Well it’s been a busy week in the garden. The lovely cool garden working weather, has given way to temperatures in the high 80’s, in my part of the world. I’m still working on cleaning up garden beds but, I have most of the pots planted, that is, the ones I’m going to plant. I decided this year I needed to pare down. Shopping for flowers is an addiction, and I want it all. I can get so carried away. Anybody remember the days when a flat of flowers was 19.00? I used to cringe at that because I needed sooo many. Well 110.00 a flat and a few of those later, I just shook my head. So this year I will let things grow and fill in, and wait for instant gratification! Is any of this necessary? But of course!!!

I have 1/2 baskets on my back fence that always get filled. It is a huge expanse of fence, to be staring at nothing! This year I am only filling 2 of them. The rest will be receiving hard scape. I’m trying to think of a different ways to fill them, so they won’t need flowers. More on that in a bit.

I have to say I’m a bit scared of the garden this year. After my bout with West Nile and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, I don’t ever want to go thru that again. Yes, I’ve taken precautions by instilling our lawn service with the task of bug control but, while I was outside last night reading, I had a mosquito buzzing around me on the deck. I came in the house! That just makes me mad. I hate bug sprays, although we did make a trip over to Ace Hardware this morning and stocked up.

Pots are simple this year with Dragon Wing Begonias, some petunias, vinca and spikes. I had a hard time finding things like super bells, and in general the stock just isn’t what it has been. Or maybe it’s just me. I have learned that the smaller “fill” plants like Bacopa, and Alyssum just don’t show up, unless you’re on top of them. Most of my pots are in the distance, so the new Petunias make a bigger statement. I have my favorite local nurseries I go to for different things. Dragon Wings are one nursery. Geraniums a different nursery. Fill plants are Ace Hardware. I always end up buying a few things at Lowes or Home Depot but what a mad house.

Digging in the dirt is one of my great joys. Last year we took out all the plants from one of my beds. It was the very first garden I put it in, and of course I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I had a ton of Snow on the Mountain ground cover that I planted very early on. Very invasive and bad choice all around. We couldn’t get rid of it, so we took everything out with the exception the topiary, laid down cardboard to smother the Snow on the Mountain, and mulched. I would give this technique mixed reviews. I think we are going to leave it one more year before I plant. I’m not quite sure what I want to do in there and sometimes when you don’t know, the best thing to do is to stand still.

In other news I went to an interesting Estate Sale last week. Estatesales.net comes up on my feed, and I saw a very interesting house. Wait isn’t that the Ashley House? I have been in this house before but, it is a museum house. Where’s this at? Plattsmouth NE. Seriously?

The Ashley House, is a very famous home in Historic Deerfield MA. Built in 1734 for an 18th Century minister, the Ashley House was transformed in the 1750’s by Jonathan Ashley who made substantial alterations to the building by adding a grand doorway, central entrance hall, and wood paneling. The home in Plattsmouth had all of that. To find a home of this nature in Nebraska was stunning. Nebraska didn’t become a state until 1867. So this house was built of love! The owners had to have been to Historic Deerfield and decided they wanted to replicate the feeling of that house. Thinking it would be worth the effort to get into this home, I decided it was a good afternoon for a drive. There was no good way to take a picture of this house as it sits on a bluff with a big retaining wall in front.

Arriving at 12:15 for a 2:00 opening, I got out of my car and went to stand in line. There were several people already in line waiting for a number, and there were to be two lines. One for the gardens and one for the house. I found myself in the wrong line at first. If you got a number for the gardens you would then have to go stand in line for the house, if you wanted to do that too. I was very interested in the gardens as I was on a mission but, I wanted to see the house first. At 1:00 the estate sale people came out and started passing out numbers. I was #30. I could now go back to my car and wait until 2:00, which I did. At about 1:50 I noticed a line forming again and went to wait. Finally they came out. They prefaced the sale with “This is a really unique property. Watch your step the floors are not level and it is dark inside.” My number called I started the approach. Up about 25 narrow steep granite steps just to get to the front door and no railings! A walk across stepping stones will take you inside. She was not joking when she said it was dark. No electricity!!! This home was built by Purist true to the early 18th Century Period.

I walked in and was immediately glad I came. I couldn’t take any pictures so I had to just soak it up. True to period this home was furnished with love and care. Canopy and tester beds, complete with bed hangings, rope beds, very fun gate leg tables, candle stands, quilts, chest, tall chests, corner cupboard. A set of heavily carved Jacobean chairs. The real deal or repro? Don’t know. I should have looked at the tag. They certainly looked like the real deal to me! Several period appropriate portraits. These I think were Repro’s. A revolutionary war uniform (real or repro) not sure. Windsor chairs, trestle tables, tons of pewter, chargers, plates & bowls. As you can imagine a candlestick collectors dream! Pewter, iron, and some brass. Iron chandeliers for candles, candelabras, wall sconces in iron, pewter and brass. Nothing electrified. No lamps, no overhead lighting. People were walking around with flash lights and their phones trying to see what they were looking at.

I recognized a space as being the kitchen but, it was more of a unkitchen with loose cabinets for storage. There were no appliances. So fascinating. As I made my way to the attic there were baskets full of crewel bed hangings, American flags, banners and signs. I spied a bottle that had a stamp on it and wanted it for my report for Questers this month but, ultimately passed on it because of the price. Would have loved to have it though.

Then I made my way out to the gardens, it must have been spectacular in its hay day. By the time I got out there things were pretty picked over. Cement lawn ornaments and teracotta pots in all kinds of forms. Glass cloches along with terracotta cloches which I had never seen, that looked ancient, dough bowls that had been sold. What did I buy? Three small hand thrown terracotta pots and a squatty one, wonderfully covered in crusty lichen. Total hall 11.00. But, I had fun. Found exactly what I was looking for.

I spent a couple hours being taken back in time, to a freezing November day, where I walked the streets of Deerfield MA. Picked up maple leaves that were the size of dinner plates (they didn’t survive the flight home.) Touring some of the oldest architecture in the country, and doing my first textile tour. A day spent with my sister, giggling outrageously, eating my first bowl of squash soup at the Deerfield Inn and just creating such good memories.

I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day and hope that you are able to make fond memories.

Thanks for stopping

Shelley