good fences make...

...great opportunities for a garden!

Our next door neighbors asked us if we minded if they erected a fence between our driveways. With a small extension on their house that enclosed what used to be a patio, the area of their driveway between the house and detached garage has become their patio. Their family is there quite a bit, and shooting hoops with the grandchildren is a popular activity. They were after a little privacy, or so they say. My own hunch is that since they are out on their blacktop patio so much, they were tired of looking at what I refer to as our "white trash" look. I may allow clutter to accumulate in places within our house, but Ken's clutter decorates the out of doors. No, I won't be sharing any pictures--you can just take my word for it that it isn't pretty.

I don't protest the shabby-unchic outdoor decor because I know that a rebuttal protest about my clutter would follow quickly. I've made great strides reducing indoor clutter, not to mention preventing it from accumulating in the first place, though there are certainly days--and weeks--that get the better of me.

But back to the fence. We're grateful that it's an attractive section of fence, and since the look is rather bare, I immediately thought that softening it with greenery would be a way to look on the bright side of this new, aesthetic addition. I'm thinking of combining some small, evergreen shrubbery with a mix of perennials that provide color through the blooming season. Iris (we've got lots that need t o be divided and relocated)--the Tennessee state flower, for spring blooms; rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) for summer; and I'm not sure yet for fall. (Gardeners, feel free to offer suggestions!) When I mentioned this to Ken he said he wanted climbing roses. We'll see. The first order of business is to repair the weed-whacker, which has a tiller attachment, so that we can get the soil turned, loosened, and mixed with some decent topsoil and mulch. After that? With any luck, come spring I'll have photographic evidence of what a silver lining looks like.

summer bounty

Today's Mosaic Monday is inspired by a stop at a local family's roadside produce stand the other day. I wish I had taken a few more pictures for a little splash of color here: they had blueberries, squash, and yes, tomatoes. At least the tomatoes are represented above, where we slice an heirloom and served it with mozzarella, basil and olive oil. Heaven!

Our own garden is a huge disappointment this year. Moles have destroyed the roots of two of our tomato plants, along with our cukes and squash. Bummer. The rosemary is doing well! We've also got some healthy dill and basil. This summer has been so miserably hot that it's just as well that we have a smaller garden. Being out in the heat and humidity is a medical hardship for Ken, and I'm a self-professed hot-weather-wimp! It's a miracle that I've done any wedding at all, and I'm not keeping up with that particularly well. One of these mornings I'll plunge in if the temperature is actually cooler outside than inside and the humidity isn't bathing me in instant sweat. Yuck!

artist's date

In her book The Artist's Way one of the habits Julia Cameron encourages us to cultivate is "the artist's date." What this means, essentially, is that each week we treat ourselves to time set apart to nourish the artist within by going "without," as in get out of the house and away from the usual patterns and places so that the soul can be fed by the world beyond. For me this translates as getting to a place where my soul drinks deeply from the well of creative possibility.

The Cheekwood Botanical Garden in Nashville is such a place. Perhaps my favorite photographic subject is a garden, and cheekwood has wonderful layers of texture, grooming, wildness and color to satisfy just about anyone. Or so I think! Last week I had two appointments in Nashville, with time in between that offered proximity and the perfect opportunity to head to Cheekwood for a visit.

I hadn't been there in nearly three years (astonishing, considering how much I enjoy it), and I hadn't been there in the summer since, oh, 2000? Dreadful, I need to slap my own wrist! I confess that I hurried through the garden more quickly than I would have wanted, and didn't visit all the nooks and crannies that beckon the artist, but I did manage to enjoy pausing at a few places to drink in the glory that is this particular garden and to snap a few pictures.

The trellis area, pictured first, is one of my favorite as it changes color and character through the seasons. And I absolutely delighted in the mass of rudbeckia, the black-eyed Susan that is my favorite summer bloom (how I wish we had a sunny place in our own yard free from canine tampering to plant some!). The other pictures are near the original Cheek home, now a museum. Cheekwood was the home of the Cheek family (an absolutely amazing estate that sits atop a hill), and they were kind enough to leave the estate for the purpose of creating this wonderful place for the public.

Enjoy this departure from your own world.

behold, the garden!

The other morning Ken told me he was going out to clean the gutters, which have sprouted a couple of hundred maple tree saplings in the last two months. Ah, I thought, good man! Imagine my surprise (not) when a few hours later I discovered him hard at work fabricating containers for garden beds. This is not a new thing in this household--and I confess that I do it as well--to head off to do one thing and end up entirely redirected on another project. I felt slightly chagrined at the time, but got over it quickly since by day's end we had herbs and vegetables planted in one of the beds.

Let me just say that I am entirely tickled at the prospect of eating out of our garden. I know that this is a common occurrence for many, but it has been absolutely ages since I've had any success with herb or vegetable gardening. The garden smells fabulous, and yesterday we even picked up some onions to put in.

I luxuriated in being in the presence of beautiful, flowering plants these last several days, and miss terribly not having garden beds well on their way to glorious blooms this summer. We are drowning in bills, so beauty to bathe my soul will have to wait until another time. In the meantime I can enjoy the fruits of our new herb garden in the immediate realm: basil, oregano, cilantro, parsley and rosemary, with the promise of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and lavender to come.

I am a happy camper, and a contented new gardener.