As anticipated, the visit to O'Brien Nurseryman in Granby, CT was wonderful, awe inspiring, informative, fun, and a feast for the eyes. In addition to multiple – 1600 to 2000 varieties of hosta – you find hundreds of daylilies, conifers, maples, and multiple other shade-loving plants. Just browse the mind-boggling list at www.obrienhosta.com for an idea of their extensive plant list.
I plant nasturtiums for their lovely edible leaves. No, I plant them for their beautiful blossoms. No, wait, I plant them to attract aphids … because they are easy to grow … because they offer a choice of plain or variegated leaves and multiple flower colors – not my favorite purples and blues – but many other crisp warm colors. No, I plant them because they grow equally well in garden soil and containers.
If traveling through eastern Massachusetts be sure to allow time for a visit to The Mount, the former home of author Edith Wharton. Wharton created the estate and surrounding gardens to suit the classically formal designs of her book, The Decoration of Houses. Wharton also wrote many other books on gardens and landscapes including, Italian Villas and their Gardens.
Gardeners and others seeking to witness ways to optimize the particulars of a landscape with simple, striking design should add a visit to Naumkeag to their list of gardens to see. Naumkeag, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was the summer retreat of Joseph Choate and family. The 44-room 'cottage' and surrounding gardens sit high on a hill overlooking Monument Mountain. The gardens were designed by famed landscape architect, Fletcher Steele, though history hints that Choate's daughter, Mabel, helped.
My summer has been a constant juggle between my must do list and my wanna do list, and with summer nearing its end, my wanna do list is still way too long … and this is definitely depressing. I'm no where near mentally ready to start harvesting herbs for drying, or preparing my indoor plants for their return to the shelter of the house. I have yet to pick peaches so I can freeze their summer flavor for mid-winter use. And I'm just not prepared to see apples at the farm stand. We've barely had summer heat in Connecticut, and now fall's chill is creeping in with nighttime lows of 50 degrees and cooler. My wanna do list will have to wait, though, and unfortunately this blog is a wanna do. My must do's – specifically the work that pays the bills – must come first. So, if you come by here and see only quick mini posts for a while, be patient as I get my must do's caught up.
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