Paperwhites

Today we planted up three paperwhite bulbs. We are using a receptacle that is typical for planting them. Now is the time to purchase your bulbs and go ahead and get them planted. All you need are the bulbs and a bag of tiny stones meant for this planting. Usually at this time of year the bulbs, stones and planters are right near the counter in most nurseries. We plant them every year. If you don’t have a small oval planter a vintage bowl can suffice. Gather your stones and make a layer in the bottom. Peal any brown loose skin from the bulb, just like you do with an onion. Place them in your container and hold them in your desired pattern. Pour the stones into a small bag that you can pour from easily. This helps control the flow of the stones into your planter. You want very little of the bulb poking out at the top of your the container. And the reason for this is, once they begin to grow, they can get rather tall, and if they are firmly planted in the stones, it will help to hold the bulbs in place. Otherwise they could top over. Paperwhites are very pretty and so typical to the holiday season.

This is our version. Small, but it will be very lovely with beautiful white blossoms, and the aroma is so sweet. Paperwhites are very much a Christmas tradition. You can see the bulbs are very embedded into the tiny stones. Water daily with just enough to make sure your saucer has a little water in it. They grow quickly when the heat is on in the house, so we recommend a cooler spot away from a heat source. They like sunlight but prefer a cool window setting. Enjoy!

Advent …a Study….Day 4

The lighting of our  “peace” candle…… at sundown.

Today’s study gospel is Matthew 6:25, 32-33. You can start by reading it slowly. Spend ten minutes with the scripture.  Hold your Bible in you hand. Read it and read it over again. Take a walk and contemplate the “word in your heart.” In your special prayer place, your inner room, take the scripture into your thoughts. In your “being” you can find many chances to allow the scripture to sink from your mind into your heart. Ever second of the day you have opportunities to live the word, but it has to be “in you.” So ask God in prayer, to let his word speak deep within you and tell you, “You are my beloved. That’s prayer.

Matthew 6:25, 32-33

”I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?…..It is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be given to you as well.

PRAYER

Lord I live “out in the open” in my gardens, almost every day. Help me to find the rooting of Jesse, so that his grace and blessings will move into my “outer life” where I am every day, so that I can face the problems and the worldly temptations of my life. Bring me to the secure reality that my “inner life” with You, is my very best and greatest life.

• •••••••••• •

AMEN

Advent…a Study…Day 3

In Solitude, In Activity

Written from the perspective…of the author of our study guide……

Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our lives are in danger. Somewhere we know that without silence words loose their meaning, that without listening, speaking no longer heals, without distance closeness cannot cure. Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty ventures. The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the entire basis of the Christian life, and should therefore be the subjects of our most personal attention. Let us therefore look somewhat closer, first at our life in action, and at our life in solitude.  

Mark 1:35-39

Preaching and Praying

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues, and casting out demons.

PRAYER

MY Lord teach me to taste solitude so that I might find in my own heart, the holy place where you live. And when I’m there….tell you how I am truly feeling. Create in me an understanding of when I am to act in response to your “call” to me. 

AMEN

The lighting of our “peace”candle….day 3

TODAYS UPDATE: A General Tidy on Wellington (RE-POST) update Sat – 12/3 – 11:54 am

(RE-POST) Sat – 11/3 – 11:54 am

We just completed this “tidy and clean up” on Thursday. PFX Community Landscape our outside contractor, came late this year, due to a lot of rain and wind, and many of you still have yards that are not completely cleaned up.

A reminder: to everyone that we still have plenty of time as temps are still favorable to complete  “clean ups” for your yards. Waiting till spring just makes the process longer.  Surely you all have the need to tidy plants and beds from the summer/fall seasons. Please don’t hesitate to ask for an appointment. We are ready to help.  Weather is still favorable  

Our “special” client requested a tidy at 7 am this morning. It seemed out of the ordinary for her to txt so early. She has been in a panic about her new Pansies. Of note: she is not a gardener. But she bought her house and has wanted for a long time to have flowers. So towards the middle of the summer we planted up a few flowering annuals for her in planters. Not a garden per say…but some color and some blooms.  It sufficed.

Then in June she decided she wanted to remove all the Ivy and Vinca vines from her beds. So she trusted us to select and plant new Perennials. And in October when the Pansies arrived we selected quite a few for her. A tribute to her Mom. The garden looked so fresh and lovely. She was so happy,

Then in late October and into November we had tons and tons of leaves and rain. Her Pansy bed was suffocating and totally covered. She panicked.

Our community crews came about 12 days ago to blow leaves. A very windy day. They couldn’t make much progress so they left. Yesterday they finally came back to remove the leaves. By now her Pansies were buried. She called us early today to find out if we could get her cleaned up.

It really was a ton of leaves and the more the crews tried to blow them, the more the wind blew. The piles of leaves were knee high. It may not look like it, but in reality her pretty little Pansies were very well protected from rain and the chill and the wind. When we finished removing all the leaves and bed debris today…. Wow had the Pansies grown.  Each grouping was so tall they were laying on the ground. Green and blooming, but laying flat on the ground. So we had to complete a serious cut-back. Sad to say…. all the blooms and longer stems had to go….but with a good rain coming tomorrow, it will most likely only be about a week before she is back with her pretty Pansy bed. She is very pleased now and happy. And she is way more ready for SPRING!

“Contessa” says…it’s all very good!

Advent…..a Study….. Day 2

 

The Root of Patience

The foundation of a spiritual life is “waiting patiently,” but with great expectation. If we have no patience, our expectation turns into “wishful thinking.” The word patience comes from the word “patior” which means to “suffer.” It might seem a nuisance, but it becomes a way. It may feel like an obstacle, but in the longer run it becomes a door; it may seem an unusual way to act, but it becomes our truth.

Hebrews 6:9-12

We are confidant of better things….For God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do. And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish, but initiators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

* ********** *

PRAYER

Lord please give us patience, to see obstacles as doors and if we suffer, let us remember these doors may be our way to good works, to faithful service to others, and…the most secure path to our own salvation. We all come upon challenges as we walk our journey, but help us to see we can create opportunities to say “Yes” to your LOVE.

AMEN

 

 

A Nature Walk

It’s time for a nature walk. I will rise early tomorrow and find a place. A place to clear my mind and find my soul. Nature calls me now.

It’s my comfort. It’s where I can really listen to creatures calling each other. It’s the earth and everything that grows. It’s the tall trees and their falling leaves. It’s the sun shining through the clouds. It’s the sound of the wind. It’s listening for the birds. 

i need to see and feel nature. How can I forget to do this. Too busy, too distracted and too focused on “things” and whats next. In nature it just happens. No plan. It does itself proud to be open, bare, exposed and beautiful. Often only seen by itself. But I want to go there. Tomorrow. I will. And I will go looking for the calm and looking out for my inspiration to capture pictures in my memory….to write about. And I will. Tomorrow…….

Advent….a Study….Day 1

In the middle of our Dark World….

Do we need loud and extraordinary happenings to convince us and others of Gods saving power….well these things actually only distract us. Where are our eyes looking? We need to look for the small signs. Do you notice the smile of a sweet baby, innocent small children at play. Do we really hear words of genuine encouragement and acts of tender and real love towards us? As human as we are, we are always tempted to have a loss of Hope.

But think on this…Jesus the small child of Bethlehem, the very little known man of Nazareth, a rejected preacher, the naked man on the wooden cross….He alone asks for our complete attention.

Our current world shouts, screams and overwhelms us with claims and promises, but in this world….is the work of our salvation.

Isaiah 11:1-3

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

• ••••••••••• •

PRAYER

O’ small child of Bethlehem, we wait for your coming in quiet. Please offer us your protection from the screams and the empty promises of the season. Remind us to turn our hope to your coming. We know your promise is hidden inside the stable in Bethlehem. Guide us to look for our salvation there.

Amen

Advent…a preparation for Christmas

Today we begin our daily Advent preparations.

Advent is the season that leads us spiritually….up to Christmas. It’s a special time we use to pray and reflect in anticipation of the coming of our Lord. It’s the start of the Christmas Season for Christians. Advent lasts four weeks and ends on Christmas Eve with the birth of our Savior.

This evening…. we will present our daily devotional here……as we light our first candle on our wreath of the Advent season. (the round wreath being the symbol of Gods love that has no end)

Advent….. a time of new hope and great possibilities….

”Contessa”

 

Sharing: THE GARDRN MUSEUM – U. K.

Sybil Phoenix: A Guyanese-inspired Garden For our Sowing Roots project exploring the stories of south London gardeners of Caribbean heritage, we are grateful to Woodrow Phoenix for being interviewed on behalf of his mother Sybil Phoenix. We share her story here: Sybil Phoenix OBE was born in 1927 in Guyana, which was at the time ‘British Guiana’ and is part of the Caribbean. Guiana means ‘land of water’. The country gained independence from Britain in 1966. Guyana is on the northern mainland of south America and most of the population live along the coast, as it is cooler than inland. Sybil came to the UK before independence in 1958, moving to Brockley, Lewisham with her husband in 1963. Sybil would go on in due course to be Mayoress of Lewisham and receive the honour of being the first black woman in Britain to receive an MBE in 1973 for services to the community followed by an OBE in 2008. Sybil started gardening as soon as she had her own garden. Plants in her garden include palms, a fig tree, Japanese maple, a cherry and apple tree and various roses. Woodrow says, “For her the garden is really a place just to unwind and relax… she’s one of these people that can grow anything. People would give her plants that were dying, and she would resurrect them, and people are always saying how amazing she was at being able to grow anything. It’s like she didn’t have a green thumb, she had like green hands…” Keep reading Film: Lucian Freud’s ‘Small Fern’ (1967) This unusual composition encapsulates the originality of Lucian Freud’s approach to painting plants. Placed on the floor and seen from above, a Boston fern sits snug in the modesty of its terracotta pot. In this film, curator Giovanni Aloi explains what we can learn from this seemingly simple painting. Lucian Freud: Plant Portraits is open until 5 March Digital partner: Patch Plants Explore the online exhibition Bookshop Christmas bundle offer! Buy one get one half price Buy the Garden Café Cookbook and Fashioning the Rose exhibition catalogue together for just £15 in our Christmas bundle! The perfect gifts for the food or fashion lovers in your life, or to add to your own bookshelf. Buy a bundle Beautiful & Useful Craft Fair Stallholder: Kiran Ravilious Just one week to go till our Beautiful & Useful Craft Fair! This week’s stallholder spotlight is Kiran Ravilious:  Kiran Ravilious is a pattern designer who uses lino-printing to develop her designs for textiles and paper goods. Her designs have a hint of the tropics to them as she was raised in Singapore. While never strictly botanical, her work is a unique fusion of very different inspirations: the lush tropical growth of her homeland with the delicate patterns of English nature. Her style draws on both the age-old hand printing techniques of South East Asia, and the legacy of her husband’s artistic family. Sun 4 December, 10.30am – 5pm £7 Standard, £6 Young Fronds, Friends go free Book tickets Christmas Wreath-making Workshop Join us to create a beautiful bespoke traditional Christmas wreath from scratch using fresh materials and dried fruit and berries. Florist Elaine Fisher will teach you the techniques and guide you in making your own wreath to hang on your front door or even use as a table centrepiece. Tues 29 November, 7pm £60 Standard, £55 Friends Book tickets Object of the Week: A WW1 Soldier’s Collection of Pressed Flowers, c.1917 These pressed flowers, including a poppy, were collected by George Marr whilst serving as a soldier on the Eastern Front in Greece during World War I. Some of the flowers he posted from Salonika to his sweetheart, who later became his wife. On his death his daughter, Georgeann Slater, found a notebook he had kept during his service in Greece. Georgeann said: When I opened the notebook, and flowers were pressed on just about every page, I thought how beautiful it must be for a young man to be so taken with this country. And the thought that I might go to Greece and see these lovely wild flowers was a great encouragement to me. I went to the plains above Salonika, where my father was in 1917. To think that he was walking among those wildflowers, such a sweet gentle man, is a lovely memory of my father. The collection is made up of Convolvulus althaeoides (Mallow Leaved Bindweed), Agrostemma githago (Corncockle), Adonis annua (Pheasant’s Eye), Papaver rhoeas (Field Poppy), Hedera helix (Common Ivy), Echium plantagineum (Purple Viper’s Bugloss), Rosa sempervirens (Evergreen rose), Daucus carota (Wild Carrot), Cyclamen persicum (Florist’s Cyclamen), Campanula ligulata, Consolida regalis (Forking larkspur) and Juniperus Phoenicia (Phoenician Juniper). These wartime wildflowers from our collection inspired jewellery Phoebe Walsh’s project Flowers from the Frontline, using flowers from the new frontlines in Kyiv. Find out more Images: Sybil Phoenix in her garden, photo courtesy of Sybil Phoenix; Cards, tea towel and dish by Kiran Ravilious; Christmas wreath photo courtesy of Elaine Fisher Garden Museum 5 Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB gardenmuseum.org.uk

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A CONTESSA “Signature Service” Mt Eagle Place ……early fall….bed clean up (REVISED) Thanksgiving Day – 11/24 – THURS- 2:00 pm

Are you all aware of what we call our “Contessa Signature Service.”

Our work for this fantastic client began on Tuesday and we carried over to Wednesday.  We worked a total off 7.5 hours. Our client usually has us four times per year.  So what exactly does a Contessa Signature Service include?

• Weeding all beds
• Redistributing soil and mulch around each planting
• Trimming/ pruning all bushes
• Deadheading all blooming plants
• Amending soil as needed
• Transplanting/relocations as requested
• Deep Edging all bed borders (very important for esthetics,  but also it helps deter weeds from entering your beds. And it’s a very tidy look.
• Cutting back all dead growth, so important for your plants to continue rewarding you with growth and re-blooms. It’s a manicure really. And it does take some time. But way worth the effort.  Plants love to be touched and shaped and nurtured. Believe me, you will very much notice when we manicure your plants. They will thrive.
• Mulching beds upon request if you haven’t already done do. We highly recommend.it protects plants during the winter and it gives a “finished” look to your property.
• Raking all lawns, removing dead grass and rejuvenating new growth.  It works magic. Why do this?  All summer the lawns are mowed. This grass then sits on your lawn. Frankly smothering new growth. Raking if you haven’t tried it pulls up the dead growth. Try it and you will see what we mean. Amazing!
• Complete Watering, and right down near your gardens roots. Blossoms only need a soft mist, but down near the toots is where the truth lies.
• Final “Tidy”to the sidewalks

Our clients pretty much know the drill now and they completely rely on us to come, execute and “do our thing,” They trust us  They leave us to our work and usually they communicate by txt from indoors?  if they have requests or suggestions.

It’s our pleasure and we are pretty certain “their JOY.”

We love what we are doing…..and they know that we treat their work as if we were working in our own yard.  It’s personal with our professional approach.

So if you will….please take a few moments to read a summary of our contributions at this lovely double unit in our historic Condominium Community.

Please do contact us if you have questions or would like to book with us, for a 30-minute “free gardening consultation.”

As evidenced from last year, even when temps get chilly it’s not to late to complete a “Contessa Signature Service,” Some  folks even have us complete this in Dec January/Feb and March. Don’t hesitate to call and book. We always find a few days when temps are favorable and we can slip you into our schedule. “Give it a go.”

• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

BEFORE

Our client has been on vacation twice this summer so her being away has meant it was definitely time for a tidy. She loves her garden and we think she calls on us more often than any client we have. Certainly glad to be her gardener. She loves her spot and we love it too. And with several seasons working for her now we have  her beds in such great shape. Very few weeds at all today. We have planted almost everything she has. This time of year things are dying back,  but so far only the Peony suffered a set back. It developed Powdery Mildew. We’ve treated it, but the best thing to do is to cut it back eventually, because the silvery/white blight just continues to spread. It doesn’t kill the plant but it weakens growth and so today we took it to the ground. We are hopeful for next years new growth.

We tilled all the soil today cleaned all the beds of damp leaves. It’s looking fresh again. And we raked the yard. Doing this….although a little extra work, removes all the dead grass from summers mowing and the dampish leaves. We also did some gentle trimming of everything. Uniformity is the goal. Plants will grow in strange ways sometimes and we always tell our clients that they should decide how they want the plant to grow. Remember….don’t let the plant decide. If you do this, you may end up with a very crazy looking plant

We think our clients yard is looking very fresh again.

iN PROCESS

Tomorrow we are back to take care of the side yard and transplant an established Hydrangea that is poorly located; moving it to a better spot on the the side of the property.

And in October we will visit the nursery together shopping to select and plant six (6) new Skip Cherry Laurel bushes as a border to the back yard, between our client and the neighboring property.

Skip Cherry Laurel t(bush/hedge)

In late Oct, early November we will complete our final fall/winter bed prep and mulch all the beds. And so……another gardening season completes itself for our wonderful four (4) year client. It is indeed our pleasure

“Contessa” says…. It’s all good!

••••••••

AFTER/FINAL

REVISED – Wed – 7:21 pm – 915

Yesterday we completed the front yard beds. Today we completed the side yard, and transplanted a smallish  Hydrangea from the back yard. It’s in a great spot now. More sun and an empty bed with room to grow. It can be nice. We’ll anxiously wait to see it’s progress next spring.  The bed was full of Vinca Vine, now all removed. We cleaned up the Iris bed but neatly left the leaves laying on the bed. These fronds are  next years vitamins/nourishment. And we totally cut down the Day Lily patch. It was spindly, sparse and weak looking. Hopefully it will fill in a little better next year. Finally we just went by to apply a liquid fertilizer treatment with a pump spray attached to the hose. One hour if nourishment can do wonders.
We are very pleased with this project. Tge good news is there were very few weeds this year which will make our a November final visit so much easier. Mostly leaf removal, till the soil and apply a final mulch treatment.

This yard has come a long way. We are very pleased. A great example of what a “Contessa” signature “Fall Bed Clean Uo”looks like.

“Contessa” says……. It’s all very good!