Sharing Inspiration ...

I'm so exhausted. Not only have I spent almost every ounce of my free time digging, planting, mulching, moving, digging, planting ... you get the idea, when I can't dig or plant or move or mulch - I'm thinking about gardening! It's an illness - I'm convinced.

Alas, I have resolved to just step back from the garden, at least for a couple of days. I think that a few days of enjoying it - watching it, thinking about it - will help me place the last few plants, and decide where to plant the second set of summer blooming bulbs. For now though, I am content to exist in the inspirational garden photos I found a few days ago. So content, that I decided to share them with you here.

This cottage style garden is a wash of texture, color, height, and play. The myriad of greens, the bursts of color, the textures and heights - the architecture and whimsy of the bed cuttings ... this is my dream garden. If you had asked me a few years ago what type of garden "style" was my favorite I would have said rock, or Japanese. I figured the less maintenance the better. But then I was introduced to the cottage garden style, thanks to the Buffalo Garden Walk - and my life, and my garden, have never been the same.

It is so strange that gardening, gardens, flowers - can have such a profound effect on someone. Me, especially. I grew up in the hot, dry, windy climate of West Texas, where nothing but cactus grew and even then - you were lucky to get that to thrive. Gardening was not part of my life there, and so when I came to NY, I was shocked, gobsmacked - by the beauty of gardens in this area.

Due to the mostly frigid climate, when spring rolls around - nurseries open up and people flock in droves to buy the latest and greatest perennials, carts upon carts of annuals, and hanging baskets like you've never seen. I suppose when you only have a few months to enjoy the beauty of a garden - you go big. VERY BIG!

Now - my yard is small. City scaled with a very narrow composition that is only moderately deep. It will take a few years for my garden to fill in - but once it does, I hope it only has a part of the beauty of this place.

Now, just because gardening has ceased (for the time being) doesn't mean I'm not fast at work at putting together a tablescape for Tablescape Thursday. I've been measuring, sewing, seam-ripping, re-measuring, sewing, seam-ripping ... again, you get the idea. All I can say is it's shaping up to be the BEST tablescape yet, with a theme that is oh so French, ala Cote de Texas.

See you Thursday!