Love Notes

May 05, 2025 • #Garden Week #gardens #travel

Too Much of a Good Thing 4/28/25

Is there such a thing?! Usually, I'd say no.

You know how I say that writing this note is one of my favorite parts of the week? And oh it is oh so true. But today, I’m coming to you from beneath a glorious, slightly teetering tower of too-muchness.

Between a flurry of bespoke design projects (really dreamy ones - new scarves and so much more - I can't wait to share!), along with prepping armfuls of flowers for the grand Historic Garden Week house tour this past Saturday, my days have been brimming. Truly brimming. With lilacs. With lovely dressmaker details. With logistics. With laughter. With lists I’ve lost track of.

It’s all been an absolute joy — and also, a gentle reminder that even beautiful things can be a lot. READ MORE

Mar 31, 2025 • #bee #bird #Garden Week #gardens #pollinator

The Pollinator Issue 3/31/25

I've learned a lot about native plants and pollinators through my 29 years in the Garden Club of Virginia and the Garden Club of America. Perhaps most importantly, I've learned how much I don't know.

Pollinators are essential for maintaining vibrant ecosystems, and for the health of many of our food crops. Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats and other insects visit flowers in search of food, found in nectar and pollen. While these small creatures feed, they transfer pollen from one plant to another. From this, *cue the fireworks*, comes fertilization, leading to the formation of fruit and seeds. As much as three fourths of the world's flowering plants and 35 percent of our food supply depend on pollinators. READ MORE

Mar 30, 2025 • #ceramics #Daffodils #gardens #Tablescape #Tablescapes

My Garden Groweth 3/24/25

Hang onto your spring bonnets - this one's a big one. Welcome happy Monday morning! I arrived home from my Florida adventure last Monday to be greeted by a sea of hellebores, daffodils, forsythia, camellia and tulip magnolia in full bloom. Mother Nature's welcome party - WOW thank you! I dragged my "HEAVY" bags into the front hall, and out the back door I skipped, eager to survey nature's blossoming ladies in waiting.

Strolling through the garden, I found myself in full conversation, "Oh my how you've grown Miss Camellia, almost halfway up the fence now aren't we?" I had worried about her and her two sisters during our unusually frigid winter here in Virginia. READ MORE

Jun 07, 2024 • #gardens #italy

Labyrinth of Inspiration 6/3/24

How to begin to make sense of the centuries of beauty witnessed during my recent trip to the gardens of Venice and the Veneto? With some jet lag and a full plate of work awaiting me this weekend, it seems like a labyrinth to decipher. So let's make sublime Italian inspiration a multi-Monday journey, and for today, we'll just start with the spectacular gardens of the Villa Barbarigo. READ MORE

Apr 10, 2024 • #gardens #Lilac #spring

Glories of the Garden 3/8/24

Sometimes I feel as if our merry band of Love Note readers is essentially a support group for those of us who longingly await the birth of spring, and might need a little help in so doing. I am grateful for you holding my hand, as I am clearly one of those in need, (I founded the support group, after all).

Today, I sit at my desk, watching a steady rain fall over my border resplendent with Angelique tulips, one of which rewarded me with a blue ribbon at this week's garden club meeting. Behind me, a Carolina jessamine has robustly climbed up, over and around its trellis, this week reaching peak bloom. My smile is wide, as a robin repeatedly visits the spines of our patio umbrella, in what I hope is a final housing inspection. Please oh please build your nest right here. READ MORE

Love Notes

Posts tagged: gardens

Too Much of a Good Thing 4/28/25

The Pollinator Issue 3/31/25

My Garden Groweth 3/24/25

Labyrinth of Inspiration 6/3/24

Glories of the Garden 3/8/24