new read by terrain

October 26, 2018

Who knows us better than our good friends? It always amazes me when my friends think of me in a special way…like shipping me my favorite ice-cream from Ohio when I’m bedridden!

The latest act of kindness from a friend was a gift in a nonedible variety. If you follow this blog, you know one of my very favorite stores is Terrain. Well, Terrain came out with a much anticipated book titled Terrain: Ideas and Inspiration for Decorating the Home and Garden. Of course, any Terrain lover should own a copy – don’t you think? But, I hadn’t preordered one because my budget has been very tight lately.

I stopped at a friend’s house to find she had pre-ordered me a copy (which means a free Terrain tote bag was included!) of the book! OMG!

The book contains 400 pages of Terrain inspiration – spanning every season. Greg Lehmkuhl, Terrain’s creative director, and all the wonderful gardeners of Terrain edited this beautiful book.

I am SO happy to add it to my collection! I think I need to display it in a special spot in my home the way my friend Phyllis did in her home. (The photos today on Friday field trip were all taken at her house.)

If you want to bring a really fabulous hostess gift this Thanksgiving, consider ordering a copy! And, for all my followers who don’t live near a Terrain, you may enjoy this book even more than those of us who do!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

autumn porch goals

October 19, 2018

I think most of us like to create a little sense of the season on our porches. It may be a simple seasonal wreath on the door, or something more elaborate; like assembling a pumpkin topiary.

One of the best examples of a seasonal porch is at my friend Phyllis’s home! Each season she does a wonderful job of creating a sense of welcome at the back entrance of her home – the entrance that all the true friends use to enter! (How cool is that kale?!)

For Friday field trip, you can experience this sense of welcome as well!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

saying goodbye to the garden

October 12, 2018

I’m always surprised at this time of year when I walk out my back door and see some flowers! I don’t really have plantings designed for fall bloom, so it definitely puts a smile on my face when I see something still alive in my yard in October! (No, you won’t yet see any pumpkins!)

For Friday field trip today, I am sharing my favorite stragglers – the plants that are still hanging on – on each side of the house. At the back door view my favorite is definitely my tremendous fern – still going strong! But, so is my parsley – look how healthy and beautiful it is mixed with some mums from BJs!

In the back yard, the succulent mix I added to a vintage iron bicycle is still (almost) there – a few plants have died, but the mix still looks good (with no care whatsoever!)

On my side yard, all the herbs are still growing! I am most excited about the oregano because I have had occasions to use it the most in recent days!

And, in the front – is the only ‘color’ I have –

Why are these flowers not white? I planted them the year I changed my door color to red maple!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

more autumn 2018 at terrain

September 21, 2018

As promised, I am sharing a little more of the season change at Terrain, here in Connecticut. It is the best place to get inspired for a new season.

Enjoy the photos here for Friday field trip!

If you live within visiting range of a Terrain, you will want to be sure and stop in for the Annual Autumn Bounty Festival on September 29^th!

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

autumn 2018 at terrain

September 18, 2018

I was kicking and screaming over the whole season change. Summer wasn’t going away easy for me…and then, I took a trip to Terrain. I should have known better. I should have saw it coming. One trip and I was sucked in – dreaming of all things pumpkin towers and fall colors!

I am sharing some of my favorite glimpses here…you will see what I am talking about!

Serious stem envy! I had to buy this little fella…I needed the stem for making velvet pumpkins!

I always feel sorry for those who don’t have a Terrain nearby to visit! There is no better way to kick off any of the seasons than a visit to Terrain!

Stop back on Friday and I will share some more…even a small glimpse is hard to contain to one post!

Thank you for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

new life for my fern container

September 14, 2018

I had a lovely little potted fern. It always put a smile on my face. I received it as a favor at a wedding shower and I always loved it. I even tucked a little bird inside of it!

So, I was really disappointed when my fern died – I had enjoyed it for years!

I decided not to put another living plant inside the cute little container the fern lived in, but I did want to reuse it. Since I’d been painting rocks recently, a rock painting came to mind right away!

For today’s Friday field trip, look at the quick and easy rock painting I made for my fern container! (I was inspired by the succulent Easter eggs I made last year! Click here to see them.)

A very simplistic design can bring satisfying results! I hope I have inspired you to paint some! If you want to keep your rocks outside, be sure to spray them with clear coat to protect against the elements!

Of course, if I was embracing the season, I would have painted some pumpkin rocks ;) !

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

beat it fall!

September 11, 2018

I am not accepting fall gracefully this year! I didn’t have enough time to enjoy the summer and I am kind of bitter about the change of season!

I haven’t even begun to think about changing up my décor, though I did need to add a blanket to my bed last night. And, I must confess, we had a fire lit in the fireplace last night.

Still! I want to keep summer alive!

In an attempt to let summer go gracefully, I started combining the seasons…one way I’m accomplishing this is in the garden. Instead of pulling up the summer annuals and planting fall blooms, I have started combining the two!

Here is one example. In my cosmos/parsley container, I removed the wilted cosmos and let the parsley hang on for dear life while I added some mums. If we don’t get an early frost that kills the parsley, it will look great combined with the mums when they are in full bloom!

I am looking around for some additional ways to combine seasonal plants around my yard. How about you? Have you combined fall and summer plants in your garden? I would love to hear about your combinations!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great week and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

white flowers are the best flowers

August 17, 2018

One of the first perennial borders planted by the founders of White Flower Farm was pure white. (For a short time, the owners even considered growing and offering only white-flowered perennials and shrubs..I wish that was carried through!)

I call my all-white garden a ‘virgin’ garden. At White’s, the all-white garden is called a ‘moon’ garden. The white border is planted with a white tree wisteria and looks crisp and refreshing during the day and positively glows at twilight – the reason for its name!

This garden is my favorite at the farm, but visitors can’t get too close to admire it. This changes once a year when White’s has their open house. During the open house tour – and the best part of it – visitors can get up close and personal to the fabulous moon garden!

This year, the open house happened on a rainy day, but I wasn’t going to miss the tour and my chance to get close to the moon garden!

Today, on Friday field trip, I am sharing some photos from the beautiful moon garden at White Flower Farm in Morris, Connecticut. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

lavender in connecticut

July 24, 2018

I’m still trying to recover from an exciting weekend! Our family had a big (white party) celebration on Saturday and it is taking me some time to get back into my work routine!

Today, I wanted to let my local friends know that right now is prime lavender blooming time here in Connecticut! If you have not yet visited Lavender Pond Farm, now is the time to go!

With over 10,000 plants on 25 acres, Lavender Pond is the largest lavender farm in New England.

It is easy to find off the Clinton exit of I95 – just a couple minutes north of the outlets.

The photos here were taken before the prime blooming season – about a month ago.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great week and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. In other news – It is SHARK WEEK on the Discovery channel!

no comments

open house at white flower farm 2018

July 20, 2018

Yes, the day my friend and I planned on visiting White Flower Farm for their annual open house was a rainy day! But, that did not stop us from attending!

We weren’t going to let the rain get in the way of our day off and the fabulous prospect of visiting one of our favorite garden centers in Connecticut!