escape to the garden......

  this is a 
repost
from 2011
this continues to be my all time favorite privately owned gardens...and i have seen a few, for sure...
worth taking another gander....



with most of the country facing a huge winter storm,

i thought it would be fun to escape to one of the most beautiful, privately owned gardens i have ever seen.

enjoy......

i viewed this gorgeous estate, two springs ago on a garden tour.

located on the side of a hill in Bellemeade, just outside of Nashville......

this garden highlights some of my very favorite plants.

boxwood, climbing roses and lavender.

(in my dream garden, i would have liked to see lots of hydrangea here too....not sure why it was not included?)

o.k....can you believe, it's not really lavender?!?!

i fell in LOVE with their use of catmint (nepeta).

like me, the owner loves lavender (who doesn't). catmint is a very good substitute, that grows well here, in our humid and rather stagnant air.

of course the lavender fragrance isn't there. boo hoo

notice the custom made, metal rose trellising.

in the back yard.......

new dawn roses climbing up the pool house.........

rose love!!!!

this makes my heart go pitter patter.

love, love, LOVE.

more catmint.

topiary in pots and a wispy carpet of rose petals.

back of the house with perfectly clipped shrubbery.

love the carpet of blue river stones, the medallion and twirly topiary.

hello outdoor dining table! party much?

with a MARBLE top!! hello. i wonder how much this piece weighs?

the whimsical polka dot cushions are fun!

cute grey planters with clipped boxwood's.

i can not remember the sculptors name, sorry.

more clipped boxwood's in pots on the stairs and a background of natural forest.

have you "escaped" yet?

are you dreaming?

jaw dropping isn't it?

so many photos to show, come back for more of this spectacularness (word?)

in my next post.

and......

mmm

please, please be extra careful out there in the ice and snow, my friends.

easter dogwoods blooming

happy easter
from my backyard,
where the Dogwood Trees are putting on their show

my favorite tree for spring time blooms....

i call them
 "forest lace"

their delicate white blooms dance in the under story of the larger trees.

last week, i had the very sad task of helping some friends of mine plant a dogwood tree in their backyard.... in honor of their son who died suddenly...his ashes amending the soil...it was a beautiful tribute to a young man leaving this world way too early....


much religious symbolism surrounds the beautiful Dogwood Tree which blooms at Easter time...please note that the following story is not taken from scripture, but it is a story that i like very much.

The dogwood is a modern figure of the Passion of Christ. The "legend" has it that the dogwood, which once grew tall and straight, was the source of the wood used for the cross. Jesus had pity on this poor tree used for such an ignoble purpose, and decreed, "Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross ... two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it remember ... that it was upon a dogwood tree I was crucified and this tree shall not be mutilated or destroyed, but cherished as a reminder of My death upon the cross."

happy easter

my friends

sweet lamb painting

well hello!
it has been a while...
i wanted to share my latest painting with you.

"In the Shelter of Maa Maa"

for sale at a local gallery...
listen to lil ol me...
selling art, out of a gallery!
i have sold several paintings and encaustic pieces
since last fall, over at
 Shimai
(behind the famous Loveless Cafe )
yay

sweet baby lamby face
 that any maa maa would love..

maa maa
watching out for baby.

we are in full Spring time mode here in Tennessee now,
but 3 weeks ago, we had
this gorgeous snow storm!

snow on the daffys and forsythia!

 Mother Nature's surprises....
 sure keeps us on our toes...

i just love
Spring!
i think it is my favorite....
well, until the next season comes along and then that one becomes my favorite.

and how about that gorgeous afternoon light through the blooms.

And that fresh
uplifting
renewal
and
hope...

of
life
and
rising...

of new beginnings
 and
what can be...

the possibilities
 are
 endless

and inspiring