Nature Contained

Its gloomy today and my thoughts keep focusing on which flower/ garden adventures I would like to embark on this year. These are the flowers that are inspiring future day trips.

Lupines

Fields of Lupine Festival
Location: Franconia, NH

Dates: June 6-22, 2008

Gorgeous purple and pink lupines in bloom are reason enough to visit New Hampshire's Franconia region each June. The annual Fields of Lupine Festival provides added incentive for travelers, including special tours, arts events, concerts and more.

For information, call 603-823-5661.

Lupine Festival
Location: Deer Isle, ME

Dates: June 20-22, 2008

Lupines provide a backdrop of rich color for a weekend of activities in Downeast Maine including a craft fair, rummage sale, concert, art and sculpture show, boat excursions, scenic plane rides, a quilt show, garden tours, children's activities and more. For information, call 207-367-2420.

Peonies
Cricket Hill Garden’s 15th annual Peony Festival
Location: 670 Walnut Hill Road, Thomaston, CT
Dates: May 1st- June 15th
Visit the 7 acre terraces woodland garden with over 200 varieties of Chinese tree peonies in bloom. For more information, call 860-283-1042

Lilac

Lilac and Gardening Sunday at the Shelburne Museum
Location: Shelburne, VT

Date: May 18, 2008

Inhale the sweet fragrance of more than 400 lilac bushes and take home inspiration for your own garden when you visit Vermont's Shelburne Museum on Lilac and Gardening Sunday.

Lilac Sunday
Location: Arnold Arboretum Jamaica Plain, MA

Date: May 11, 2008

The Arnold Arboretum celebrates the 100th anniversary of this beloved Boston tradition. Join lilac enthusiasts from all over New England to celebrate. A dazzling array of over 180 kinds of lilacs with delightful fragrances and gorgeous colors—plus tours, dancing, art, music, children’s activities, and food (picnicking allowed on this special day only). On Lilac Sunday, the Arboretum is open as usual from dawn to dusk, with special activities from 10:00am until 4:00pm. Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged. For more Lilac Sunday information, call the Arnold Arboretum at 617.524.1718 ext. 176

Remember that Hedge Apple posting from September? Here’s the finished product in the January/February 2008 edition of Design New England.One of the photos featuring the Osage orange fruit made the cover shot thanks to the photographical talents of John Gruen. John is so wonderful to work with. I was very fortunate to spend a snowy day listening to great music, eating magical grilled cheese and shooting bulb flowers for Horticulture Magazine with he and Lisa Newman a few months back. I cannot wait to share those photos with you soon!! In the meantime, check out the lovely photograph John shot of the Westport house back porch.


Nature Contained designed the planter boxes which house wisteria vine and a simple mass planting of scaevola and asparagus fern. We planted them up in June and look how great they look at the end of September! For more of John’s photos check out his online portfolio at http://www.johngruen.com/. To find out more about Design New England Magazine or to read the whole story and see more pictures of the Westport house please visit http://bostonglobe.com/consumer/dne/

I had the loveliest dream last night. Ken and I woke up early with our new little baby and went outside for a walk on this beautiful wooded trail. As we walked the path with our little person all bundled up in a cute snow hat and 2 coffees in hand, we noticed that the trail was loaded with all sorts of beautiful & unusual witch hazels. The dream presented itself in the form of little snapshots; Ken and me walking up to the different varieties of hamamelis and taking notes of the fragrance, bloom size and structure. It was really gorgeous. The light was magical and the contrast of the mossy colors along the trail and the wonderful range of yellows to oranges, oranges to rubies and rubies to rust were just so intense.

I woke up this morning so excited and inspired. I logged on to my computer and perused the Fairweather Gardens website-anything to extend my hamamelis love fest. I wish I had a copy of Chris Lane’s book, Witch Hazels so I could spend the rest of my Sunday morning happily wrapped up in the world of these fabulous, fragrant, early stewards of spring.

The witch hazel is a lovely, diminutive, cool-season blooming tree native to damp woodlands in eastern North America. Its fragrant, inch or two-wide flowers appear in February after the coldest days of winter are past. The petals are strap shaped and open on warm days, closing at night and on colder days. The flowers look like they are made from little curls of citrus peel-they would look really sweet on a cupcake.

Check out the gorgeous palette below!





Row 1: ‘Georges’, ‘Aurora’
Row 2: ‘Orange Peel’, ‘Rochester’
Row 3: ‘Rubin’, ‘Aphrodite’

Labels: witch hazel

I just wanted to share some exciting news with the extended Nature Contained family… David and Maria are engaged and will be married this spring!!!
We promise to keep you all posted with all the magical wedding flower details!