Back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, European weavers created large tapestries that depicted tales from history or mythology. They adorned the backgrounds of those tapestries with hundreds of small, irregularly-spaced flowers, often against a green or dark background. This style, called “millefleur”, meaning “thousand flowers” was meant to suggest a flower-filled field. The best … Read more
I hate to admit it, but my mock orange is sad. The advent of spring and the deluge of recent rain have persuaded it to leaf out and I expect that flowers will not be far behind. Those flowers will be fragrant and beautiful, as always. Still, the shrub is more than five years old … Read more
Every day I take a long walk around my neighborhood to allay the claustrophobia that comes with “shelter in place” confinement. As I walk along I observe that almost every single house has at least one mail order package waiting on the front porch. I am reminded of the refrain of the Rolling Stones’ song, … Read more
Planting anything is an investment in hope and optimism. You put a seed or young plant in the ground because you believe that with time and care, it will turn into something that resembles the gorgeous specimen on the plant tag or catalog page. It might also give you flowers, food, or shade. The whole … Read more
In 1928, a year before the onset of the Great Depression, the Carter Family, of folk and country music fame, recorded a song, “Keep on the Sunny Side”, that was originally written as a hymn. It became one of their standards and has lifted spirits ever since. The refrain is as follows: Keep on the … Read more
