good - pretzel-y, right?  It was a pretty vicious cycle.  These days I try to first, do what's right, and second, do what feels good to me - nothing too complicated. I like to think I've always operated from the standpoint of what was right and good, but adding those two little words "to me" have made a huge difference in the way I look at life and my general happiness.  

.....which is my long winded way of getting to the point of today's post.  

To me "garden" is first a verb, then a noun.  I love to garden.  It was the thing I thought about the most when we starting making plans for this house...

I had plans of a low slung deck with

large teak adirondacks and a low table 

where we'd put our feet on the edge and talk the night away.  

There would be a gravel path with slate stepping stones with

boxwoods, hydrangeas, and rose beds all tied up with 

a picket fence and an arbor full of roses...

So, after a few whirlwind years, and with a new perspective, I am back to garden, the verb.... to the doing, rather than the plan.  I have yet to really garden at this house, but last year after the loss of my sweetheart dad, I planted a vegetable garden.  I tended to him for so long that I didn't know what else to do with myself and all of the tending I had grown accustomed to giving.  All I can tell you is we never ate so many tomatoes - ever.  

This year, after getting outside and painting the addition, a different task, but nonetheless a therapeutic one, it was time to start tackling the garden.

this is the entrance to my office, which is off the kitchen.  See the arrows pointing at the skewed stepping stones?  I have no idea why they were just out there floating like that - they didn't even make sense as it relates to a natural gait. I used to think I would throw them away and get nice "new" stones set in gravel.  These days, I think much more economically (both in the physical and financial realms).  So bearing in mind what my sister always says, "from tiny acorns, mighty oaks grow", I thought, fixing this path is a project I can accomplish on my own without added labor and a minimum amount of cash...

I started by pulling up all of the slate.  Cleaned up, for the most part, they were all in pretty good shape except for one - see it up there cracked in half....  Then I trenched a clean path and filled it with Quikrete Earth Essentials Paver Base.  I came across this at Lowes while looking for pea gravel - I actually like this much better with the slate -

 It was $3.90/per bag x 6 = total cash spent $23.40 + tax. The bag has a helpful chart to help you determine how many bags you will need.... 

It was surprisingly easy and definitely easier trenching out the path after all of the rain we've had lately, so if you haven't had any rain, you may want to consider this if you decide to carve out a path of your own - you might just want to give that grass a good long, slow soak....

I poured four bags of the base into the path and 

 used a garden rake to even it out, 

and the back side of the rake to smooth it over.

Then I placed the stones in a pattern that pleased my eye as well as my gait

and used the last two bags to surround the stones and set them in place.

I probably should have "tamped" them with a mallet or something, but they seem pretty well set to me without the effort.  And shortly after taking this photo, we had a healthy downpour of rain - again - not a stone out of place.

If i get ambitious, I might just add a brick edge on either side like the image from the plans - I'll keep you posted....

So there you have it - Who knew that $24.00, six bags of paver base and a couple of clean slates could make a girl so happy.

Longwood Gardens: The Accidental Tourist, part two

Last week's floral post was all about the flowers at Longwood Gardens.  Truth be told, I think Longwood Gardens should consider a daily blog be included on their website because there is so much to see every day of each season, they'd never run out of original content.   There's always the argument of why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, but there is no comparison between looking at a photograph and experiencing the gardens in their full splendor - so there's really no risk of losing visitors.  Visitors who love gardening would only be more inspired to visit and happy to see what they miss in between visits.  Honestly, people all over the world would enjoy a daily dose of Longwood.  Speaking of blogs, today's post will be more about structure than bloom, but - wait - don't be sad - there are blooms everywhere and the structures will blow your mind - my pictures definitely won't do them justice, but they will give you a taste of what you'd see for yourself if you decide to go visit.

Longwood Gardens 

 The photo above is of the whispering bench, which is surrounded by these lovely clipped hedge walkways leading to Pierce's Woods.  Sit on one end of the curve, have a friend sit at the other end of the bench, cup your hands and whisper your secret into your hands and towards the center of the bench and your friend will feel like you are whispering in their ear!!

Longwood Gardens: Italian Water Garden

I took three photos here at the Italian Water Garden - 

trying to show you how the fountains do their thing - 

above is the start...

Longwood Gardens: Italian Water Garden

here it is midway....

Longwood Gardens: Italian Water Garden

and here is full height!

Longwood Gardens:  Large Lake

 The Italian Water Garden fountains are "fed" by the "Large Lake (see above) via the coolest set of "water steps"....

Longwood Gardens:  Start of Water Steps

 Here is the beginning of the water steps...

Longwood Gardens: Water Steps

 There is a walking bridge that crosses over the water steps as they cascade into the fountain reservoir 

Longwood Gardens: Water Steps

...and this is a shot of the reservoir with the fountains in the background

Longwood Gardens: Entrance to Treehouse

Upon leaving the Italian Water Garden, we walked thru Pierce's Park, lingered at a long view of the Meadows (sorry, we were too busy talking to take pictures...) when we found ourselves at this beautiful gate leading to every boy's fantasy tree house!!

Longwood Gardens: Birdhouse Treehouse

 I don't know a boy in my family that wouldn't have considered abandoning the comfort of a pantry full of pbnj for a summer of living in this treehouse!

Longwood Gardens: Birdhouse Treehouse

See that spot of red up there - that's a boy who was debating the virtues of home versus the life of a runaway explorer in the vast expanse that is Longwood - this treehouse would be the perfect hideout!

Longwood Gardens:  Outside the Conservatory

 When my husband and I decided to check out the Memorial Day fireworks at Longwood, we both agreed that we were really about the gardens and that the conservatory was probably not where we'd spend a lot of time - we are "garden" people, not "houseplant" people we agreed - so, when at 8:30pm (fireworks starting at 9:15) we found ourselves properly nourished, but running out of daylight we decided to poke our heads in the conservatory to "kill time" until the fireworks started.... for those of you who have been to the conservatory, you know just how idiotic the beginning of this paragraph sounds - to the rest or you who  haven't been, get ready for this weeks shameful admission - we. were. idiots.

Longwood Gardens: Rose House

 We haplessly jumped into the conservatory at a random side door, which just happened to lead to the "rose house".  the scent and the sights were overwhelming - note: at this point my camera battery had bit the dust, so these photos were taken with my ipad (sorry)....

Longwood Gardens: Rose Garden

 There were the most incredible hibiscus plants flanking either end of the rose house - i missed photographing my favorite violet colored hibiscus because I was so intrigued by the roses, but let me tell you, these hibiscus were every bit as impressive as the roses - they were huge!

Longwood Gardens: Rose Garden

 The hibiscus were every bit as impressive as they would be in their native tropical habitat - again, here's my husband's meaty paw for perspective...

Longwood Gardens: Tropical Terrace

The rose house gave way via the hibiscus to the Tropical Terrace.  Being a native northeasterner, tropical plants usually leave me uninspired, but the foliage colors and lushness (is that a word?) were so impressive, I have to admit I am more of a fan than I was prior to walking into this house...

Longwood Gardens: Banana House

 Did you know that banana plants are actually grass - not trees??  We didn't - these plants were enormous - or as my husband likes to say - ginormous!! 

Longwood Gardens: Orchid House

 The banana house led to my most unexpected pleasure of day in terms of color combinations - again, i've looked at orchids mostly as the "hothouse" flowers that they are - and not in the good way.  This orchid house struck me in so many ways - the color, the lighting, the architecture and the most impressive quality of the plant materials.  Just viewing this room, I felt transported to an earlier era, when train station masters had quiet hobbies like cultivating their own roses and naming them after their favorite passengers.... 

Longwood Gardens: Orchid House

 Look at the ornamental iron that curls like fern fronds in the background...

Longwood Gardens: Orchid House

 The photo above is the photo that, while driving home in the cozy darkness, I could not stop looking at - just look at those colors and the lighting and the ornamental iron. L.O.V.E. I.T......

Longwood Gardens: Orchid House

 Once again, my husband, the human yardstick poses for perspective - look at the display of orchids!! (not to mention the cute guy showing one of his best sides - i said ONE of....!)

Longwood Gardens: Orchid House

Seriously, I could not stop taking pictures in the orchid house!!

Longwood Gardens: Orchid House

 We joked that, given the delicate nature of orchids and ferns, that there was probably a superhero called Orchidman, who worked his superpowers to keep all of these orchids constantly blooming - I can't keep one in bloom in the steamy tropics of our bathroom - who IS this guy, Orchidman??

Longwood Gardens: Orchid House

 I know, enough, but look at those colors?!!! 

Longwood Gardens: Palm House

 We were so impressed by the Orchid House that we talked straight thru the Mediterranean House (we'll just have to go back to take another look...!!), when we landed in the Palm House - see above - it was too dark for any great pictures with an ipad, but it was the COOLEST place to be as darkness took over the sky - these palms were so huge that it felt like a dinosaur might just sneak up behind you looking for a snack!!

Longwood Gardens: Waterlily Garden

Have you ever had a moment in your life, when you think to yourself, this is not an accident that i am in this spot at this moment in time?  Here's one of those moments for me.  When I walked out onto the courtyard of the conservatory, the sky was clear, the air was cool and the lighting on the lilyponds was just becoming apparent.  At that moment, I thought, this is the true definition of "divine" - in the religious sense, not just the overused adjective sense.  I felt as though I had just walked onto a movie set and that I should look down to see if I was suddenly dressed in a ballgown... 

Longwood Gardens: Lilypond

 I couldn't get a picture to do the waterlilies or the perfectly placed lighting justice.  You need to see it for yourself - and seriously - try to time your viewing of the lilyponds for night time.  It is breathtaking. 

Longwood Gardens: Main Conservatory

This was one of the interior walkways in the main conservatory.  We were about to miss the start of the fireworks, but I had to stop to photograph the repeating standards - they were surrounded by the most incredible begonias and fushia!! 

Longwood Gardens: Main Conservatory

 Close up of the frilly standards awesomeness!!

Longwood Gardens: Main Conservatory

Close up of the fushia and the begonias!!

And for a final thrill - a bit of fireworks to send you happily on your way!!

As I said at the start, Longwood should develop a daily blog, it wouldn't be a waste of time.  There are so many things we didn't photograph, or even see for that matter.  In order for us to show you the rest of Longwood, we need to go back with a fresh camera battery, and some serious walking shoes, but, honestly, you need to just go see it for yourself - you can thank me later....

Longwood Gardens : The Accidental Tourist, part one

In Northeast Philadelphia, born an' raised, at the tennis court is where i spent most of my days.... I wonder if Wil Smith ever went to Longwood Gardens when he was spendin' all those days playing b-ball at that playground outside of the school in West Philadelphia?  Honestly, I knew Longwood Gardens was there, but I didn't think it was going anywhere, so like most Philadelphians, I figured I'd get there... eventually.  Now, this is some kind of admission for a girl who proclaims to love flowers and gardening, but I plead the hometown fifth.  Just look at this place...

Longwood Gardens
Topiary Garden

Longwood Gardens 
Topiary Garden

Longwood Gardens
The Rose Garden
Apricot Candy Hybrid Tea Rose 

Longwood Gardens
The Rose Garden
Rose Climber - City of York

Longwood Gardens
Rose Climber - City of York
(trailing over the stone wall)

Longwood Gardens

 Path Leading to The Flower Garden Walk

Longwood Gardens
Flower Garden Walk(this is only 1/2 of the walk - i'm gonna need a bigger camera...)

Longwood Gardens
Upclose of Allium
(my husband loved that this is actually an ornamental onion bulb)

Longwood Gardens
Peony Garden
(I know, it looks more like an Iris Garden, but wait..)

Longwood Gardens
Peony Garden
(I know, I know, but look at the color and the gravel path..)

Longwood Gardens
Peony Garden
(there, see, and for perspective -
that is my husband's meaty hand dwarfed by this bloom...)

Longwood Gardens
Wisteria Garden
(We missed the blooms, but have you EVER
seen a more impressive wisteria trunk?)

Longwood Gardens

Wisteria Garden 

(We may have missed the blooms, but

the trunks under the trellis were impressive enough on their own...)

yep, the hometown fifth... this is a legitimate legal defense - it's a common phenomenon when you live in a big city like Philadelphia - birthplace of a nation - ok, the best nation - it relates to things like The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross' House, The Barnes Foundation, Valley Forge, and so on - just to name a few... When you grow up with these historic places in your backyard you tend to treat them as though they actually are commonplace; that you'll get to them - after the laundry,  or the yardwork, and, maybe the most shamefully incriminating, after the most recent rerun of what-ev-er....  it's a "too cool for school" meets "hotshot pride" attitude hometowners subconsciously cultivate while they are waiting for the wide-eyed "tourist" to get their hoke-y asses across the street at the  intersection of fifth and market before the light turns red a-gain....   As a consequence, you can be in close proximity to some of the most impressive historical locales in the world, drive past them on your way to work, and spend your entire life never really never seeing them - just ask the French, just how many of them have actually CLIMBED the Eiffel Tower.  

I realized I was a subject of this phenomenon most profoundly this past  Saturday, when my husband and i decided to go to Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania - which is less than 40 minutes from where we live now; yes, a shameful acknowledgement - LESS than 40 minutes... and to add to this shame, we weren't even completely motivated by a desire to check the place off of some kind of bucket list - we went... for a Memorial Day fireworks fix...  You see, for a girl born and raised in Philadelphia, having been born on the first of July makes from thereon in perpetuity the 4th of July her own personal birthday celebration.  Fireworks are practically my astrological sign... And so we went in search of fireworks. Neither of us had ever seen the fireworks at Longwood. And so, as you would expect, in keeping with everything else about Longwoods - take it from this 4th of July Philadelphia kid - these were some of the best I have ever seen - take a look....

All I can tell you is that no matter where you live, Longwood Gardens is a genuine wonder of the modern world, that should be experienced - and often.  Put it on your bucket list.  Put down the clicker (read "cable remote" for those under 30...).  Go.  Now. Even if it's just to their website to plan to go....

http://www.longwoodgardens.org/

I admit it - I am no longer "too cool for school".  I am a double-dipped, wide-eyed, shutter-bugging, bumping into strangers tourist when it comes to Longwood Gardens.  I've seen the light, the error in my ways, dip me in the fountain and call me a convert because the staggering collection of botanical specimens, the extraordinary care with which the gardens are maintained and the top-notch friendly staff - every detail in every manner of experience is so overwhelming, I, in my mere mortal words can't do it justice - I certainly can't fit it all into one post. I will likely never find the words to really do it the justice it deserves.  Maybe just this, take it from their soon to be newest member, it is worth the trip, wherever you're from.... maybe we'll see you there.  We plan to visit at least every season - since we here in the northeast get four of those - and plus the fact that we ARE less than 40 minutes away. Driving home down Route 1 in the cozy darkness, we even talked about becoming volunteers when we no longer have to feed the mortgage beast... it's good to dream....


So, all that being said, next Tuesday's floral post will be about Longwood Gardens - Part Two and will include the italian fountain garden, the tree house, oh, and the conservatory, to think we almost missed the conservatory (I'll explain later....) - i've never been to Versailles, but they can't have anything on Longwood's Gardens or Conservatory - I felt like I was in a movie standing in the courtyard of the conservatory in the dark with all of the waterlily ponds softly lit!! Oh, and the orchid house, ohhhh... Ok, I just can't resist sharing this now -  here's a peak at the orchid house...

Longwood Gardens
Orchid House

Are those colors jaw-dropping, or what?

We're going to need to go back to photograph the meadow, Pierce's woods, the Large Lake, the Idea Gardens, the Allee, and so on and so on....

All I know for sure is, we're gonna need a bigger camera...

(full disclosure; my husband, a native Ohioan, has been to Longwood several times.... go figure.)