Well or Wall?

My garden sweet, enclosed with walles strong- George Cavendish - 1500

Is it Stone Well or Stone Wall? 

 So close I know , so let me clear it up for you.  When my family first moved into our home we were blessed with a very old and very much loved garden. One of the most intriguing features was a beautiful old stone well, crafted by a former owner of limestone and iron.  The well was strictly ornamental I discovered, but I also discovered some fascinating stories told by neighbors and family members of the generations behind me.  The first family to live here, and to build the home, was headed by a young German immigrant who's profession was "Gardener"! Tragedy struck his young family when Typhoid took his wife and two children.  It was always thought that a well on the property was the source, though never proved.  This story made the stone well seem much more than an ornament - and when I searched for a name for my new gardening business, the well seemed to be the perfect thing.

This is my stone well in summer, smothered by ancient trumpet vines,to the delight of the hummingbirds

But what about the Stone wall?

Well (no pun intended) I have one of those also- but it came much later to this garden, crafted by my husband after a trip to England inspired me. It is the perfect backdrop for my collection of old roses, and adds the elements of enclosure and permanence to the garden

A rock pile ceases to be a rockpile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral
-Antoine de St. Exupery


Now, one more word about my identity, I am presently out there with two different names.  I won't bore you with the details, but a simple typo on my part has created a situation that I am working to resolve.  So . . . . I am Stone Well Garden, and Stone Well Gardens.  That silly little "s" is the culprit!  

So bear with me, keep visiting me here, and remember to dip onto your own well of inspiration often!

With Paper and Paint

Caught In the Web

For the bird a nest, the spider a web, for man, friendship - William Blake

The garden holds many surprises for me every day, and late summer is guaranteed to provide a brush with the whisper soft touch of a spider web.  Walking through the garden in the early morning I am often caught unaware by the sudden , almost invisible barrier that has miraculously been constructed during the night before.  If the dew is heavy, the intricate work of the spider's artistry will be dotted with tiny jewels, and if I'm lucky the artist herself will be present. Sometimes I go and fetch my mister  bottle from my art table, then spray the web with a very delicate touch , highlighting all the details without disturbing the web. 

"Whats so miraculous about a spider's web," said Mrs. Arabele.  "I dont see why you say a web is a miracle - it's just a web."
"Ever try to spin one?" asked Dr. Donan.
Mrs Arabele shifted uneasily in her chair. "No," she replied, "But I can crochet a doily and I can knit a sock!"
                        E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

This image is slightly raised , with white paint on a black art board. The web was misted with the paint and then very carefully caught from behind on the board.
The handwritten note on the back of this vintage piece reads:


– Micrathena spiderweb, collected in the Mackinaw River Valley 8/86

The spider's web has inspired designs and motifs  in every medium, You will find the intricate and fascinating line work in crochet patterns, embroidery, iron work , stained glass, even fabulous jewelry to name a few. and is it any wonder? Just take a few moments to really look at the next web you come across in your garden - really look! You will be mesmerized.

With Paper and Paint

A Sweet and Sticky September

September is National Honey Month


Beautiful Flowers opened their petals generously, happily, inviting the wasps and bumblebees to drink from deep inside their hearts .   --Irene Nemirovsky  Suite Francais

"Easy for you to say" , I can hear the bees buzzing in our ears . . . did you know the honey bee is in danger as the population diminishes?  Every gardener can help by planting herbs and flowers to attract the bees, and by not using the pesticides that threaten their fragile existence.

This beautiful creature and lots of his buddies were enjoying the blossoms of the rustic arugula in the herb garden.  Not wanting to interfere in this glorious display, I promptly abandoned my plans to pull out the wayward arugula seedlings.  Nature knows best! Its good to know when to

 let go and let God.

A weathered bee skep is nestled into the Bee Garden, surrounded by  a burst of brilliant blue at the end of summer with perennial ageratum. Persistant sprigs of chamomile are still appearing at the base of the bloomed out Bee balm.

Like a precious jewel, a jar of newly gathered honey glows amber in the summer sunlight. This is the crowning glory of the honey bee- the royal offering of hundreds of hours of hard work, ours to savor and enjoy! I need a scone!

The Honey Bee and the Bee Hive have been the inspiration for years of pottery and tablewear designs - this is  just a small sampling of my own collection.

The flutter of the butterfly, the humming of the bees, I think there is no sweeter music in my garden than these.

with Paper and Paint

Sweet Spots in The Garden

It is good to be alone in the garden at dawn or dark,
so that all it's shy presences may haunt you and
possess you in a reverie of suspended thought.

-James Douglas (1753-1819)

You have woked hard to create a beautiful place, a place to surround your home and to spend time with family and friends, now it is time to consider another of the garden's most rewarding possibilities - a place to just be alone and not at work. 

Its not really France, but this little spot is the perfect place to begin your day with a coffee and croissant, and remember the times spent in Paris, or maybe dream of the time you will someday! Some Provencal fabric for the cushions, a few pieces of French pottery,  sit back and let your imagination take you away. 

Lunch time and you search for a quiet, shady spot like this to enjoy a break in your day.The table is made from an antique iron grate, the vintage chairs are softened with pillows I

fashioned, inspired by the flags of England and France, home to the most inspiring gardens I have visited in the world.

At the end of the day, this would be the perfect spot to relax and unwind, a haven of greenery and cool.  My friend Nancy created this magical place from an eyesore of a stone wall.  With plants, color and bright fabric it came to life again .

A close up view of the stone "Shelves" that are tucked into the vertical wall, a perfect opportunity to arrange your favorite potted plants and garden accents. Change it out whenever the moods strikes and have fun all season long .

Whatever the season, whatever your style, and whatever your garden offers, look for that little spot that says "sweet" for you, and take the time to make it yours alone.

Good Morning Glory

A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines. -Frank Lloyd Wright

 

What a perfect sight to start the day with – a rogue morning glory climbing up the telephone pole in the back corner of the garden!Surely the relative of one I planted last year, but until today , unnoticed by me. I was taken back to another morning, several years ago, when my next-door-neighbor met me at the fence that separates our two gardens .It was late summer and the fence was smothered in bright blue morning glories, glowing their finest in the early morning coolness.“Your morning glories made me cry” she said. Flowers can indeed bring out strong emotions in us, not to mention memories, and I will forever think of that neighbor when the morning glories greet me, as I hope they always will.

This pure shade of blue just longs for the color orange.  I decided to pick one blossom and bring it in the house to enjoy with my breakfast.  I had fun with paints also, serving it up on a "Bridgewater" plate with a glass of orange juice ! By the way, DO NOT eat the Morning Glory except with your eyes!

Color to the Rescue

August is not the shining time in my garden, and after a week of cutting back and cleaning up, the results were much neater but certainly not beautiful! How I longed for some color, some bloom! The long, hot dry midwest summer had taken it's toll, not to mention the Japanese beetle, so I was feeling somewhat resigned to what I could not control this year, and with that stubborn optomism that only gardeners can understand, I consoled myself with taking mental notes for next year.

When I arrived at the Botanical garden to tend the Herb Garden there today I was greeted with an astounding display of bloom and color.  While my own garden at home was languishing in the throes of summer's end, this garden was putting on a display to dazzle my garden clogs off!


I left the Herb Garden with a new and fulfilling sense of  gratitude, and while the typical understanding of the term "volunteer" is working without pay - I have never felt so wealthy.

Everlastings in the Dye/Crafting section

Nicotiana - the wild and the cultivated varieties existing together in harmony

From garden to harvest - globe amaranth destined to adorn a wreath soon!

Red and Purple . . . did you ever think? In case there was ever any doubt, nature does have a sense of fashion.

Hey Sailor!

I'm not in the habit of picking up men, but this one had me at "Hello". He was on the floor in the island cottage when I walked in, doing what a good doorstop is suppose to do, so I picked him up and carried him outside to the porch where he could see the fantastic ocean view. As he was obviously a fisherman, it seemed like the right thing to do. Who knows how long he was down there on the dusty wooden planks, longing for the sea. I knew from the start that we shared something deep - deep as in water. Not to mention the fish thing , I am a Pisces after all. After an all too short time together, I said goodbye to my sailor and left him there where I found him, promising we would meet again. Who knows, maybe same time next year?

The View my sailor was missing

Fish Beach on Monhegan Island

BRINGING IN THE FISH  by James Fitzgerald, my favorite Monhegan artist.

Who's The Boss?

If you think being small means you cant be effective, you have never been in bed with a Mosquito - or in the garden with a cranky Jenny Wren

Well, I have to admit that  my presence out there in that little corner of my garden might have been unfamiliar that morning, and the vacation that took me away for what seemed like a very quick week to me probably seemed like  a lifetime to my little feathered friends.


I barely stepped into the shelter of the lilac bush when the scolding began- and I was informed in no uncertain terms that I was not welcome.  I could see the bird hoping frantically about between the branches,  and I assured him in my softest voice that I meant no harm and just wanted to work
quietly along side him.  But my words did not offer any comfort, so I began my weeding chores and waited for him to get used to me.


I love the Jenny Wrens, and they have favored me for years with their presence, settling into the little houses I scatter about for them. They are protective of their territory, and the volume and consistency of their warning call is so out of proportion to their size that I cant help but be amazed over and over again. They have my admiration, but I can be just a determined as they can. They have their work and I have mine, and we never fail to settle into an unspoken agreement eventually.