Life’s simple pleasures… beautiful flowers make my day! I love roses. I love reasonable roses. I love Aldi roses. I was so fortunate to grow up in a family that valued creativity, nature and beauty. My mom opened her own cheese, wine and gift shop in the mid 1970’s. She was wildly successful, and later […]
Growing roses may seem difficult, ordering from David Austin Roses makes it easy for beginners. As I have shared many times, I have a nice size porch/patio in the back of my Brooklyn apartment. Last year, it was a godsend. We added an umbrella for the sun and a lounger to be able to lay […]
New options for buying plants online including creating the look for you and sending you everything you need. If you are like me, you aspire to having beautiful pots on your patio that look professional. While my pots look ok, it’s not the same as if my mother did it or I had someone come […]
Martha Stewart is making a huge comeback, and we are having a renaissance with her classic, really the original, how to and DIY books Sometimes I stop and think about how I learned how to do what I think of as really basic things, but have friends who are intimidated to try themselves. Maybe they […]
Springtime is arriving in the Midwest and the grounds at the mini castle are becoming alive Liz and Shawn had a busy few weeks with a lot of exciting new mini castle updates! After a few weeks of architectural drawings, Liz and Shawn’s architect Paul Lankenau nailed it this week! We are super excited to […]
Flowering bulbs offer beautiful indoor blooms all year long. One thing I have learned from the endless months of pandemic is that nature has no awareness of our plight. Nothing offers hope and anticipation as bulbs appearing magically in your garden or pot or glass bowl all year long. Right now they are at reduced […]
Fall is heavy to me but it also means that my fresh herbs and summer flowers will soon disappear. So in early September when everything else is dying and looking straggly, I love how mums feel fresh. When planted and maintained they will carry you to Thanksgiving. Fun fact, colder weather enhances the color and keeps blossoms fresh.
Hydrangea, literally means hydrate and cutting its stems on a slant helps that to happen. There are over a dozen methods for reviving cut hydrangeas online and I’ve tried them all, however this method works the best.
