Klik Here

The blooms which I am enjoying in the garden at the moment, are primarily from the flowering shrubs and trees which predominate here, growing in the shade of the Carolinian forest surrounding us on the Niagara escarpment.... The Chinese peony,Chojwaku...is the tempermental princess in early Spring... ....she reigns over the garden for a very fleeting moment, it seems.....  ....here today, gone tomorrow, depending on the weather, humidity and rains and wind being her capricious instigation for what she will do next.... .....as soon as the roseum elegans rhododendrons, which border the woodland gardens appear, she disappears.... ....at about the same time the Pink Cloud kolkwitzia tree and the white flowering deutzia shrubs bloom for a substantially longer period of time, adding to the soft, lavender and pink and white colour palette.... ....you can see the roof of the carriage house peaking over the pale pink blossoms..... ....a misty morning view of the south border, with the laden dow

This time of year, Spring wreaks havoc upon me.....daily routine tasks become like a life sentence for my soul....do I stay indoors and pluck... dawdle away..... at what needs to be done..... :( laundry..... sewing....cleaning.... or other projects begun in earnest when the weather was not optimum....  like, vintage organdy waiting to be stretched over lamp shades.... or...do I sneak outdoors every chance that comes my way, when the sun is shining and the garden is luring me in..... :)   The bleeding heart, about twenty years old now, needs to be divided and moved.... ....the " montana" clematis just needs to be enjoyed in full bloom! Right? ....and the Chinese peonies, so tempermental..... this year, just three blooms..... last year over twenty, are threatening for attention.... I have surrendered to them before.... So fragile and beautiful..... Some newly planted white rhododendrons, have attracted my attention, with first year, pristine blooms.....so grateful, I am..... ..

Every now and then a book comes along that changes your way of thinking, perhaps, even your life. That book for me was Earth on Her Hands, The American Woman in Her Garden, by Starr Ockenga. In 1999, when I started my home decorating shop, Acorn Lane Vintage Living, it was the greatest contributing factor for me to take the leap of faith, and realize my dream, that of starting my own business. Although the theme and topic were totally unrelated to what I wanted to achieve, reading the book firmly established in me the knowledge that we as women, and individuals can achieve anything if the desire and fire within us is allowed to be kindled and fuelled. I read the book from cover to cover in one evening! Each woman a visionary, standing alone with a dream and a purpose! The book showcases the gardens of eighteen, ordinary, extraordinary women.....ordinary only in the fact that each of them is not a professional, none is a garden designer or owned a nursery.  Each garden is private, and h