An Altered Sense of Time

Some of my neighbors have started to put their holiday decorations up. It started on Thanksgiving – a wreath here, a few lights there, a candy cane decorated maibox – but I’m very conflicted because at my house, I still have pansies blooming.

In my window boxes and in little sunny spots in the gardens, they are still doing fine. Pansies like the cooler weather and so the first thing in my gardens are pansies. The same love of cool temperatures keeps them thriving long after other flowers have withered.

When pumpkins and mums started showing up on front steps, I was not ready for that, either. It seemed like we had only just begun our summer. My gardens were looking good, finally, after weeks of steady rain, and I wanted to keep summer going for
awhile longer. Pumpkins! Chrysanthemums! Forget it! In
hindsight, I was in denial that summer was over.

As the nights are getting colder, I know it is only a matter of days now before the remainder of my gardens is toast, too. And then I can start counting the days until spring. But for now, I think I’ll hold off putting up wreaths and fir roping until my flowers really are ready to go.

Sweet Pea

Every year, sometime in February, I have a little ritual that keeps me going until spring. I start seeds in my sunroom – always sweet peas to plant on my trellis.

There is something special about placing the little seeds in the peat moss in the cardboard pods that makes me feel like everything is going to be alright.


My sunroom, where the plants spend their beginning days, faces south and is all windows, and the best part is it has a stone floor with radiant heat. So it is a perfect spot for incubating seedlings. Within a few days, they start to sprout and within a couple of weeks the vines grow to several inches long. Amazing. The miracle of life never fails to astonish me - Think of all the DNA and information in that tiny seed.



After a couple of months, the plants get moved outside to a cold frame for a few weeks until they get planted in the ground along the trellis. Being cold weather plants, the sweet peas are among the first plants you can sow outside.

Some day, maybe I will have a proper greenhouse to plant and work in all year but for now, my sunroom and coldframe work just fine.

It is still too early for me to start my seedlings but it is not too early to start thinking about it. Last fall, I took some pods from my neighbor Marie’s plants – she calls hers ‘beach peas’ because they seem to grow wild in her yard. They are more hardy than my hothouse sweet peas but look the same. I am waiting to see if those beach peas come up on their own in my garden this spring. One can only hope!

Flower Envy

How would you know that the grass is greener if you can’t see over the fence?

One of the nicest, not-to-be-missed events in Newport in the spring/summer is the Secret Garden Tour. This June 20-22, the tour is in The Point section, one of our most beautifully preserved historic neighborhoods. Even if you live here and pass through The Point regularly, you’ll be surprised at what you see. Not only are the gardens delightful, but very varied and surprisingly large. You’ll see larger gardens than you ever thought would fit in such a dense neighborhood and you’ll see petite gardens that make the most of a tiny courtyard.

What a treat to be invited in to smell the roses, wander the paths and, of course, take home new ideas and a list to bring to the nursery!

This spring I’m a guest in a house on the Historic Hill and am enjoying my host’s garden as it springs to life. My question is…why have I never planted poppies? Even the buds are wondrous works of art.

Have you fallen in love with The Point? While you're there take a look at some homes that could be yours: waterfront with a dock at 100 Washington Street, a gracious Victorian B&B at 49 Washington Street, or a stylish contemporary loft condo in a converted schoolhouse at 11 Willow Street.

The Bee Whisperer

I am blessed with a delightful child in my life (one of 3 delights) who told me that she has a special talent - she is a bee whisperer! Her name is Mia and she is 8 years old.

Big, fat, fuzzy bumble bees, skinny little yellow jackets. "Don't touch! You'll get stung!" No matter. She goes up to the little bees on the flowers and pets them. You have to see it to appreciate the finesse involved. I guess they know she means them no harm and they return the favor.

A child who loves nature so much is a treasure - so caring and kind to all living creatures. She has learned a lot about life in only 8 years. Here she is with a praying mantis.

We spend a lot of time in the garden. A bee, an ant, a bird, a snake - everything is an experience and a sweet joy to be discovered anew with Mia.