Garden Inspirations

Speaking of interesting plants encountered in English gardens, here are some photos of inspiring garden spaces. All photos mine.

The Red Border at Hidcote.

Garden walls with white border beyond at Hodges.
Believe it or not, the entire house was originally built to be a dovecote.

Water Lily parterre garden at West Green House.

It's much much more traditional to see the central spaces of parterres filled with flowers or even gravel. These on the other hand, had small leaded boxes containing water lilies - very clever and inspiring. The tent structure at the end of the garden is actually one of the most wonderful chicken coops I've ever seen!
More interesting use of water at the West Green House, here is the Water Parterre:

Hardscape done well, the quintessential English garden steps at Chiffchaffs House.

Those of us not actually living in so called stately homes on lots of acreage can still find garden inspiration however. Sometimes it's just a matter of being creative, and using small spaces wisely, and with a certain flair.

A little paint, a handy friend, some sweetpeas, and some ingenuity, and you too can have a truly cool cat door.



Some time, some good pruning shears, and a crazy vision, and you too can have topiary pigs and chickens. What was it Michaelangelo said? Something to the effect of carving away everything that didn't look like and elephant - or in this case, possibly, a pig.

I'll confess that I've been trying to figure out how to have a topiary Great Dane or two in the front yard!

(and for E, not a beer can salmon in sight!)

Plant Quest

Ever hear the saying 'the cobbler's children have no shoes'?

Well...this little landscape architect has some garden problems at Chez Dame.

You know, little problems, like say... evolving in a quirky way, instead of actually starting with a unified design and following through. It's not a horrible thing, since this is a modest little cottage-style house. It embraces quirky, and so do Smithy and I.

On the other hand, my own garden isn't exactly portfolio material. So, to that end, as spring is fast approaching my Southern city, I'm thinking organizational thoughts about the garden. I'm attempting to prioritize.

The first thing on the new list of garden improvements is to work on the front garden. We started out doing one thing, then one day I came home to find that Smithy built some walls somewhere else, and now...well.... The cobbler's children have no shoes. Or maybe it should be that the cobbler's children have some really crazy looking shoes.

In different colors.

And possibly in mismatched sizes.

So, you know, I ought to be figuring out how to make the bed lines match from one side of the front walk to the other. And give Smithy some idea of what to do with the second-hand granite we want to use for a new front walk. And be thinking about how to screen the petroleum warehouse downhill from my house. (charming, no?) And pulling together a more soothing color palette for the plants in the front - probably more white and green. And I need to do something with the spirea that is approximately the size of my car right now. And on and on. Practical things like that.

But you know what I want to do? I really really want to track down more of this lovely, fragrant Camellia I spotted at a (pricey) local nursery last weekend. This is the best pic I could find online of Camellia Cinnamon Cindy:

(obviously, photo courtesy of www.nzplantpics.com)

Do I need it? Not really.
Will it work in the front garden? Not necessarily.
Is it hard to find, and likely to be expensive? Probably!
But, but, it's a fragrant Camellia!

And then there's the purply foliaged rose, Rosa Glauca, I saw in England two summers ago.

It's different, it's got ornamental foliage, and I haven't really seen it in my area. (Perhaps that should tell me somthing?) It can even tolerate some shade. In fact, here in the 'Humidity Belt' in the south, it just may need a touch of shade. Even NPR's Ketzel Levine raves about this one. Surely, it's a must-have?

Sigh. This is exactly the reason the garden is the way it is.

Ebay find of the week

This morning I missed the Best. Art. Deco. Daybed.
EVER.

It was on Craigslist for $125. Yep, just $125 for a sofa that converts into a daybed, with solid burled walnut arms and decent upholstery. Upholstery in a color that matched the rest of my furniture.

I am an idiot.

Always, always call right away if you see something cool for a ridiculously low price on Craigslist. Don't send an email when you have the option to call.

I have since been obsessively looking at ebay to get my Deco fix, and came up with an entire set of furniture that is similar to Ingrid, the sofa. So, just for kicks, here's some yummy, curvy furniture to feast your eyes on. The fabric isn't my idea of heaven, but the lines are very cool.

Swedish Deco/Moderne set.

Not bad, huh? There's even a matching rocker, although it's not as cool.
I almost feel better.

Mind Boggling Indeed

(image via Etsy)

Why is it in times of great distress, it is nearly impossible for some of us to avoid saying something stupid and or inappropriate?!

This week the phrase 'mind-boggling' keeps cropping up at the most inopportune times, along with the saying 'it's not brain surgery.'

Honey, this week it actually IS brain surgery.

Please send spare good thoughts and prayers to the Dame's brother in law, and her amazing sister in this worst-of-all-possible weeks.

(image via Bibliodyssey)

Please see here for more: Recovery Progress

What's in a name?

I saw her for the first time, about 18 months ago, on Craigslist.

It was the usual kind of ad, but something about her caught my eye. There was no doubt about it, she was the right age. And those curves, my god! On the other hand the poor girl was wearing the most godawful, frumpy colors I'd ever seen. And her fee...well, not something I could afford at the time. So, I moved on, but I didn't forget her.

Then, a few months later I caught a glimpse of her again, again on Craigslist. This time around, she'd been in a professional photo shoot, and her fee had shot up even more. Girl seemed to be putting on some airs, all things considered. Too rich for my blood, but those curves, oh my!

Months went by, the holidays rolled around, and the Dame's employer seemed to be feeling generous; it had been a very good year. Holiday bonus in hand, the Dame started scanning the ads again. And wouldn't you know it, there she was again! The outfit had improved, and the location had changed. The fee had leveled off a bit. So the Dame decided it was time to meet in person.

The Dame never stood a chance against the the curves. A deal was struck, promises were made. Custom couture was was written into the negotiations. Swatches were fetched, and colors discussed. A rendezvous at a certain time and place were agreed to.

Promises were broken, new dates were scheduled, and broken. The flirt kept the Dame waiting for nearly five months, altogether. But that Swedish accent, those curves....

At long last she made it to the Dame's house. The new frock was not as promised, and was a little the worse for wear. Corners were cut in the in the tailoring, some odd steps had been taken. The Swede, for all her dynamite curves, and despite all the new work, was actually a little saggy in the middle. But for a near-septagenarian, really, what could one expect?

Please meet Ingrid....


















If one is to believe her story, she is Swedish Art Deco, approximately from the 1940's. Also, if one is to believe the tale her last friend told, he of the poorly finished couture, she was shipped to my fair city with a twin. Hard to believe there could be two of them wandering around, breaking hearts.

What better name to give this curvy Swede, than the name of one of the most elegant women to come out of that era?

dots and sunbeams

An intro to the Great Dame's resident Dane, Miss Ophelia....

I was bored out of my mind late one weekend afternoon recently, so I started fiddling with the camera. I was trying to get some decent photos of some of my art deco furniture, so that I could post on the blog. The charming Ophie is never far from my side, so she got in on the act.
So, here we have a study in black and white patches, a red polka dot rug, and golden sunbeams.

a symbol for the new year

Phoenix sculpture by Tom Clarkson, photo by Louis Cahill.

Seems like it's time for a fresh start in the new year, so what better symbol of change than a phoenix? The sculpture was done by the Dame's the resident blacksmith, and it is now residing in a beautiful garden on the Eastern Shore.

I'm looking forward to starting over with the blog in the new year as well. Happy New Year to all.