me and my garden




Gosh I'm sorry this post got published without me finishing it.  I have no idea how that even happened.  But here I am and I'm ok-ish.  So that tub filled with hydrangeas is a beautiful sight.  I love them so much but they are a struggle to grow in my garden.  Last year due to circumstances I wasn't able to give them the loving care they need and so they didn't make it.  But my darling friend Janet delivered a big plant to me recently.



It's enormous and the blooms were so heavy I had to cut them off and put them in a tub of cool water to revive them. 






Once revived I was able to enjoy them inside and now they are drying in the basement.  The plant is now happily adapting in the garden and so that is my story today.  But really the story here is that when I am drooping with exhaustion sometimes slowing down and a cool bath is all I need.  It's so comforting to me how in tune I am with my garden now.  What it needs, I need.  Sometimes lots of tender loving care and other times I just need to be left alone.  I wake up every morning and can't wait to get outside and see what happened or didn't happen overnight.  I'm most content in my garden.  Can you relate? x

49 comments

  1. Hi Janet, for some reason I cannot open your blog. Am I the only one having this problem??

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  2. So excited to see new blog post but can't open it. Hope to read soon!

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  3. I can't open it either. Hope it is a temporary glitch! Karen

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  4. Yes, same here - look forward to reading it soon.

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  5. Same here, Janet! There's a glitch.

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  6. I'll keep trying but I haven't been able to leave a comment on this blog for many months.

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    1. oh vicki that breaks my heart. i've missed you so much and have wondered how you are doing. xo

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  7. I can't either. Can't wait to read it!
    Betsy

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  8. Janet- This just seems kind of odd with this blog post. If you are able can you please let us all here know that you are ok? Just feeling worried about you. Sorry if I am being intrusive.

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  9. My thoughts exactly yesterday. Living in Massachusetts, I can't wait for Summer to arrive and spend everyday outside.

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    1. summer has not arrived? omgosh, it's in FULL swing here and by that i mean hot hot hot. x

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  10. Oh yes, I can relate. It's amazing and miraculous how things can change in the garden overnight.

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  11. Janet, I figured that's what happened. Like those emails/texts that get sent off before I finish them. I swear I didn't hit "send"!

    The hydrangeas are gorgeous (just like you). It's so hot here in NM that I'm staying inside and reading about other people's gardens instead of working in my own.

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    1. i suppose that is what happened?! i spend the day indoors too this past week bc of the heat. x

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  12. I'm very content in my garden too...I think it's because I still feel the need to nurture something. It's very hot here so I'm out early in the morning and late in the evening (the mosquito's know my schedule well). Also, when I'm tired emotionally - being outside and working hard physically is SO what I need. I hope you have an amazing Sunday!

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    1. same here pam. v hot so i'm out at the crack of dawn! x

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  13. to everyone thank you for your comments of concern. i'm so sorry, i had no idea! x

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  14. Gorgeous hydrangeas! Due to my acidic soil, mine are blue, my favorite color so that's good for me. I love to go out to water and piddle in my garden. Very hot out these days though.

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  15. These days I feel the most like myself when I’m in the garden with my hands in the soil.

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  16. Lucky for my heat averse self it's been a cool summer so far but August, September & October can be scorching if a high pressure ridge sets up.
    I think a bath can heal so many things, it's the perfect respite from the heat and to unwind from gardening.

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  17. Outside, whether gardening or exploring the bank on the opposite side of the creek, is my happy place. I lost my 51 year old son unexpectedly almost 3 years ago...in December. All I could think about was trying to hold on until spring came & I could get outside. As soon as I was able to do that, everything else just fell into place & I felt at peace.

    Our weather the past couple of days has been just perfect...85 degrees & low humidity. Loving both gardening & a favorite book on my porch at the end of the day.

    Anita ~ the cabin on the creek
    ...all is grace!

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    1. I'm so sorry for your loss Anita. Thank God for the healing peace of a garden.

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  18. Outside, whether gardening or exploring the bank on the opposite side of the creek, is my happy place. I lost my 51 year old son unexpectedly almost 3 years ago in December. All I could think about was trying to hold on until spring came & I could get outside. As soon as I was able to do that, everything else just fell into place & I felt at peace.

    Our weather the past couple of days has been just perfect...85 degrees & low humidity. Loving both gardening & a favorite book on my porch at the end of the day.

    Anita ~ the cabin on the creek
    ...all is grace!

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  19. Yeah, the garden is so like tending to ourself and yet it also takes us outside of ourselves; it occupies a curious middle ground or state. D. Winnicott talks about the value transitional spaces. I defo think the garden is one of the best examples of one.
    I'm with you on baths. Immersion in a tub of water is something else. The floating hydrangeas look languidly pretty. Most apt to be given a water bath given the 'hydra'suffix.
    At times quiet too. x E

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  20. A florist once told me how to keep hydrangea blooms beautiful for up to ten days - here goes. After cutting, submerge at least one inch of the cut stem in a small pot of gently boiling water for 45 seconds. Make sure the cut is not touching the bottom of the pot and tilt the stem so the bloom is to the side of the heat and steam. Place immediately in room temperature water. It works every time!

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  21. So glad you are finding solace in your garden. I was reading something on the net the other day that being in Nantucket ev. year restores the writer's soul. Well, I don't have to travel that far (from So. Calif.) to restore my soul - I just have to go out into my garden! I also bought a "Songbird Magnet" device on Amazon that you plug in that plays recorded songbird sounds. Even when I am working in the kitchen, viewing a part of the garden, the sound of sweet birdsong is comforting as well! So glad the beautiful hydrangea blooms will bring you joy inside & out! Sending love, Katie from Huntington Beach

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  22. So glad you are finding solace in your garden. I was reading something on the net the other day that being in Nantucket ev. year restores the writer's soul. Well, I don't have to travel that far (from So. Calif.) to restore my soul - I just have to go out into my garden! I also bought a "Songbird Magnet" device on Amazon that you plug in that plays recorded songbird sounds. Even when I am working in the kitchen, viewing a part of the garden, the sound of sweet birdsong is comforting as well! So glad the beautiful hydrangea blooms will bring you joy inside & out! Sending love, Katie from Huntington Beach

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  23. I can relate! I get excited every morning to visit my garden and see the growth. I love your cottage and your style!

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  24. Yes, I can relate! So often lately, when worrying or having a bad day, it all goes away when I step outside and work in the garden. The beauty of nature takes me back to happy childhood memories of summer, spending the bulk of my day outdoors. It renews me and makes me feel like I can get thru the difficult times and find real joy in simple things. ~suburbanmom2

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  25. Janet - are you still doing your morning walks before it heats up? I used to love hearing about them.

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  26. Love those hydrangeas...the garden and flowers are a tonic in so many ways...
    XO

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  27. The garden, even the small one that I have now, crammed with plants, saves me. I’ve read that studies have shown that putting our hands in the soil of a garden is so good for our immune systems. I hope you have good days in the garden and out of it, taking care of the garden and yourself.

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  28. I don't have a garden, but I "can relate" because what I do have are my tabletopful of pressed leaf and flower specimen, in various stages of progress. It's exactly as you say: I can't WAIT to get up in the morning to go see what happened between the sheets of newsprint overnight! It's always a thrill to see what stage they've reached, and what I have to do to adjust their positions aesthetically before tomorrow! I have them framed all over the house...here's to you, Janet!

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    1. Oh Maria...you've just described my life so well!

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  30. Up until about 2 weeks about we had some Merlin Falcons tormenting my back yard. They are merciless little jerks and I was terrified to go outside not knowing what I'd come across. Anywho, the veggie garden really suffered and I'm hoping that I can salvage it! It's FINALLY summer in Maine so I am just happy to be warm!

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  31. Janet, I am so thrilled to have you back and writing the most
    inspirational posts about your garden and pantry! No one seems to have asked you about the photo of your dining room and the little blue box on the floor that appears to have dollhouse furniture in it. Can you tell us about it?

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  32. Gardening, the harder we work in it, the more it helps us. I call it my therapy, its where i go to figure things out, talk things out with myself. May you find peace in yours. :)

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  33. I love this photo, it's the picture of tranquility. Beautiful flowers, and is that tub original to your house? Wondering about it because I need a new one and it's just what I want. Seeing a post from you always makes my morning nicer.

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  34. Janet, your home is so lovely and peaceful. What a wonderful place to be.

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kindness is never out of style.

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