Garden Blues

Hello again everyone. 

I am shocked that it has been so long. The last time I wrote I was heading out to the garden almost one year ago. And there I did stay for quite a while. One project led to another...

Stones were pried from the ground, walls were built, plants were divided, pruned, moved, deadheaded. Then 32 weeks of teaching began followed shortly by a drought unlike anything I have experienced before. By the time October rolled around I was one stressed out, tired, sunburnt garden warrior actually looking forward to the relief that a winter respite would bring. 

I rejoiced when fall finally allowed me to put away the garden hoses, sprinklers and pumps, to empty the very large collection of rain barrels and water tanks, to put to bed a garden that was looking as battered as I felt. 

But, as the saying so wisely goes, that was then. 

During the winter I dedicate my time to lesson planning, marketing, designing websites and compiling new safety training manuals for my husband. With the end of February upon us I am ready to relinquish my position at the keyboard and create with plants instead of pixels.

Though I have not forgotten the torture inflicted by the weather last summer, the pull of the seasons has me ready to start anew, to hope, to plan, to dream of sun-filled days blended with enough rain to see us through. 

I am so craving the perfumes of freshly turned earth, sweet spring breezes, laundry blown clean on the line. I long for the sweet faces of violas, the tiny cabbage-like buds of sedum, the curl of the fern under the shade of the twisted maples. Yet the garden still sleeps and impatience will not hasten the arrival of spring.

So to celebrate the garden blues, literally, I choose to share some of my favourite azure beauties. Blue in the garden is restful, a wonderful classic compliment to whites, a pastel friend to pink and mauve, and stunning when paired with vibrant hues of orange and yellow.

We'll begin with the pretty spring bulb: prairie lily, Cammasia 
pictured here from the garden of Claus Dalby 

And who can resist the perfect simplicity of the pansy.Here planted in zinc containers.
sjarmerende-gjenbruk.blogspot.com

...and the sea of forget-me-nots floating behind
the gentle wands of heuchera

or the lush carpet of creeping phlox, 
the vibrance of ajuga chocolate in bloom
http://www.obsessiveneuroticgardener.com

Until next time - wishes for peace, love & joy!

A Gentleman from Denmark

The gardens of Claus Dalby

A few years ago we had a wonderful customer who we were always happy to see. She was a vibrant, feisty 80 year old gardener with the most perfect name of Faith. She was sheer radiance and I always felt uplifted after being in her presence. She was an angel... a beautiful, loving spirit all decked out in black rubber boots and a plaid jacket. Her aura simply filled any room she entered.

Truly happy people like Faith are not that easy to find. Today, though, through the almighty grace of the internet, I came across a most inspiring gentleman from Denmark who seems to fit this bill nicely. He is a gardener by the name of Claus Dalby, who has designed and created a truly beautiful garden in Denmark. He is also a gifted writer. 


Dalby's gardening blog http://www.clausdalby.dk is written in his native tongue, and though the Google translation to english is at times charming, and others a little weird, the sweetness of the man who writes it and the gentleness of his soul comes shining through.

I love the tender simplicity of white gardens and was completely drawn to the composition that Dalby has created in his. His use of texture, contrast, repetition, and rythm is masterful and enchanting. The transition from season to season and from one flush of colour to another is a great demonstration of planning (and planning, and planning). 


The blog itself is a treasure trove of gardening advice, plant combinations, and encouraging words. I won't spoil it for you, you really need to grab a cup of tea and browse through it yourself. I am gushing, I know, (and using an abundance of adjectives)...but I'm having a hard time stopping myself.


Here are just a few of the photos waiting for you...

Leveillei  anemone

"Everything breathes peace and tranquility in the garden.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and my white doves 

circling around their pigeonholes."

~ Claus Dalby

Iris pseudacorus with spring green tulips 

Lunneria dancing through the tulips

Its a happy day for me when I find something new and different...new plants, new designers, new insights. Gardening is a school that will forever offer new lessons. I hope you enjoyed this post and appreciate your comments and I thank those who have sent me encouraging emails, they really do mean a lot.  Now please go make that tea and spend some time with this lovely gentleman from Denmark.