After the hot days of late and the high humidity during this summer, it is a welcome change to feel the touch of coolness in the air each morning. The Autumn season is here with the faintest sign of what’s to come and the beginnings of colour change in the trees. The breeze has a…
Tag: garden quotes
“A garden of Purple is always in bloom.”
Purple and lavender roses exude a sense of tranquillity and make the garden a serene and welcoming space that is also romantic and restful. This was my intention when I began planting several shades of purple, lavender, and soft lilac roses to the garden. The purple hues create the charm of an old-world, vintage garden…
Like sunshine in a garden, yellow roses whisper tales of hope and resilience.
Yellow is magic. It can lift our spirits and create cheerfulness and optimism. The golden hue of yellow roses spreads joy, happiness, and positivity wherever they are seen; in a garden landscape amongst lush green foliage, a wedding bouquet, picked fresh from the garden for a friend or a vase in the home. Yellow roses…
“There may be many flowers in one’s life…but only one red rose.”
Red roses, until last year, were not part of the garden except for the Kardinal Rose, and it is a mystery why I have never planted more before. Now, the garden boasts a range of red roses, including a mass-planted display of “As Good As It Gets” and several climbing varieties, “Dublin Bay” and “Fourth…
“New Year’s Eve is only ever what you make it: the momentous passing from an old year into a new one or just another day.”
Here we are approaching the end of the year. The time when we naturally reflect on the past 364 days and wonder how we could have managed things differently. Are we proud of our success in life and in the garden this year, or are we looking for a better outcome in the year ahead? “Tomorrow…
“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.”
Spring is a heady time for gardeners, with bursts of long-awaited colour, although fleeting at times when nature brings seasonal winds and frequent storms. Although I’m encouraged and happy that it is Spring after the dreariness of winter, it is easy to forget just how unpredictable the spring days can be. “Never yet was a…
“Hoe while it is spring, and enjoy the best anticipations. It is not much matter if things do not turn out well.”
Spring has flooded the garden with colour from hundreds of plants: salvias, geraniums, perennials, herbs and roses. The Lady of Shalott roses have been superb this spring, although, nature always has the upper hand. Looking closely around the garden, overall the first round of rose blooms did not open as well as expected. There are…
“I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday sweet and fragrant, between its leaves.”
Wherever we look the cheerfulness of Spring is present: birdsong, blue skies, sunshine, rosebuds, an abundance of rose blooms, blossoms and flowers, greenery, bees and insects, with only remnants of winter remaining felt as the chill in the early mornings. “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Some roses show…
“Queer things happen in the garden in Spring. Little faces forgotten appear, and plants thought to be dead suddenly wave a little green hand to confound you.”
It is no secret that I’m fond of quotations, and this one perfectly describes the spring start in the garden this year. Once dead twigs are now verdant lush growth and the perennials appear as a carpet of varied foliage with colour peeking out under the roses. It also feels like we have had every…
“My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view.”
As I began to grow roses I gained initial advice from books on garden greats in history, the locals in the country town where I lived, and various rose nurseries and horticulturalists. I followed their advice and I noticed I had considerable knowledge of plant species and names even though I didn’t know I knew…
“It was such a pleasure to sink one’s hands into the warm earth, to feel at one’s fingertips the possibilities of the new season.”
All through winter, keen gardeners wait for the onset of Spring and long for it even if the coziness of winter is enjoyable. The change of season always brings renewal and vitality to garden growth in the early days of Spring, and it is an exciting time. Eagerly watching for signs of new buds and…
“And the roses—the roses! —they came alive day by day, hour by hour.
There’s nothing quite like a freshly picked rose from the garden. Still stunning but not comparable are the perfect roses grown for the cut flower market that sit outside florists to entice customers. Almost appearing too good to be true, commercially grown roses often lack perfume, whereas garden roses are intoxicating visually and in their…
“Blossom by blossom the spring begins.”
The anticipation of the first day of spring has a sense of urgency, and although the warmth of sun-filled days is a comfort, there is still a frenzy of activity and long lists of tasks to be worked on in the garden. I tell myself daily that gardening is for joy, and there is plenty…
“If you have never had a garden you cannot understand, and if you have had a garden you will know that it would take a whole book to describe all that came to pass there.”
The essence of gardening is doing, digging, shaping, moving, and fine-tuning. After weeks of work, it is time for the best part, the planting. The bare-root roses have arrived; half are planted already, with the remainder soaking in buckets waiting for the welcome rain to stop. It is a heady time of year that culminates…
If you want good roses, sharpen your knife and harden your heart.
Chaos reigns in the garden this week, and it is time to take action even though the experts’ view is to leave pruning until all risk of frost is over. After a week or so of warm weather, too hot for August, the plants in the garden are confused as many have come out of…
In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move.
Unfortunately, the garden is unsightly and tired now that winter has settled in and the frosty conditions have begun. The leaves on the roses are falling or going yellow and many blooms have balled up in the wet conditions. The Pelargoniums continue to look fantastic, and it won’t be long before Clematis and Daphne are…
“I like generosity wherever I find it, whether in gardens or elsewhere. I hate to see things scrimp and scrubby. Even the smallest garden can be prodigal within its limitations.”
The essence of a garden is all about generosity, as Vita Sackville West confirms in today’s title quote. Garden, generosity is not only about the blooms and plants but also the space, the size and the scale of a garden and its location; the width of the paths, the height of the trees, arches, pergolas…
“Do not watch the petals fall from the rose with sadness, know that, like life, things sometimes must fade, before they can bloom again.”
In anticipation, I wait for nature to bring more cold days to give the roses the silent nod to sleep. After only a few days of chill, the garden is showing signs of slowing down, and moving towards dormancy even though many roses remain in bloom. Some are brilliant, almost perfect whilst others are lovely,…
It is always exciting to open the door and go out into the garden for the first time on any day…..
The garden continues to flourish with an array of wonderful roses out in bloom. It is heartening to see the splashes of colour as the temperatures turn cold and the skies grey, and all are a welcome treat. Some roses appear to enjoy the more northern hemisphere climate of the past…
“The intransigence of roses is something we have had to accept, and now … I know which are docile and benevolent from those which are headstrong; those that are pliant from those which are pig-headed.”
After considerable time tending roses, I now realise first-hand that Mirabel Osler’s statement is incredibly accurate. The research before purchasing roses has meant that most roses have been a dream to nurture; upright, generous and elegant. Their prolific blooms in gorgeous colours are amiable even with the prickles, but on occasions, after the arrival in…
Gardens have a way of coercing you into an undertaking or doing things you never intended to do, and when you have, you wonder why you waited so long.
It is a beautiful Autumn day again this morning spent in the garden planting out a few Salvia leucantha, Mexican sage bushes. Before I knew it, I had taken the irreversible steps in removing the supposedly ‘weeping’ rose that has annoyed me for so long, with its belligerent attitude, and refusal to weep over the…
Just step outdoors, see the light on the hills, the stars at night- that’s enough.
The weather of late is glorious and the days so clear. It is fresh in the mornings with the warmth of sunny days followed by the grandeur of an empyrean night sky.Nothing is more spectacular than the inland domed sky on a cloudless crisp cold night. At times like this, it all seems worthwhile living…
‘A garden is a friend you can visit anytime.’
Now that the flurry of Easter and all that goes with preparing a house and food for the family is over, our rural location seems deserted, and the sounds of children in the garden have quietened. Yet, the garden remains full of excitement and activity as if, by magic, hundreds of roses are in bloom…
“Golden Yellow; the Colour of Joy.”
The glow of ambient light in Autumn is so atmospheric as the cooler temperatures and changeable weather create a season of dewy mornings, and the dramatic light stays golden all day around the late-flowering rose blooms. For some time now, I’ve wanted to replace the overgrown French lavender and the two Princess De Monaco roses…
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order
Time outside gardening and growing roses is a favourite pastime, and the garden is where I spend many happy hours, although there are times when a retreat indoors is the preferred option. Today was such a day. Eager and energetic, I headed out early, only to find a short while later, I was rushing towards…
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
Nature has gently eased us out of summer with hints of what’s to come; the mornings bring cool fresh air, but the high temperatures along the coast and inland last week tease us back into summer mode. So the bees in the garden are still very active. Throughout the garden, some roses have tell-tale signs…
Life In The Autumn Garden
Many hours have been spent in the garden this week. I’m taking advantage of the cool mornings that allow at least five hours of gardening before the sun’s intensity becomes too hot. It is cathartic, cutting back summer growth and pulling weeds so tall in some spots they were up to my shoulders. The word…
“Gardening is a work of a lifetime: you never finish.”
Early morning this week was slightly cooler, creating perfect gardening conditions. As the sun came across the lawn, it still felt like summer but not so intensely hot. It’s a small sign but very welcome and reminds me that Autumn may not be too far away after all. Usually, garden work is brief or…
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.
The days spent in New Zealand and Tasmania were primarily overcast, but we are now in full swing of late Summer back in the garden, with temperatures reaching 40-41 degrees C and little to no rainfall. The only time to comfortably garden is in the early hours of each day. Summer gardens in Australia demand…
“Garden design is all about concealment and surprise.”
Now that I’ve had time to reflect on all I’ve seen in recent travels my favorite Botanical Garden is in Tasmania? The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens ( RTBG ) has a wealth of specialist collections ranging from the Lily Pond, the Japanese Garden, the Historic Wall, and the Gate Keepers Cottage to the Community Food…
“One of the pleasures of being a gardener comes from the enjoyment you get looking at other people’s yards.”
As I write, I am on board the Cunard line ‘Queen Elizabeth’ Ship as part of the Inaugural Australian Gardening Journey 4-11th February 2023, which has been excellent. One of the highlights was visiting more of Australia’s Botanical Gardens when in Port. However, the inclement weather made visiting the Melbourne Gardens impossible, but it was…
“Despite the gardener’s best intentions, Nature will improvise.”’
Today is a serene and beautiful clear sunny day, peaceful and still after the early morning cool and not a cloud in the sky. The sun shines, and the day is expected to be hot, a perfect summer day. Alas, like all things in nature, just when you thought it was time to enjoy the…
“The secret of landscapes isn’t creation…It’s maintenance.
All the new roses are transforming the garden landscape, and I am loving the changes. There are small glimpses of the colours and style to expect as the roses settle in and become more established. They blend beautifully with the older roses that are the garden stalwarts having triumphed and endured the last few years…
“If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
Roses are the masterpiece of nature, adored the world over for their beauty and mesmerising fragrance. Today I have a selection of roses I photographed on one day early this week when I ducked outside to the damp garden to shoot a few snaps of the roses that were in bloom and had survived the…
“Each garden has its own surprise.”
Season after season, wonderful surprises pop up in the garden as if by magic. These unexpected elements create new landscapes that are delightful reminders of what gardening is actually about. Mirabel Osler calls it the ‘alchemy of the garden.’ A pleasing effect from a myriad of plants creates something more than individual details. An unexpected…
“The real voyage in discovery is not in new landscapes but in having new eyes”
New landscapes are emerging, and I’m seeing the garden for the first time with fresh eyes because, at last, when I walk in the garden, I feel as though with fragrance wafting in the air and an abundance of perfect roses it is a ‘proper garden’ now. The experience of watching the roses unfold is…
Out of the Blue
Blue is one of the most popular colours. The azure blue of the sky is reflected in our lakes, oceans and waterways and creates the haze in distant mountains but the pigment blue in the garden is extremely rare. So, even though Blue is all around us in the environment, Blue is elusive and there…
“A gardener learns to play the hand he’s dealt”
Once again, I’ve been saved from garden watering by obliging clouds and another deluge of rain over the last three days. It was predicted and arrived on schedule almost to the hour, beginning as quiet stillness in the air that made me think of the phrase, the calm before the storm. Followed by soft Irish…
“The sound of the rain needs no translation.”
Overnight the garden has gone from an abundance of colourful perfumed roses and perennials to a windblown saturated, flooded garden. Many roses lie in a sodden mess face down in ponds of still water. I love the sound of rain on our tin roof, but just now, rain is not what we want to hear….
“The Rose is without an explanation; She blooms because She blooms.”
Winter has been here with a vengeance over the last few weeks with wild weather, heavy rain and devastating floods in Australia for the third time this year. It is cold and bleak outside, but the odd thing is there are hundreds of roses out in bloom. Some roses blooming have never really been in…
“The colour of spring is in the flowers; the colour of winter is in the imagination.”
As I walk through the garden now with winter well and truly here, I am surprised to still see beautiful rose blooms opening despite the cold mornings and nights. The tenacity of some of the roses is remarkable, refusing to give up and rest. When my eyes rove across the garden they don’t see what…