There's glory in the garden....
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| Our English winter garden. |
" Seeds for next year all ordered.
Now what am I going to do for the rest of the winter?"
Hilda
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| Chateau Mango, Vietnam |
My Northern Hemisphere friends will wonder what I am doing talking about gardens just days before Christmas...my Southern Hemisphere friends will be right with me. There will be a point to this post for my New England friends...promise!
There is a Chinese proverb.. "life begins the day you start a garden". Having recently finished my second season with a veggie garden, I have to agree. Well, kind of. Agony and Ecstasy also comes to mind. Ecstasy when seedlings burst forth with pride...and agony when you realise you made a mess of things. The good news is that agony lasts about five minutes with me. There is always hope, there is always a garden to be appreciated and scrutinised. Tomorrow is another day.
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| Tahilla Farm Garden |
When planning a veggie and herb garden I like to look further afield.
There were quite a few gardens I admired this past summer....
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| My gardening inspiration...the beauty of others. |
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| When friends come calling...vegetables. |
My only regret this past summer was that we could not eat all the veggies that grew in our garden fast enough. Timing is everything when your gardening season is short. I realised this year that I do not need to plant eight seedlings of hot chili pepper which arrived in abundance about three days before I left Tahilla Farm. If I want an August tomato crop I have to get onto the plants early on. I overdid it on the zucchini...and totally misjudged the "wildness" of lemongrass. A resident groundhog had a feeding frenzy on our lettuce and I was told by an avid gardener that I was "over zealous" in my mulch application...hence slow growing lettuce. Friends share and share alike in vegetables and gardening tips, I love that. I took notes and am ready to get back in and try again...in six months.
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| Summer bounty...Tahilla Farm |
If I lived at Tahilla Farm, I would have this covered. There is a wonderful lecture in the gardening circuit in Vermont next month. If you live in New England ( New England friends take note) and want to know all there is to know about growing vegetables...check this out.
Latchis Arts presents Garden Inspirations:
Growing Vegetables
a day of interesting insights
on growing vegetables from three local farmers,
as well as acclaimed TV personality Roger Swain,
knows to millions as the host of the popular
PBS show, "The Victory Garden.".
The event will be held
on Saturday, January 24, 2015,
from 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Only 100 tickets available, I wish I could go!
If you are interested or think perhaps
that this would make a brilliant
last minute Christmas gift, click here
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| Information on "Garden Inspirations: Growing Vegetables" here |
No matter which hemisphere you live in,
four seasons or one,
I am sure you will agree...
There is peace within a garden
A peace so deep and calm
A peace so deep and calm
That when the heart is troubled
It's like a soothing balm
There's life within a garden
A life that still goes on
filling the empty places
When older plants have gone
There's glory in the garden
at every time of year.
Spring Summer Autumn Winter
to fill the heart with cheer
So ever tend your garden
It's beauty to increase
For in it you'll find solace
And in it you'll find peace
English Poet
Lady Rosamund Langham
WISHING YOU A JOYOUS HOLIDAY
FILLED WITH PEACE AND LOVE
AND A HEART FILLED WITH CHEER.
:)
AND A HEART FILLED WITH CHEER.
:)
Jeanne xx
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| Christmas past, England |
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you Jeanne and your family.
ReplyDeleteWith thanks Pamela...and to you and yours. :)
DeleteHello jeanne,
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your family a very happy Christmas. We are long overdue a catch up... let's make a date in the New Year...
Much love, xv.
Thank you Vicki....best wishes for a lovely holiday in Provence. I am on for that catch up! xx
DeleteHappy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteYour wonderful post has inspired me to start a bean in a jar garden for the cheer it brings seeing a plant grow.
I LOVE that idea Maywyn!! Happy Holidays and Happy Growing!! :)
DeleteMerry Christmas and much love and many blessings
ReplyDeleteJeanne
Your postings are always lovely. Time began in a garden.
Thank you Jeanne...best wishes for a Merry Christmas! :)
ReplyDeleteLove your writing about your veggies + merry christmas + happy new year to you & yours. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteThank you Peggy! Sending you warm wishes for a wonderful holiday...xx
DeleteHow gorgeous!I have been right there with you in the VEGGIE department!The ITALIAN husband has taken it over which kinda makes me mad.......But then its GOOD for him and since he comes from the OLD COUNTRY he knows way MORE then I do!I look after the 273 roses.....and jasmine.......and other pretty flowers.
ReplyDeleteMERRY CHRISTMAS from the good old USA!!!!!!Sounds like you will have a house FULL......I think I saw where the kids were flying in on Instagram....MERRY MERRY..............XO
Major SWOON Elizabeth...273 roses, with sprays of Jasmine...heaven scent. I am hopeless with roses, in and out of the ground. I envy you your "rose" thumb! Best wishes for a glorious holiday dear Contessa...I have no doubt it will be a fabulous one for you and yours. :). xxx
ReplyDeleteLoved this post and have been perusing the seed catalogs the last few weeks. After the holidays, I am going to get to work and plan my little garden. It is small and some things grow and some things don't. It still a work in progress! I don't have much luck with roses either, but I keep trying! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Galestorm! My goal is to create a sustainable Vietnamese garden...it's all about balance and growing seasons. It is good to have projects like this...keeps the dream alive. It's the little things...truly. Best wishes to you for a Merry Merry Christmas and joyous New Year! :)
DeleteI'm a terrible gardener and so envy other's green thumbs! Perhaps I'll give another go next Spring!! Gorgeous garden inspirations you have.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a very Merry Christmas!
To this I say pots and more pots Jennifer. I have lots of those too. One day I was in a fret over the demise of a few flowering plants. A friend looked at me and simply said, toss them and start again. She couldn't see what all the fuss was about. I like her way of thinking...and she is a keen gardener with years of experience up her sleeve. I started to give myself a few reality checks and started enjoying the garden a whole lot more. :) Sending you warm wishes from Saigon for a Happy Holiday...see you over at IG and FB! xx
DeleteWhat fun you will have the next couple of years discovering how your garden grows! The first few years are so filled with discovery!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to all your family!
That's what I enjoy about stopping by your blog Webb...I can feel it!
DeleteWishing you a Wonderful Holiday!! :)
It's wonderful to have a garden with vegetables and flowers. You have fresh vegetables and flowers on your table. In Hillwood Estate (museum and gardens) in Washington,D.C. All the flowers inside the mansion are fresh and from its gardens.No silk flowers.
ReplyDeleteYou have a treasure Jeanne.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR.
That is a wonderful thought Edgar and something new for me to explore. Thank you! Sending you best wishes for a joyous holiday with your family...all the best! :)
DeleteWhat a green and joyful post! I hope some gardening bloggers (or blogging gardeners) will manage to attend that Brattleboro event and share some tips afterward.
ReplyDeleteI've been tucking away the dazzling 2015 seed catalogs against the grimmest days of Deep Winter...garden dreaming and list-making and planning are my antidote to February glooms ;)
I hope you and yours have wonder-full holidays, Jeanne!
Thank you Quinn! I like your thinking for the winter months, you seem to have it well planned. If you have a tip on seed catalogs, would love to know. I need to do a bit of research for my Vietnamese herb garden. Sending you warm wishes for a wonderful holiday and dreams of beautiful gardens all winter long... ;)
ReplyDeletePeace and glory, dear Jeanne. Hope the end of your year is merry and bright!
ReplyDeleteThank you Becky!! Sending you best wishes for a wonderful holiday! (In Florida by now?) ;) xx
DeleteI am continually garden challenged, but what joy there is in small successes. Have a very merry holiday, Jeanne, and I look forward to all the shared experiences that are ahead.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda...best wishes to you for a glorious holiday with your family. :)
DeleteI think it's easy to have a beautiful garden in England with all that rain. For some plants to survive a Mediterranean summer that starts in April and ends some time in early December (when it does) is another story. But I admire your persistence and willingness to learn more. I am not very patient with gardens I am afraid. So it's mostly succulents and herbs for me.
ReplyDeleteI love succulents Loree...until they die on me. Always a mystery to me, how much and when to water. They did well in our garden in Sydney where I found it best to just let them be. In a pot is another matter. Patience is not one of my virtues... From my tropical winter to your Mediterranean winter...sending you best wishes for a wonderful holiday! :)
DeleteTo Helen Tilston...
ReplyDeleteFrom one who is not so adept at buttons on her mobile phone, aplologies for accidentally deleting your comment!
A very Happy Christmas to all your family. Your harvest from this past summer looks delicious. One is always learning when gardening and it is so rewarding.
Helen xx
Sending you best wishes for a wonderful holiday Helen...xx
Yes, gardens are the best. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa..I did! Happy New Year!! ;)
ReplyDelete