Find It on Film: Grey Gardens

Even more than films, I adore documentaries and Grey Gardens is among my very, very favorites of all time. Fashion, poetry, dance, song, design, architecture and, of course, gardens--it's a near-perfect piece. Because of this, I have to admit, I'm pretty skeptical about this new version of the musical (Drew Barrymore? really?) and I'm probably not going to tune in (maybe you can convince me!). But, that said, all the talk of the movie has brought about some great remembrances from those who knew the Beales, their home and style, and I'm reveling in it. Especially these photos from the current owners of Grey Gardens. As Little Edie says, "It's all embedded together. Believe it or not, the past is part of the present and the future is here with us now."

Backyard Field Guide: Busy Bee in Springtime

Like a bee to nectar, I'm buzzing! Did you know that the bumble bees you usually see among the spring bulbs and flowers are usually the queens? I find it just remarkable how after overwintering alone these little ladies found the year's new colonies themselves. Sweet humble bumbles.

I was reading this week that some gardens have little nooks and caves built into the walls just for this event--brilliant, right? Other times the bees will just make themselves at home an empty birdhouse (I love this one answering the doorbell above!). I'm thinking I need to find some more places in our backyard plot for them.

(This might just be another clue to my secret project!*)

(Images from here and here.)

Backyard Field Guide: Annie's Annuals & Perennials

It's no secret: I love gardening. I love getting my hands dirty, going to the garden center, reading about gardeners and garden history, and--guilty pleasure--browsing catalogs from different regions of this fine country. One of my very favorite greenhouses--despite never having visited (some day!)--is Annie's. Every page of their yearly catalog is filled with passion and whimsy. Today they sent out this wonderful spring slideshow to the email list and, oh, it has me so sentimental for California spring and the flowers to go with it! It's been 65 degrees here the past day or so (strange for Nebraska, right?) and I can't help but feel a little closer to the coast than we really are.... What's your favorite spring flower?

Great Book: Jamie at Home

S and I went on a little date this afternoon--bookshopping and local barbeque for dinner. Looking around the cookbook shelves (we've been eating in a lot lately), I couldn't help but leaf through Jamie Oliver's new book, Jamie at Home. The photographs, recipes and garden stories are a pleasure to see. English onion soup with sage, crispy asparagus and potato tart, creamy rice pudding with strawberry jam--yum, what a fine dinner this could be! Plus, you can't help but love the way Jamie lists his ingredients--"three knobs of butter." We don't have cable tv so I'm really looking forward to catching up on the cooking show sometime. Have others seen it? Is it as fine as the book itself?

Backyard Field Guide: A Glimpse of Spring

At this time of year, along with the resolutions come the wheelbarrow's full of garden catalogs--one of my most favorite things of all. Our mailbox has been overflowing with them (to do: a good trip to the recycling center!) which means S and I have started plotting and planning our beds for the upcoming year. Heirloom red zebra tomatoes, snowpeas, hot chile peppers, chioggia beets, dill, basil, lilies, dahlias, cosmos, morning glories, and, of course, tons and tons of zinnias...I can't wait. Does anyone else already have spring fever? What are your plans once the cold breaks?

(Images from here and here.)

Into the Kitchen: Quicker Coq au Vin

Boy, this cold weather has me feeling homey--in a sort of French way! Outside, we've had this really chilly rain, almost freezing, and I figured I ought to use some of the last of the fresh thyme from our garden in tonight's dinner (what a sight I must have been this morning out there in my slippers hurriedly clipping all the herbs I could find!). I'm putting my own twist on this coq au vin recipe and, as they described, cutting out the fanfare of Julia Child's version (flaming cognac--oolala!). I'll let you know how it goes (I mean, it has to be good since the recipe calls for those cute pearl onions, right?). What are your favorite fall recipes these days?

Backyard Field Guide: Fall Planting and Planning

We received such a wonderful wedding present this summer--a gift certificate from White Flower Farms (thank you Kelly & Ben!). I didn't waste any time before browsing around--let me tell you! Believe it or not, the fall is a wonderful time to do some planting in the garden. In the end, we chose a peony (one of the lovely magenta ones with buttery yellow centers) and the sweet autumn clematis, which I'm hoping will grow into a nice cloud of flowers over the laundry line (you can't live in the Midwest and not have one of these!).

All this got me thinking--what a wonderful way to plan ahead for your spring wedding: plant your flowers ahead of time and save, save, save. With good timing and a thoughtful plan for some simple, well-designed bouquets and arrangements, don't you think something like these above could be pulled off with ease?

(Images from here.)

Gratitudes: Fall's Little Favors

It's been a busy couple days here--whew! Meeting new students, teaching, grading, helping colleagues with a fundraising event, making dinner for a friend, keeping up around the house. Among all this running around, the season seems to be taking care of me. There have been some really fine things: homemade buttermilk biscuits, picking out bulbs for spring blooms, finding my first autumn leaf, listening to the melodic new Emmylou Harris album (this song is unbelievable). On top of all this, I'm so glad to be back to writing here! Thank everyone for reading and holding these great conversations with me. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Designing Wedding Heirlooms: Plant Favors

I love gardening, gardens, seeds, wild flowers, dirt--name that green thing and I'm enamored. Olive Barn has some really nice pre-packaged favors with eco written all over them. A flower bulb in a simple earth-friendly bowl tied up with a ribbon--I think it's brilliant. In addition to these great little gifts, do you know of other helpful, easy ways to make your own garden favors? Has anyone pulled together pretty plant packaging on a budget? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Home Is Where the Art Is: Little Vessels

When fall comes around, I reach for my favorite earthy bud vases--got to enjoy our garden flowers while we have them! I love the sketchy drawings on each of these pieces. Find these lovely etsy sellers for yourself here: Van Wagner Studios, homefry ceramics, Diana Fayt, Boneyard Pottery.

Sweet Find: Botanical Illustrations

In the most recent issue of Martha Stewart she had a great article on collecting and antique sellers. The Antiquarium, of Houston, Texas, has a fine selection of botanical illustrations for sale online. There are all sorts of fun, strange, saucy drawings available. Myself, I'm a huge fan of the citrus fruits in the sky.

Backyard Field Guide: Dahlias, Dahling

After a week and a half away from home, our garden has just exploded. The zinnias, lilies and dahlias are on fire. It's a hot, humid and lush world here in Wind Alley. The air is so thick that S was able to catch this little moth lazing on our grapevine for more than ten minutes. I can't say I'm going to be doing much differently. I think it's time for some lazing among the tall grass with an ice-cold glass of tea....

For more backyard love, check out Nibs dahlia post among her many fine garden notes.

Backyard Field Guide: Guess How Much I Love You

For the past week, I've spied a little pair of ears in the grass and then, in a blur, gone! But today I found our new friend settling in for a nap in the grass--and she even let me take pictures! ...I know they eat my flowers, sometimes the particularly beautiful and expensive ones, sometimes down to a nub, but, for some reason, I still love these little guys. To give a little perspective, she's about the size of an apple. One rather fuzzy brown sleepy apple.

Designing Wedding Heirlooms: Flora-lora-la

With the big weekend over, I think I'm spending half my time gazing at our beautiful flowers. I want to remember their every detail before they fade! There are very few things in this life that I can say I love more than flowers.

Jeanette at Abloom did such an incredible job. Every blossom looked fresh out of the garden. Above is my bouquet--dahlias, ranunculus, freesia, bells of Ireland, queen anne's lace, veronica, delphinium and, of course, zinnias. (The week before the wedding we found out they might not be available after all and Jeanette somehow pulled it off!)

For the ladies of the wedding party--our maid of honor, S's mother and my grandmother--we had small nosegays.
The little bouquets for S's mother and my grandmother were wrapped in handkerchiefs embroidered with their initials.
A Nebraska-red toy truck loaded with flowers. Not a single one has wilted! (It being father's day weekend, I guess a handful of customers that went into the florist shop were asking if it was for sale!) We thought this little arrangement was very significant considering the cover of this book by one of my favorite poets (and bosses!). Just in general, I think there should be more flowers arranged in toys....
With our goal of making the wedding a kind of family reunion, having a memory table was very important to me. Jeanette made a striking white pedestal bowl arrangement for us. The inclusion of the 'snowball' hydrangea really moved me. There is a large bush of the flowers in my grandmother's yard planted by my great grandmother for her wedding more than fifty years ago.