Tag: quotes
“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…
“The more help you have with your garden, the less it belongs to you.”
Spring arrived so abruptly this year, with typical unsettled, windy, changeable weather. The early morning is cold, with sunny days at times then followed by frost and cold winds reminiscent of winter’s depths. It is Spring, and as long as one remains flexible to the moods of nature and mindful to wear layered clothing, it…
“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…
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…
“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…
“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.”
Recently I visited the Botanical Gardens of two New Zealand cities, Dunedin and Christchurch. It was an uplifting experience to wander in the gardens and see a snapshot of the plants and trees of New Zealand’s South Island especially the roses here. As the quote above states, I left feeling at peace and grateful that…
I’m having a Magenta day. Not just red, but Magenta!
My rose garden began with my desire to play with colour. Like an artist’s palette, the colours and hues available in roses are endless. Colour is everywhere; we see colours, feel them, taste, touch, and smell them and they have a profound effect on us in natural and numerous ways; moods, behaviour, circadian rhythms, motivation,…
“And now let us welcome the New Year, Full of things that have never been.”
The dawn of a New Year is nearly here – a fresh start full of life’s promise, a time when we celebrate new beginnings and plot new year’s resolutions to be more mindful in our lives. For the garden, though, the new year is summertime in the southern hemisphere. By year’s end, the delights of…
“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…
“It is December, and my world smells of roses.“
Today, the open windows on the first morning of summer bring a more profound joy because our Spring was so cloud-covered and wet. At last, the sun shines, it is wonderful and the garden looks and feels like summer. As if overnight, Spring undergrowth has dried and is, in part, ready to cut back, masses…
“Wild roses are fairest, and nature a better gardener than art.”
A tousled abundance of roses and perennials was my intent on creating a garden; sure enough, a profusion of roses and other florals now permeates the garden as spring nears the end of its reign. Copious roses hang from arching canes and interweave amongst the lavender, herbs and geraniums. Some stand upright with the sky…
“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…
“It takes a loyal gardener to tend roses.”
The garden is buzzing with life, and the roses are spectacular in every direction. The best news is that the roses have only just started to open, which means many more weeks and months of blooms are yet to come, Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be. One of the…
“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…
“Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.”
Spring is here, and what a delight it is each morning to witness the buds unfolding that herald the start to the season. Sometimes hidden under the spectacular, fresh, clean and new foliage, are welcome flashes of colour from new blooms. The leaves are stunning too, from glossy lime green to darkest maroon with bright…
“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….
“In the garden as in writing, punctuation is needed to clarify structure and meanings. A garden without punctuation is like prose without full stops or music without a beat.”
Spring is in the air and there are signs that the garden is coming together. Over the time I’ve been gardening, the climbing roses have been the trickiest to get right. I initially envisaged an abundance of rose blooms cascading around the front door and verandah posts of the old Australian farmhouse (1910 ) where…
“Spring: The music of open windows.”
Spring is here, and good times in the garden are coming. Don’t you just love the first days of early Spring when the windows can be flung open, and the breeze can blow through the house after all the rain and cold of winter? It enlivens the senses and makes you feel good, especially on…
“All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”
Today is crisp and beautiful; the sun shines after yesterday’s wet day. Sheep graze in the long grass and the new roses that were ‘heeled in’ are now all planted. The days after rain have an allure all their own that no amount of watering can replicate. It’s like waking up to a promise of…
“Nothing is more the child of art than a garden.”
Many great painters from the past were also avid gardeners who chose to paint their surroundings and families enjoying the garden. Why not? The garden is so full of colour through the months of spring, summer and autumn, with beautiful spaces to view and capture in paint. At this time of year, when let’s face…