There's No Business Like

New business!

 

 

Look who arrived in the mailbox....my new business cards!

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Set to Celebrate

Once a year an event comes along that you don't want to miss.  It's the who's who of tablescapes in Hartford with an excellent cause behind it.  You know what I'm talking about- Set to Celebrate!

Set to Celebrate is a fundraiser for the Heritage Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park put on by the Connecticut Valley Garden Club.  In only its third year, it has gained tremendous attention in Connecticut and news of this event is quickly spreading.

S2C is held at the Town and County Club in Hartford, Connecticut and is a houseful of inspiration table tops and mantles adorned with outstanding fresh floral arrangements and are literally, Set to Celebrate!
 

Click HERE to watch the interview I did with Scot Haney on WFSB's Better Connecticut about S2C. 

I look forward to seeing you at Set to Celebrate this year- it's open to the public on Friday, November 15 and Saturday November 16 from 10am-4pm! Be sure to check our the Set to Celebrate website HERE to buy tickets and for directions to the Town and County Club.

 

 

All of the pictures in this post were taken from the 2012 Set to Celebrate.

Fabulous Flowers in Philly

This past weekend my husband and I enjoyed a much needed weekend away and spent it in Philadelphia.  We stayed at The Latham Hotel with is in the Rittenhouse Square section of town.  We were spinning with the choices of restaurants and shops and I killed my camera battery taking pictures of the incredible planters and window boxes that graced nearly every apartment building, store front and maybe even the spaces in between.  Here are a few of my favorites:  

The magic of three: Boxwood, Ornamental Pepper and Creeping Jenny

 

The Dandelion Restaurant- The food is as yummy as their planters!

Ferns and Sweet Potato Vine

 

If you are into history, museums, food or flowers, Philly is a terrific place to visit and we are already looking forward to returning!

More tomorrow on The Barnes Foundation and

Eastern State Penitentiary!        

Fresh for Fall

Switching things up a bit is always refreshing- whether painting a room a new color, re-organizing the kitchen and especially changing your planters from one season to the next. 

It's September and time for a fresh new look for fall.  Some of my plants are looking tired after performing all summer and practically whispering, "We just can't go on." And to tell you the truth, I'm getting tired of looking at them! It's just time to go. 

So the questions is what do you use for fall containers?  I'm over mums- they bloom fast and hard and then you need to either replace them or buy something new to fill in that rather large space that they always occupy. 

 

Click HERE to see my demonstration on

WFSB's Better Connecticut with the plants below!

 

Here are my personal favorites for fall:

-Flowing Cabbage and Kale: These are just as yummy in the garden as they are on your dinner plate!

-Asters: Good long lasting color and hardy perennial so you can enjoy them again next year.

-Pansies: These fragrant beauties are not just for spring with perfect fall color and frost tolerance.

-Grass: Texture, texture, texture, need I say more?

-Tri-color Sage (any hardy herbs, actually): Looks great, smells great, tastes great.

-Perennial Salvia: Like Asters, good long lasting color that pays now and for years to come.

-Coral Bells: My all time favorite perennial with uses never stop impressing.

There are unlimited possibilities for grouping these together in a container and window box.  This fall I did something different- and I'm loving it.  Each plant was given it's own individual container and I grouped the lot together for this season's fresh look! In my next post I will show you how I did it!

July

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."
-  Sam Keen  

 

Find a little time to be lazy this weekend!

Graham, Will and Elle picking blueberries

Plants Sending Out an SOS?

We finally have some relief here in Connecticut from a heat wave- I actually had to wear a fleece this morning while watering my containers! While the heat is no longer with us, the effects of the heat are, especially for plants. 

Watch the segment I did with Scot and Kara from WFSB's Better Connecticut that talks about what you can do to help your plants recover from the heat by clicking HERE.

1. Remove any damaged (dry and crunchy) foliage and deadhead.

Before

After

2. Make sure your potting mix is well hydrated.  Give your pots a good soak for an hour or so and then allow them to drain. It's not the prettiest, but it must be done.   

3. Give your plants a little snack of a low dose fertilizer.  I like this Organic Plant-tone because it feeds and adds microbes to the soil.   

 

 

And now that I put that song in your head-

here are The Police for you: Sending Out an SOS

Guest House Design Bliss

I found myself in design bliss after viewing a post from South Shore Decorating Blog and had to share with you! While this isn't my own work- it has similar Julie Harrison style- classic, clean, and of course, naturally elegant!

This is an Atlantic guest house with interior work by Tillman Long Interiors and I'm not sure who did the exterior design, but I can tell you they did it well!