Love Notes

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

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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

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In the opening salvo of these notes, I often noodle around about where to find the seeds of inspiration.  As I can't seem to drop the subject, I think that's a pretty strong sign that I don't have the answer.    But I'm beginning to assemble a nice little kit of building blocks.   READ MORE

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Oh my goodness I've had such an inspiring week.   It started off with a visit to Charleston to see my youngest son, all timed (by me, not him) around the Garden Conservancy's Open Gardens tour in that lovely city.    I was so lucky to visit five jaw dropping private gardens in the coveted South of Broad area (do I have the subtle linguistics on that terminology correct?  Probably not - please correct me.)    I've been hoping and wishing to get to one of these Garden Conservancy events forever, and words cannot express how outstanding it was.      READ MORE

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Have you ever heard of Eliza Schidmore?   Born in 1856, Eliza was a journalist and travel author.    She began her career writing a Washington society newspaper column.   She went on to become the first female writer for the National Geographic Society, and later, its first female board member.  In 1885, while still in her twenties, Eliza returned from a trip to Japan with a bee in her well heeled bonnet to bring the beauty of the Japanese cherry tree to Washington's tidal basin.   Her campaign began.   READ MORE

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