Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Dreamy dahlias

Happy autumn!  The light shifts and the nights get cooler, but there is still so much color here in the gardens.  A lot of that color comes from dahlias and sages (Salvia spp.), which are … Read more.

Cosmos on my mind

    It’s been a hot and humid July week.  Any delusions I had of enjoying a cool, temperate summer have evaporated into the extreme humidity.  However, on the bright side, flowers are bursting out … Read more.

Garden fireworks

Happy Fourth of July weekend!  It’s that time of the summer when we finally begin to take a step back from our full-speed-ahead mode of May and June.  Just when Gail, Sean (our intern this … Read more.

Ranunculus are here!

  Spring is definitely in full swing here and already hinting at summer!  It was so warm this week that the lovely spring blooms we’ve been anxiously awaiting buckled a bit with the first blast … Read more.

Springing into action

Despite the wretched weather this week, we ushered in May with a flurry of activity.  The volunteers helped us pot up 100 dahlias in preparation for planting out in the gardens next month.  They also … Read more.

The light is changing, but the heat isn’t

Hello again gardeners and garden admirers!  It’s Betsy here.  Just wanted to reintroduce myself and say that it’s a pleasure to be updating you on the state of the gardens.     Labor day has … Read more.

North Garden inventory

I’m asked often enough to name my favorite plant and season that it’s a little strange that hardly anyone* ever asks which is my favorite garden. Not that I could possibly pick a favorite (the pollinator garden). But since I … Read more.

Mid-June shout out and product review

I’m jumping the gun on Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day but I can’t let a week like this one go by without crowing about Blithewold’s gardens — especially the Rose and North Gardens. Actually, I’ll let … Read more.

Critiquing the North Garden

There are always things we want to change about every garden. Plants we want to move. Plants we want to remove. New plants we want to plant. We don’t just want the gardens to change … Read more.

Turning a corner

Do you ever round a bend in your garden, maybe coming from a direction you don’t usually, and gasp at how pretty it looks? I hope so because it’s the best, most giddy feeling. Yesterday … Read more.