Subscribe to Pleasure in Simple Things via RSS ReaderFollow Pleasure in Simple Things on InstagramFollow @InSimpleThings on TwitterLike Pleasure In Simple Things on FacebookFollow Pleasure In Simple Things on PinterestEmail Jackie

Tag: garden


new read by terrain

26
October

book bag on bench

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!

New Terrain book

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!

fall page in book on table

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.)

terrain book open on table

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!

Love quote

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Comments Off on new read by terrain | garden, gift ideas, good reads

autumn porch goals

19
October

front porch goals

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.

gather here pillow

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?!)

fall porch goals

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

autumn decor

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Comments Off on autumn porch goals | garden, inspiration, style

saying goodbye to the garden

12
October

bird in the bush

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!)

fern in october

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!

mums and parsley

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!)

last of the succulents

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!

oregano

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

fall color
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

Comments Off on saying goodbye to the garden | garden

more autumn 2018 at terrain

21
September

unpacking the pumpkins

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.

pumpkin tower in the grasses

water feature at Terrain Westport

shades of burgandy

Enjoy the photos here for Friday field trip!

box of white pumpkins

burgandy grasses

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 29th!

double pumpkin tower

box full of squash

squash with character

fall yellows

Thank you for stopping by!

Terrain pumpkin tower

stem envy

small pumpkin tower

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

Comments Off on more autumn 2018 at terrain | garden, inspiration, style

autumn 2018 at terrain

18
September

ringing in fall at Terrain Westport

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!

terrain autumn time

white pumpkins Terrain Westport

basket of mums at Terrain

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

different shades of pumpkin stack

fall color at Terrain Westport

serious stem envy

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!

fall can be purple

Trellis at Terrain

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

baskets of gourds

5 pumpkin tower

bumpy pumpkins at Terrain

Thank you for stopping by!

outside wall terrain

dueling towers

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on autumn 2018 at terrain | garden, inspiration, style

new life for my fern container

14
September

finished succulent rocks

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!

fern casualtySo, 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.)

painting the rocks

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!

succulent rocks

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

Comments Off on new life for my fern container | diy, garden

beat it fall!

11
September

doormat

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!

parsley and mums

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!

mixing seasons

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!

close up of parsley and mums

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall quote

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

Comments Off on beat it fall! | garden

white flowers are the best flowers

17
August

part of the moon garden on a rainy day

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!)

pleasure in simple things blog moon garden

ferns at Whites

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!

white cosmos and white house

pretty white flowers pleasure in simple things blog

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!

daisies in the rain

white flowers in 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!

pretty contrast in the moon garden

rock staircase Whites

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

moon garden against the trees

white cosmos pleasure in simple things blog

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Tiers of white flowerswhite mass of flowers

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on white flowers are the best flowers | field trips, garden, inspiration, travel

open house at white flower farm 2018

20
July

hydrangeas at Whites Flower Farm

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!

barn at Whites

Garden Bench

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!

white dogwood at White's Flower Farm

Flower bed at White's Flower Farm

The annual open house is a great time to pick up some discounted plants, tour the grounds, and enjoy some complementary refreshments!

rose trellis

Little Henry

I purchased one of these ‘Little Henry’s’ to plant in my own yard!

For today’s Friday field trip, enjoy a little glimpse of White’s during this year’s open house.  Enjoy!

white wildness at Whites

border with overhang at Whites

hydrangeas at Whites

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!

white lovin at Whites Flower Farm

 

 

side view of dogwood

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on open house at white flower farm 2018 | field trips, garden, inspiration, travel

flowers inspired by paintings

6
July

flowers inspired by a blacksmith painting

Art and the New England Farm is a currently on display at The Florence Griswold Museum, showcasing works by artists from the 19th to 21st century.  I choose to visit the exhibit on a special weekend – one that also included Blooms with a View. 

flowers inspired by blossoming trees painting

flower arrangement inspired by a paintingI was so very intrigued by the display of flower arrangements created from inspiration garnered from the Art and the New England Farm collection, I needed to share some of the works on today’s Friday field trip.

flowers inspired by a painting

flowers inspired by a tractor painting

Each floral designer creating an arrangement, chose a painting from the collection to serve as an inspiration for their creation.  What a cool art form!  Maybe suggest it as an interesting activity for your garden club or even as a fundraising project!

flowers inspired by animal painting

flowers inspired by cow paintingI hope you are inspired as much as I was by this interesting exhibit that utilized flowers in a special way.

flowers inspired by a henhouse painting

flowers inspired by strawberries in a basket

Note:  The Florence Griswold Museum is an art museum which was the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony, centered on the home of Florence Griswold and the main center of development of American Impressionism.  Easily accessible by I95, the museum is situated along the picturesque Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, Connecticut.  The current exhibit Art and the New England Farm is on display through September 16th.

flower arranging inspired by paintingHave a fabulous weekend.  Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on flowers inspired by paintings | field trips, garden, inspiration

Back to top