My Blog

Spring eternal

04/13/2011 20:31:00

Spring is here in Southern Maine! This is often the time when our lovely state has a split forecast, while the daffodils are in bloom by the seacoast, the ice has yet to go out in the Rangely Lakes region! I was walking one sunny day along our tidal river and noticed a small group of immature and mature Loons starting to band together, the pull of the season upon them. Loons spend their adolescence and winters on the ocean, riding the stormy seas until the lakes have lost their ice in late April or early May. We get to enjoy them in the winter, watching them ride the waves and occasionally hearing their plaintive cries out on the ocean, while our Northern Lakes and ponds provide them with their breeding grounds in the summer. A simple example of how we all are tied together in this environment and how one can shape anothers life from a distance.

I have been thrown out into the field with my landscape business, as always happens this time of year! In a few short weeks we go from late winter to full blown spring! I have been cleaning borders, cultivating, pruning and fertilizing. Without a gardener you have no garden...It's a rush to once again have my hands in the soil, observing the wonderous changes that spring brings to our part of the world. One of my favorite type of plants in spring are all the ephemerals, those special woodland plants that grow, bloom and set seed as the leaves on the trees swell, break bud, and start to create their canopy of shade. It feels as though when I am the most starved for the beauty of a flower, just in the nick of time, a feast for the eyes is presented to us! Many of my favorites are native species to New England and the Applachian Mountains and are often missed because of their brief period of bloom in early spring. They poke their heads out from beneath the blanket of leaves that have fallen on them, just as the temperatures start to warm to around 40 degrees. In my garden are Winter Aconite, Dog Tooth Trout Lily, Aquilegia Canadensis, Pulmonaria and Polemonium Reptans to name a few. I have included a list of a few more of these spring time delights that could grace your spring garden as well!

Trillium, Blood Root (sanguinaria canadensis), Dutchman's Breeches (dicentra eximia), Virginia Bluebells (mertensia virginica), Woodland Phlox (phlox divaricata) and the crested iris (iris cristata).

So, take the time to stroll through the woodlands and perhaps, you too, will find our beautiful, brief ephemerals!

Spring reflections

03/19/2011 15:37:00

It feels as though I have traveled through time now that I am back on Maine soil! I left winter and came back to spring! (At least in southern seaside Maine...) The snow drifts are gone, the red wing blackbirds, robins and yes the funny looking woodcock have all returned in droves! My backyard is alive with the creaks, bleeps, and songs of these warm weather visitors. My gardens are humming with bees visiting my early snow bells and crocus. I am sure the witch hazel is in bloom in the wood swamps. I drive by the maple stands and silvery plastic tubing hangs from the trees and empties it's sweet sap into buckets! The cry of the fox calling in it's mate at night makes my hair stand on end as my hens shiver in the coop! Ah, yes, spring is in the air!

Florida was delightful! Warm sun on the skin, bright colors everywhere, greens of all shades and textures filled the landscape. The ocean in the Keys was resplendent with aquas, lavender, white, yellow and gold! The amount of birds boggles the mind! The grasslands of the everglades are remarkable in their size and variety, you expect to see great herds of grazing animals wandering through them...The fact that there is no elevation is also remarkable, it's very hard to get a lay of the land as you drive through the thick, jungle-like landscape. So unlike our hills, valleys and mountains another world, another time!

I made the observation that the colors in the natural landscape of our northern tier of the world are made up primarily of the of the first two hues of the color chart, the primary and secondary colors, such as red, blue and yellow, giving way to green, blue and violet. Of course there are still many colors in our environment that range into the tertiaries and quaternaries in the warmer time of season, but not as boldly as I have seen in the warmer, tropical climes. The tertiaries, such as aqua, rose, coral, gold, chocolate, chartreuse, etc. just resonate from the landscape, water and sky! No wonder the homes are so gaily painted, the clothing bright and flowing, the furnishings light and airy, we mirror our environment!

What I also enjoyed as far as a landscape designer was concerned, was the wonderful use of plant material texture used instead of floral color. Layers of plant leaf texture made up the bulk of the plantings, which did not focus so much on the bloom of the plant. Good garden design, and use of structure was evident! Flowers are used as the "flavor of the month", a point of interest, not the main focus of the planting.

Of course I was there in the dry season, and I am sure when the spring rains hit, the place will be in full bloom, just as we are here. A similarity that goes beyond climates.

I also enjoyed the different architecture of the buildings, the high ceilings of the homes, that allows that hot air to rise and vented out the second story. The use of shade shutters, just like our counterparts, but hung so they are pushed out from the bottom of the window, to again, allow air to circulate in and keep the sun out. Large porch overhangs against the sun, brick that insulates against the heat and holds the cool and the warmth, when needed.The use of cool, rich colors inside to create a retreat from the relentless heat of the sun, tile everywhere, and lots of materials used that can resist deterioration from the humidity and sun.

It was a wonderful trip, full of inspiration for all my sensibilities, it's always good to refill the cup with another point of view.

Southern Skies

03/06/2011 17:57:00

I have been working hard on all winter on self-renewal, home projects and procuring work for the upcoming season. As is usual for me, the change of seasons brings a sense of longing....To finish off this winter and begin this spring, my husband and I have decided to take to the sky and fly south to Naples Florida to visit my brother. Jobs at home are beginning to take shape, waiting for the ground to thaw, the house projects are just about complete. Our snow banks are dirty, melting and turning the ground to mud. Potholes larger than small cars are appearing in the roads.. What better time to leave Maine than now!

Of course my gardener's eye will be drawn to the natural surroundings, the change in humidity, the species of plants, watching the birds and sky, comparing the color of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Maine and much more!

The Interior Designer in me will look at the architecture, furnishings, color waves, art and food! What fun, what great inspiration for the upcoming season! Tropical is definitely not Maine, but the colors, textures and the difference in the light will allow me food for thought and ideas that may not have to come to me otherwise.

I will take along my camera and a notebook to take photos and document inspirations and suggestions. Plant combinations in the wild will inspire new ideas for seasonal containers and perennial borders, landscapes new ideas for gardens. Texture and colors from nature will give me ideas for fabrics and paint combinations, architecture, ideas for room styles, indoor and outdoor. It will be a feast for ones eyes and imagination!

Harbingers of Spring!

03/02/2011 13:58:00

Now that we are in the first few days of March, my mind's eye turns eagerly to finding any and all details that indicate that spring in Maine in on my doorstep. One of the trademarks of a good gardener is an eye for detail. Detail enables us to see what is what! Have the buds started to swell on the fruit trees at the right time, or is it too early? What caused the bark on the berry bushes to be scraped away? Are the small black cases nested in the grooves of the bark insects? What caused these holes in my leaves? Which insect leaves behind a sticky residue when feeding? Have the red wing black birds returned in February on the 16th or on March the 3rd? It's this eye for detail that enables one to be a successful gardener and keep ahead of the game.

This eye for detail is also something that is of utmost importance in the designing world. It is what gives us the ability to see and create what others can't. Patterns, textures and colors in nature often are imitated by art, they become inspirations for ones own creations and designs. Noticing how the light falls and affects colors is important in picking the right color for the room, a piece of furniture, fabric or plants. It is also helpful in understanding how to place lighting fixtures in a home or workplace to maximize their potential for their purpose, to light a given area. How does the shade from an overhanging tree or shrub will affect the ones below? Do we use white to create a space of light? Or do we allow the texture of the leaves and bark to stand on their own? It's all about observation!

Now back to my observations that spring is making it's first tentative steps towards southern Maine. Most importantly, the days are now over 10 hours, the magic number that allows plants to start to grow! My little lettuces in suspended animation in the greenhouse, are slowly turning their leaves to the sun overhead and putting some(literal) shine back into their leaves. I saw my first red wing blackbird in the last few days of February, looking a bit stunned that it was here, but here none the less! Driving back to Cider Hill yesterday I noticed three large birds bobbing on the updrafts and realized that they were vultures. I'm not sure if they were black or turkey, but they were here testing the waters. The local birds, titmice, chick-a-dees, cardinals, blue birds, house finches, etc. are all starting to sing their territorial songs. In the uncovered areas of my flower border, where the snow drifts were not so deep, snow bells are starting to emerge! The fox, skunks, and raccoons are all on the move, mating season starting. Time to make sure the trash barrels have their lids on tight! The snow is soft and grainy during the warm part of the day, and hard and icey during the cold. The freeze and thaw has begun!

To celebrate this time of year, I finally took the time to plant up the bulbs that had been languishing in a corner. To my delight there were some vibrant red tulips and daffodils of yellow and cream. I assembled my pots and massed them with bulbs and soil. They have broken through and within a few weeks I hope to have my own spring preview on my windowsill!

The trees of winter

02/24/2011 18:00:00

We had a bittersweet morning here on Cider Hill today....Three or our oldest trees had to go the way of the chain saw! Due to old age, poor planting conditions and the toll exerted on them by gradual climate change, our acer rubrum, Colorado Blue spruce and Sugar maple were all taken down this morning.

They were all in bad shape, planted at least a hundred years ago, the acer rubrum, was hanging on by a thread. It has graced the side of our road for a century, offering a buffer to the street traffic and shade for my garden. She had also shaded many a traveler, blazed away a fiery red each October and housed who knows how many birds, squirrels and other warm and cold blooded friends. Unfortunately, due to the widening of Cider Hill Road (aka Rte. 91), the constant application of road salt, numerous hurricanes, straight line micro bursts, thunder storms, snow and ice storms, the old lady just could not stand another year! It was quite a sight to see her taken down. It required a 100 foot crane to maneuver the pieces of her crown over the smaller hemlocks and onto the neighbors road where she was cut into pieces for firewood or chipped up for mulch. It was like a ballet in the air, the large pieces of the crown twirling slowly over the tree tops, gray against indigo blue, softly landing on the tip of it's trunk, the loggers gently lowering it to the ground to dismember it's pieces. The butt logs into the flat bed for firewood, the smaller ones to be ground into mulch. Each machine operator handled their tool like it was an extension of their hand. The large claw gently pushed the brush towards the chipper and carefully loaded the butt logs onto the rack truck. The crane operator landed his block and tackle pulley perfectly in the tree, the arborist ascending like a trapeze artist to place the ropes for the next cut. Everyone took their time, assessing each cut for maximum efficiency. It was a work of art!

The 90ft, Blue spruce and the sugar maple were an easier job, the spruce being a straight line, required only three or four cuts to take it down. It too spiraled over the hemlock crowns, twirling ever so slowly before touching ground. The younger sugar maple never had a chance to grow to it's full potential. After 30 years or so, it succumbed quickly to road salt, fluctuating weather patterns, the indignity of having it's roots dug up every year to maintain the road drainage swale, and so weakened was attacked by a variety of viruses and insects.

But now the front yard looks barren, the scale and softness changed dramatically! The house looks unfinished, the corner empty..The roof will be happy now, and the squirrels won't be quite so quick to raid the bird feeder, their ladder to roof now gone, and the threat of a large branch going through the roof in the next hurricane or micro burst has been eliminated. But so has so much more. As I took photos, I was envisioning what and where to plant the next tree. One that is a bit hardier than the maples, one that will be planted further from the insults of living by a roadside. It will be deciduous, shade in the summer, a screen for the road. My shade garden that flourished under the three trees, has become a full sun garden! But there is inspiration to be had! I will start the design process immediately, envisioning the new garden to come...my mind already churning with ideas!

Winter Home Projects

02/14/2011 19:32:00

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I roam the second hand shops and thrift stores when looking for new decorative pieces for my home. I had two home projects that I had in mind to complete and with all the snow days that we have experienced, sewing and painting fit the bill.

My first project was to make some new toss pillows for my couches in the great room. People have asked for back support and all we had were two small pillows that were worn and lumpy at best. Project number two was to paint the two "married" side tables in our entry way, as well as a shelf for our nearly completed downstairs Lavatory. This was something that would help fill the hours as the snow blew from the Northeast every third day and continued to pile into waist high drifts around the house.

My sister and I hit a couple of our favorite spots in between storms. She was in the market for new winter gear and I was on the hunt for "new" pillows, an Arts and Crafts style waste basket for my office and square or round glass coasters for my pillar candles. Nothing fit the bill for the waste basket, but I found a nice pressed glass coaster for my candles, I was a happy shopper! As I made my second sweep around the shop, I came upon a basket of toss pillows! Most of them were well worn out and tired, but I spied a pair of "matching" pillows with simple home-sewn cases on them. Perfect! The cases could come off, the pillow inserts were in good shape and the best thing about them was that they were only $2.00 for the pair! I went home ready to strip the cases off, toss them in the dumpster, bleach and wash the pillows, and start my sewing project when the next storm hit. (Which was the next day!)

As I stripped the cases to prepare them for the washing machine, I discovered that one of the pair was actually two breakfast pillows stuffed into the case! Great! Now I would have three pillows! I made sure that my red ticking fabric was big enough to make two cases...It was! Phew!( I am the type to buy things I like and not necessarily know what use they will eventually end up as.) I had purchased some fabric back in July, just because..and that was now what I would be using for the pillows. I am also the type that doesn't use patterns, I make my own. This can work most of the time, but sometimes.....In this case everything went smoothly! I had no zippers and wouldn't say that I am the best seamstress..So, I decided that I would make them into an envelope style, with buttons that would make it easy to remove the covers and clean them if the need arose. I placed the pillows on the fabric, drew the shape around them, cut and sewed them up! I was thrilled with the results, the buttons added a really nice design element to them. Project number one complete! It took approximately one full day to clean the pillows, cut the fabric, sew it together, hand sew the button holes(no button holer attachment), apply the buttons and place on the couch and use!

On to project number two! When I was co-owner of my home and garden shop, painting furniture was a weekly, if not daily event for me. My house looked like a hoarder's home! Furniture was stored in almost every room and my "in and out room" was my painting studio. It has almost been two years since the paint brush, sandpaper and dust rag were in my hands, but like riding a bike, it all came back to me! I washed the furniture with water, ammonia and dish washing liquid to remove the wax and any other nasty little somethings that were there that would hinder paint adherence. Once it was dry, I sanded it lightly to rough the surface to help the paint stick, and dusted it to remove any bumps and lumps that may show up. Then I thinned the latex paint (it was exterior house paint and very thick) so it would flow nicely and not leave large paint bristle ridges when it dried. I applied three thin coats of paint. If I wanted to get persnickety, I would have sanded in between coats. But this was for me and the paint came out nice and smooth( having done a nice prep job).

I let the paint dry for 24 hours and then waxed the surface with butcher's wax to help add a layer of protection against liquids and other dirty items that may harm the paint surface.( A given in my home!) A new knob for the little one drawer stand, and voila! a 'new' piece of furniture! The next item to paint was a" Whale Shelf" that my husband had made for me many years ago. It gets it's name from the shape of the side boards, they resemble a cut out whale figure. Now freshly painted in the same Navajo White, this beautiful, colonial style shelf, will reside in the new Arts and Crafts inspired lavatory and will hold our towels. (that's a whole 'nother blog!)

I still have the small hall table to paint that holds our keys and mail. This will happen this week and our entryway will almost be done! As you can see in the photo, a 5 gallon bucket serves as a waste can for the office (looking for that Arts and Crafts inspired piece) and a curtain acts as a closet 'door' for the coat closet. My husband, brother-in-law and myself gutted out an old Arts and Crafts Bungalow that has given us the lavatory door, wall sconces, and the soon to be entry way coat closet door. We also obtained some beautiful chestnut paneling from the old house that will grace our office as repurposed built-in cabinets, desks and shelving. Reuse, recycle is our motto!

As long as the snow lays deep in the yard, and the wind has a bite to it, preventing me from enjoying long hours outside; I will persevere and finish up my 'winter home projects'. For as soon as I can feel the solid ground under my feet and wear only two layers of clothing, the house will be forgotten, the dust will settle and things inside will have to wait another year...

The winter garden

02/08/2011 14:16:00

Even though the snow lays deep, my gardens are always in the forefront of my mind. I pass my kitchen garden every day on my way to the outdoor water spigot that supplies my layer flock with their daily drink. A lone head or two of kale waves forlornly above the snow line, waiting for the warmer days of April. The Raspberry fence that is the western edge of my garden has only three wire rows left before it too is swallowed by the drifts! I eye the old apple tree in the background, surveying it's branches, determining which need to go in order to create the perfect shape for maximum apple production. I have a fond memory of past pruning days, perched in the tree, feeling the warm March winds against my face, saw in hand watching the branches fall to the ground..only a few more weeks!

I had to rake the roof of my green house last week. The snow had become so deep around it, that it was no longer able to shed the new fallen snow. A crisis was looming! The snow had turned into ice and an interior section had torn, disabling the blower and the layers of plastic were sagging inward! I swam through hip high drifts to rake the peak and after an hour the house was clear and the banks were now 8 ft wide by 4 ft high! My little mixed greens, lettuces and herbs that have remained in suspended animation since the day light length went below 10 hours, were safe! It is an unheated green house and only the strong survive! I do continue to water and gave them all a shot of Neptune's sea mix the other week, encouraging them to stay strong until March!

I have yet to break open the seed catalouges that are piled deep on the dining room table. I won't start my seedlings until March. I need the night time temps to settle down to the low 40's, and that won't happen until at least 6 weeks from now. I start sets in my house on a heated seedling mat in trays and then transplant them to individual pots when the second set of leaves have emerged. After they harden off, they go off to the green house to become hardy little souls that will endure the vagaries of the Maine climate. I prefer my transplants to be on the young side, with vigorous young roots that will adapt quickly to the cooler spring soil. It makes for a hardier, healthier plant for my heavily planted kitchen garden. I also take the time to review my garden journal. I have a three year crop rotation plan and need to jog my memory as to what was planted where. I also review information about germination, insect problems, fruit set, etc. A well planned garden is a productive garden!

My actual, physical gardening now is house focused. I have hauled in a old bag of topsoil to plant up the spring bulbs that I didn't get into the ground in the fall. I am hopeful they will respond to light, soil and moisture and give me a colorful spring preview in about a month or so! I am also giving my few, hardy houseplants their monthly bath and prune. The smaller ones that I can move into the shower enjoy a nice spray of water that loosens the dirt and dust from their leaves that hinders their food production and attracts those little sucking insects like scale, mites and others. I discovered that rubbing alcohol,(not denatured!) does a nice job of eliminating scale when applied to them with a Q-tip. It took so time and effort, but was well worth it! My Jade has honored me with blooms in the past and I want to encourage that! They also have received their second feeding since their rest from Dec.- Jan. My Geranium has put on some vigorous new growth and I look forward to it's bright blooms in a few weeks! I also plant to pinch off some stems to produce some new starts for this years planters.

I also love the winter interest that my perennial gardens provide me. I enjoy watching the Miscanthus plumes moving in the winter winds, the tortured form on the Harry Lauder Walking Stick against the snow in my front yard, it's catkins waiting to burst forth in spring. The cinnamon colored bark of my climbing hydrangea is festooned with sparkling icicles and the brightly colored native residents such as cardinals, blue birds(yes!), blue jays and carolina wrens appear like ornaments placed in the trees for my enjoyment. I have noticed that the buds on the decidous trees are starting to swell, waiting for the right signal to awaken them. I long for spring, but relish the quiet time that nature offers up to us in the form of winter garden.

Organization is always a struggle...

01/15/2011 19:45:00

Organization is always a struggle for me and it comes home to roost this time of year!

The Holiday decorations are put back in their named plastic bins, I have begun the arduous task of shredding the reams of no longer needed paper work, cleaning the closets of unwanted and unused clothing, trying to determine whether or not I still should hold onto the chipped vase from the birth of my first born, and worst of all the unfinished projects lie in wait for me!

I read up on organizing, on creating the 'perfect closet', what not to shred and what to, how to classify, group, create the perfect collection for my rooms, the lists line the desk top! I spent all week cleaning, sorting, filing, shredding, classifying my beautifully cluttered office. I even sent off the articles and recycled magazines to my relatives that I had been accumulating over the last year for them.

The problem is, once I start, I often get stuck on what I have found and rediscovered. I look at everything in a new light, begin to see how it could be used in another way, a different use. Like the beautiful queen sized sheet to be made into new curtains, you can't throw something like that away! The left over yardage from the great room curtains should be made into toss pillows for the sofa. Old pieces of furniture could just have a fresh coat of paint and be used in the guest room, the 1800's pine dresser that has graced our old bathroom downstairs should be moved into one of the upstairs bedroom closets to make way for more storage and de-clutter the room. I then could move the well worn, old shoe feel, leather chair down to the den and (really!) put the cat and dog worn club chairs on the curve! The old chipped McCoy vase could be added to my collection of art pottery and grace the mantle in the spring, filled with daffodils.

So, my list of projects grows and so do the piles. As I looked over my file cabinet of landscape designs, I found old horticultural notes that should be inserted into my loose leaf binder of 'garden growing hints', all these things that I forget by the time spring arrives, like pruning roses, grapevines and raspberries. When to prune the spring bloomers and when to prune the fall....the 20 year old plant lists and drawings have valuable information that needs to be remembered! What's old is always new. The amount of valuable information is staggering...I just need to organize it!

That is the double-edged sword of organization and it takes a strong constitution to say good-bye to old friends. I do do the trick of hanging the clothes with the hangers all going one way and at the change of season, see which ones haven't moved and give them to the thrift store! I do throw out my seeds that are older than 5 years...I have shredded reams of paper to use as recycled material for my laying hen's nest boxes and hen house floor. If I haven't used it for a year I do start to fill a box for donations, I have started to cull out the photos.....It just there is so much potential in all things...! The best thing our oldest son did was to rent a dumpster for his House Painting business and leave in front of my husband's wood shop, there is some satisfaction in throwing things away, especially if they are truly broken! It gets easier and I am trying hard to be disciplined, there is just so much beauty in re-imaging things! (No I am not a hoarder!)

It's always easier to help organize and de-clutter someone else's home, the emotional attachment isn't there, you can see beyond the obvious and envision the new....

As we enter the New Year

12/31/2010 17:42:00

As we enter the New Year, it's always a time of reflection and for me, reconnecting with my best intentions!

I mull over my various 'mission statements', yes, I have more than one! There is my business mission statement and my personal mission statement, both of which are similar in thought. Being of an artistic inclination, both my 'missions' are concerned with beauty, simplicity and our individual experiences that create our view of life, or our 'reality'.

My main mission is to share beauty, in all it's forms, with my clients, friends and family. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...it is different for everyone, depending on your gender, race and culture. Beauty can transcend time and space, bridge generations, shock, calm, agitate, make one see in different ways. I want to be able to allow my clients the ability to create their visions of beauty through my help and guidance, their translator in a way..I dislike cookie cutter style, let the individual reign!

One pleasure that I take is recreating new views out of old. Using existing pieces and creating new items. I wander through the thrift stores, junk shops, my own basement, attic, closets and recreate items, vignettes, art pieces out of found objects. I rip out my old garden beds and rework them into new ones, prune old shrubs into new shapes, rework my color schemes..I wander the woods, beach and fields looking for texture, color and patterns that inspire me.

This time of year I am concentrating on repainting rooms, reworking the fabrics that I have and using them in new ways. I found an odd queen size sheet (in my linen drawer) with beautiful trimming, that I will sew into new curtains for my daughter's now vacant bedroom. I will take the Christmas card out of it's frame in the living room (insta-art) and find a serene winter scene from my photo collection or card collection, and re-frame it for a fresh look. I plan to rework my mantle piece with a Harry Lauder Walking stick branch(from my garden pruning in the fall) with some pine cones gathered on a walk with my husband and dogs, for a nice mimimalist look. I am seeking calm and repose after the busy Holiday season...

I contemplate my gardens, enjoying the branch structure of trees, shrubs and the softness in both color and form in my grasses. I browse through the seed catalogues planning my spring garden, I am amazed at how the kale stands the winter and use it in soups and salad.

I find solace in beauty, the world is right when the bud of a branch can inspire me!

Now that the Holidays are on the wane...

12/28/2010 17:33:00

Now that the Holidays are on the wane, how do we refresh our horizons?

Enjoy the beauty of Winter! Use it as an inspiration for color, texture and appreciate the different ways the low light affects everything visually outside and in.

Cozy up your rooms with your new throws and pillows you put away for the holidays. Replace the Holiday decore with the serene look of minimalism. Refresh your look with colors inspired by nature, the blazing reds of the sunset, the cool, clean colors of snow, the browns, taupes, grays and textures of the trees. The deep color of the evergreens dusted with snow. Paint is your least expensive form of decore!

Now is a great time to review those lamps and lighting fixtures as well, lots of Home accessory items are on sale in January!! Take advantage of those sales! Most furniture stores offer delivery services, so you don't have to have a truck or s.u.v.!

Take time to review your landscape view as well! Is there something of interest out in the garden for you to gaze upon? Grasses swaying in the wind, red berries standing out against the snow cover, twisted and contorted features of Harry Lauder's Walking stick, curly willow? Stark shapes of stones against a winter sky?

Do you feed the birds? Have you planted wildlife food sources? Fruit trees, Grasses, hickory or other nut bearing trees?

Now is the time to browse those seed and plant catalogues, review your notes from your garden log or journal and plan for the upcoming season!

Of course it's also a great time to take advantage of your local Interior Designer, Decorator and Landscape Designer. They can help you navigate the design process and create your new vision! So, give them a call!