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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

the beatrix potter gardener's year book


in keeping with our theme this week of beatrix potter, we have included this delightful garden diary. each month practical information and interesting observations are provided by caroline kennedy, an experienced garden designer. garden sketches dot the pages, but this is a book to be written by you. there are blank page just waiting for your words to tumble about and share your garden delights. in the back of the book you can brush up on your latin, list your seed and propagation dates and even include your wish list and special addresses. this would be a delightful gift for your special garden friends~





join me while i share my morning walk in the garden this fine spring day. i always head out early with a basket and pruning shears in hand, i never can resist a taste here, a sniff there, or snip any where. by the time i have looped around my hill, a good hour has been lost, the dogs have run wild, nuzzled back for kisses a dozen of times and managed to swim from pools, to ponds, to fountains as we count the endless stairs...

my walk starts high on the hill in the orchard, of course i am instantly drawn to the orange blossoms, truly the scent of angels...




you can see the birth of an orange as the flowers drop...



i can almost pick lemons year round, but right now the boughs are so heavy they are dragging across the path...




the prune tree is a mass of snowy blossoms on the dark bark as i duck to pass, but i am being drawn to the endless mounds of jasmine smothering my garden...





my busy bee takes a moment to join me in the cutting garden gazebo, i painted this floor well over 20 years ago~




and she is off and running again, racing past genie~







while they girls race about i continue on with my gathering~




















i always bring my bounty back up to the deck and sort through the days treasures in the shade of the pavilion by the trickling fountain. i often place my flowers in the water to cool as i sort through the jumbles. today i nestled in with a pot of tea and toast served with mr mccregors parsley honey, the recipe was found in beatrix potter country cooking. what a better time to record my morning delights in my gardeners year book...




























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8 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, Jain...your property is so beautiful. Have you ever opened up your property for a garden tour? Our local garden club holds one every June and some properties are just so lovely. I can tell from your photos that yours would be one of those.

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  2. What a GORGEOUS garden bouquet, you even make shattered petals and stems look like art!

    I am always so delighted to stroll with you through your garden! I keep scrolling up and down the photos, lost in the views & blooms...*sigh*...and I love how cleverly you filled your journal pages with photos.

    Sheer bliss for me and your adorable garden 'pests' The photo of Katy and Maggie in the fountain is the cutest along with her running down the steps ♥

    Thanks so much for sharing your bounty of blooms and views! Spring is slower arriving for us this year. I'm guessing we'll be greeted with lots of yellow pollen when we get back home :)

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  3. All the years that you were planning and cultivating your garden, you may have thought the sun was touching your shoulders, but it was Beatrix Potter. It's been one of those wild farm weeks, and just seeing your stunning, gorgeous photos is a balm to my ragged soul. This is a garden that hold magic, brought to life through photographs. Love seeing Katie romping down the path...wishing she could join Cassie in the wooden bucket (though it looks like Katie managed to take a dip somewhere, lol). About the book. Mine was a used copy, and it arrived with the previous owner's pasted-in photos and tidbits. It's like peeking through the hedge into someone's secret garden (yet not trespassing). Isn't the book beautifully written? The descriptions are right up there with Marlena's. Loved this post--such a joy, and a priviledge to have this glimpse into a place of wonder.

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  4. thank you cippy. our house has not been on a tour, we have been asked many times, but our hill is so steep and dangerous with endless stairs and goat trails, its just not made for people... to much liability! i am ready to move and find a new garden to start, we have been looking but so far nothing has been right for us yet... i cannot wait to start over! on level ground...

    thanks for popping in mary, i know you are extra busy this week~

    ml i am so surprised about your used book, but i would be fun to peek in over the garden gate and really see how they enjoyed in their garden. as long as it was a cute one! when we first built our house i had a garden diary, omg, it was getting to be the size of war and peace, now i just enjoy the fruits of our labors as the decades pass us by...

    thanks ladies for leaving a comment in my quiet little garden~

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  5. Jain, Your photos were a delight. I loved seeing the orange blossoms up close and your explanation of seeing the orange begin. We have a few people that grow lemons and oranges but I haven't see the beautiful blooms. You have so many gorgeous blooming trees and flowers. Your views looking down the hill are breath taking.
    I love books and am intrigued with this Gardeners Year Book as well as the others you have shared this week.
    Stop by my home and see my spring post and I will serve you a cup of tea too. Thanks for a lovely stroll.

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  6. You truly live at Heaven's gate on top of that hill Jain! I would have to take a wheelbarrel along to hold all the treasures to be found along your path~ the gardener's journal is indeed a work of art, as are your pups! Thank you for the fragrant walk through your gardens~
    Jenna

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  7. Beautiful photos, Jain! Love the one ones of the lemon tree.
    Katie is adorable!

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  8. I'm going to order myself a garden journal. I keep one of sorts, but this one would really be special.
    Love the garden pest photos. Sadie has been out in the garden with me this week, but she is like a dust mop for all the green fuzzy fronds from the oak trees. She has to be brushed before she can come in the door.

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welcome~