Discovering Spring

I have always admired quince in the spring. Driving along country roads in early May I love seeing the wonderfully overgrown quince, in it's own hue of red, growing next to a weathered barn.

When we moved to our new home I discovered a quince in the garden, so of course I was anxious to see it in bloom. Needless to say, as one can see from the photo, it was not red, but the most beautiful apple blossom pink.

In our courtyard there is a weeping cherry. Truthfully, I do not believe this is a tree either James or I would select, but  we have already grown fond of it. It's trunk is sturdy with interesting branching giving it good winter form.

And  the cascading branches with the umbrella like flowers are completely graceful.
It brings to mind ballerinas dancing across an elegant stage in pink tutus.

James and I have always designed and created our gardens, so this time, at our new house, it is different. It is first about discovery and watching to see what the existing garden reveals.

Hostas are emerging from the shaded ground, as are astilbe, ferns and bleeding heart. The first flower that we saw once the snow melted was a lenten rose......a very nice surprise! New things appear daily now as days grow longer and warmer.

A crab apple grows over the outer edge of the courtyard, filling it's corner of the garden with pink blossoms, and creating shade for the astilbe beneath, as they await their time to flower. A week ago
I cut a few long budded branches for a vase that brings this dynamic spring color into our living room. Must savour as much spring has to offer as possible!

This beech, with it's massive smooth trunk makes a big statement and it dominates the landscape giving it the feel of a park. It is pure magnificence.

The walled garden is also revealing itself to us. The boxwood create structure as well as punctuation in the garden. Some things will remain, other things will change......that is just a fact in gardening.
Two roses must be removed since they are non-performing and  are in too much shade. It is likely that when they were planted back when the overhanging branches of the oak were not creating the amount of shade that they now are. 
This is a relatively small garden ( that translates into manageable, thank goodness!),
making every space counts.
So here are a few of the plants we are finding day by day;
3 peonies, a tree peony, nepeta ( James' nemesis),
echinacea, daylilies, columbine... loads of columbine, bleeding heart, cimicifuga, ornamental grasses, dianthus, and clematis.
We will be adding to the garden some of our old favorites as well. That will be fun. Happily, James and I are more enthusiastic about gardening than we have been in sometime. In part I think it is due to the fact that for the first time in our lives we have some help with the garden.

Now, if the black flies would just go away we could get outside and put a few new plants in the ground!

A New View

We suddenly find ourselves looking out to a new view. Life, as it can, swept us up and we landed in a new place and although we feel as if this could be Tuscany or Umbria we are still in New England, not terribly far from where we were before, but strangely it feels world's away.

As we continue to unpack boxes and reorganize our daily lives we also take time to watch spring slowly, and I do mean slowly, arrive here. We are curious to what will be emerging from the ground as the snow melts. We know there are boxwood, a buddleia, daffodils and a few roses in the walled garden. But, what else lies beneath the snow cover?

At each  of the four corners of the house is an oak tree, and there is also a majestic Copper Beech on the grounds. James and I were completely delighted to see it here on the grounds and  cannot wait to see it fully in leaf in the coming months. 

One of the four oaks framed by a window.....good planning by someone about 60 years ago!

 The evening sky still blue as the sun sets across the field as dusk envelopes our new view. Our old house had a wonderful view across the garden and fields to distant mountains, which we loved. Now, I will tell you,we are growing very fond of this view through these  stunning Italian windows.

A bottle of Brunello  di Montalcino, a gift, was opened to drink to life, the new house, the sunset and the rising moon.

March is the month of the Full Worm Moon. On one of our first nights here it came up over the trees like an enormous lantern 

 creating magical light. It not only lit up the night sky but it's brilliant light brought a glow that lit up the snowy field.

This is a romantic place.

We could have not wished for a warmer greeting to our new house and our new view.

THE PINK AMARYLLIS and how it brightens our winter's day................

A photo taken about two weeks ago of beautiful pink Amaryllis, a gift to James and I from  our friends Debbie and Robbie on New Year's Eve. It has been on view in our kitchen, where we watch it's progress daily as it unfolds to reveal it's blossoms.

 The color of the flowers and the green of the stems are vibrant. 

Now it's February, the same Amaryllis yet with a new bud continues to brighten our  home as the snow of winter begins to accumulate .

Paperwhites......... I try to keep some of these beauties flowering in our sunroom until it is time for tulips and pansies to take their place.

Today brings snow, but I will dream of spring and the flowers it brings.....and of course, continue to dream of Italy.
 As darkness begins to set in James will light the fire that is ready in the fireplace. This evening we will dine on a  warm short rib ragu over creamy polenta with a salad and a glass of wine. The music might be Bach or Vivaldi or perhaps Miles Davis or Sinatra, who knows? The romantic side of winter.

That is our way to get through the long cold  and stormy days and nights
 of a New England winter !
James tells me, " we must embrace winter."

I say, "time to get out the boots and shovels and hope that we do not loose our power...

and always enjoy the beautiful. "

Roman Flowers......a movable garden

OK........so James and I are not in Rome right at the moment, but we can dream can't we?

It is just about at this time of year, February, with a huge storm about to drop about 2 feet of snow on us here in New England, that we think about Spring in Italy. 

 In April and May, red poppies color the fields that line roadsides of Umbria and the scent of Broom and Chestnut blossoms fills the air.  In Rome, bright Bougainvillea  and sweet smelling Wisteria surround doorways, nearly hiding them at times.

On an April morning in Rome this 'moveable garden' stopped outside a door on the quiet Via Margutta to make a delivery. A lovely moment and now a good memory.....and since I doubt that I will see an open air flower laden utility truck on our dirt road any time soon,
 I am delighted to see the flowers  of Amaryllis and Paperwhites that are blooming, or getting prepared to bloom, in our warm New England home as we wait for an Old Fashioned Blizzard..............

Metropolis..... a new painting

Metropolis

Elizabeth Johansson

Oil on canvas, 40" x 32", 2012-13

With the holidays weeks behind us and the cold of January settling in, the studio is a good place to be.

Day light is precious when painting by natural light so during these winter months work time gets compressed into fewer hours, but, on the other hand, there is no lawn to mow or gardens in need of attention which means paintings get all the attention......at least until dusk. 

At dusk we head into the kitchen, the other place James and I like to be, especially in the winter, with soups, stews, and roasts cooking, filling the room with pleasing aromas and warmth.

But back to the studio, Metropolis is a painting I recently completed.  It is one of at least three paintings in the "ribbon series" that I am currently working on.

I will post them as I complete them during the next few months.

Back to the easel..............

SEASON'S GREETINGS

As James and I were unpacking our ornaments and decorating our tree I had a recollection of buying an ornament in Italy last spring. I mentioned it and James agreed that we did buy an ornament in a small shop right in the piazza in Panicale.

Where is it?

Opening another box of our carefully packed glass  and handmade ornaments that we have collected over the years, a pretty bag was tucked in there on top of them.

That's the bag from Panicale with the ornament from Deruta.

A good memory brought back from Italy and welcome addition to our tree this year.

SEASON'S GREETINGS

Merry Christmas

Buon Natale

May we wish everyone a joyous, peaceful, healthy and a

happy holiday season.

CHEERS!

James and Elizabeth

The Greens and Flowers of December

Simple greens surround our front door. We selected Western Cedar, a fitting match to our cedar shingles. The wreath is mixed greens and pine cones, as is the urn which also has Winterberry.

James heard that Winterberry is in short supply this year, whereas last year it was plentiful along the roadside and at garden centers selling holiday greens.

The red Amaryllis shout "December" as they share the already red room

with the delicate Paperwhites.

A nearly white on white composition with the light blanket of snow covering the ground outside.

Another red Amaryllis, a vase of holly cut from the garden sit on the table, the low winter sun  creating long shadows behind them. The mantle is dressed in greens brought in from the garden There are   pomegranates, and clementines from far off places and a ribbon of red cascading through it all.

 The house is simple but festive with things local and exotic

It all says, " Welcome Yule!"

And, might we all wish for a Kind and Peaceful New Year.