A Writer’s Garden–Exploring Colonial Gardens with Catherine Castle

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A Groom for Mama, A Writer's Garden, author Catherine Castle, Colonial Garden history, Colonial Williamsburg garden pictures, The Nun and the Narc

Celebrating Colonial Gardens

 

Colonial Williamsburg garden

It’s early September in my neck of the woods, and my garden is overgrown with weeds, thanks to the 1-2 inches of rain we’ve had weekly, an injured back this spring, and my numerous trips this summer. So, since my gardens are not in any semblance of photographic beauty, I thought I’d talk about American Colonial gardens and share some photos I have of the Colonial gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The Colonial period ranged from 1600 to 1775 and during that time most American Colonial gardens were planted in the style the gardeners were familiar with, which was the European and British gardens they had left behind when they immigrated to America.

These gardens tended to be square, rectangular, or pie-shaped beds framed on the outer edges with tree saplings Plantings were enclosed with hedges or picket fences to protect them from animals and damaging winds. Sometimes the beds were ground level, other times they were raised. Walkways of soil, gravel or crushed clamshells surrounded the beds. A larger, central walkway led to a focal point in the garden, which was often a well, a stone feature, or a bench, or topiary as seen below.

Topiary in Colonial Williamsburg garden

The size of a garden reflected the size of the household and the wealth of the home’s owners. Poorer colonists didn’t have the time or the resources to create the lavish gardens of the rich. Their gardens would mainly been simple kitchen gardens, located adjacent to the home for easy accessibility, and filled with plants they needed to survive. Here’s an example of what an average kitchen garden might have looked like.

Gantz early American kitchen garden

 

Kitchen gardens of wealthy and poorer colonists would have both held medicinal and seasoning herbs mixed in with the fruits and vegetables. A typical kitchen garden might have included: squash, cucumbers, cabbage, beans, peas, melons, lettuce, carrots, radishes, and peppers. Medicinal herbs could have included horehound, which was a popular remedy for asthma and coughs, and Angelica, which was used for colds and bronchial problems. Winter savory was used as an antiseptic and to relieve the pain of bee stings. Oregano was popular for toothaches and headaches. Other medicinal and cooking herbs included: sage, calendula, hyssop, lady’s mantle, nasturtium, parsley, rosemary, thyme, lavender, bee balm, and mint.

Note the difference between the example above of what a kitchen garden of a poorer colonist might have looked like and that of the governor of Williamsburg, pictured below. This kitchen garden is a tiered garden on the hillside behind the exterior kitchen building of the palace compound. Wouldn’t you love to have this garden on your hillside?

Colonial Williamsburg governor’s kitchen garden

Aside from the necessary kitchen gardens of all the colonists, ornate gardens, that served no economical function, were popular among the wealthy. I have to admit it was great fun to stroll in these gardens and imagine myself as a wealthy colonist in my sweeping gown and wide-brimmed hat taking an evening constitutional in the cool of the garden trees.

Williamsburg Governor’s Palace garden

My garden, in its early years after planting, looked nothing like the carefully laid out, symmetrical expanses of the Williamsburg Governor’s Palace. It was, and still is, cottage-like in its composition. I will admit, though, that like the wealthy colonial gardeners of yesteryear, I tried to design my garden for looks first.

It has, however, taken on a life of its own, less constructed than when I planted it, but just as full of those pesky weeds I’ve been fighting for fourteen years. As I age, I envy the tidy Colonial beds I love to visit, but I’m thinking more and more of filling my raised beds with gravel and lining them with big pots that I don’t have to bend to work in.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this stroll through Colonial Williamsburg’s gardens. What about you? What kind of garden do you have?

 

About the Gardener/Author:

Catherine CastleCatherine Castle has been writing and gardening all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award. Her newest book, a contemporary, romantic comedy with a touch of drama, entitled A Groom For Mama, is now out from Soul Mate Publishing and available at Amazon. You can follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, Facebook or here through her blog Romance for the Ages

A Groom for Mama

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

 

 

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A Writer’s Garden with Author Ryan Jo Summers

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's gardening blog, Author Ryan Jo Summers, Coffeecake Chaos, Food and Romance Go Together Anthology Vol. 1, garden pictures, romance with a twist, trees

 

Today’s gardener writer is Ryan Jo Summers, who will be talking about Emma and George—two trees in her garden. Welcome, Ryan Jo.

 

Thanks, Catherine

I have always admired formal yards and gardens, with sweeping terraces of blooms, multiple shades of different sized flowers, and natural rock gardens. Bonus drool for water features and koi ponds. Sigh….one day….

 

old steps with ivy and ferns spotted on one of my dog walks

As I write this now, a gentle rain is falling. The approaching growls of thunder chased me inside from where I was planting today’s shipment: Old-fashioned Bleeding Hearts in white and pink, another rose, and a Goji berry. I got as far as the pink bleeding heart when the approaching storm sent me inside to this instead.

squirrel and Oak leaf hydrangea

Two and a half years ago I bought my very own place here in the south. It’s a half acre, home of a 1920 cottage. I love it! There were already two flower beds installed, flanking the walkway, full of oakleaf hydrangea, forsythia, and endless daylilies. Plus a few odd bits that some I’ve yet to identify and others I’ve yet to decide whether to keep them or move them out.

split rail fence I installed, with ‘established in 2014’ plaque, planted with dwarf burning bushes, roses and black-eyed Susan

Two more beds had been established once upon a time, one held a rotten tree stump and some hostas and another forsythia bush while the other was depressingly empty. They held such promise! In the time I’ve lived here, I’ve added to both those gardens, slowly over each planting season, and added four more flower beds to the yard. (Five if you count the transplanted day lilies moved to flank the garage door).

stone steps alongside house, with assorted flowers slowly growing, just starting to peek over the lattice border

Now, I adore fences and random steps, almost as much as I like water features. For me, rustic is the way. Since I pet sit/ dog walk part time, I see a good bit of landscaping and gardens. I like snapping photos of scenes of stairs and fences that inspire or delight me. They don’t necessarily have to go anywhere, or hold anything in or out. Just simply being in the right place, with the right look, creating the right impression is an art all to itself. Like spotting a random painting in a gallery, not anything specific or unique about it. It just has that right look. It just is. Such is a good garden scene.

Emma — looking upward in the fall after her leaves were gone

Now, at my house are many tall, stately trees. In the courtyard in the back are two trees in particular, that have endured themselves to me in a special way. One, an oak, is right outside my kitchen window. I sense a femininity about it and call her Emma. I often ponder how old dear Emma is, for she is very tall and quite wide. Squirrels delight in racing up and down her weathered trunk.

— Emma’s roots outgrowing her allotted space

Doubtlessly, the courtyard slate stone was installed when Emma was still younger and more slender, as her roots and widening trunk have pushed the stones up and aside over the years. Poor planning on someone’s part.

Emma and her trunk having grown around a hanging hook

There is also a hanging hook attached to Emma’s trunk, about six feet up, for hanging pots, bird feeders, wind chimes or whatever. Unfortunately, and further proof of the lack of consideration people have shown Emma over the years, her trunk has grown over the hook, sealing it like a giant scab over a wound. I wonder how that must have hurt as her trunk grew and now the hook has become a permanent part of her trunk.

Mighty George

A few feet away from Emma stands George, a straight, noble-looking Pine. George is huge, both in height and circumference. He reminds me of royalty, like a king, hence his royal name. Scattered around him, at the height of roughly thirty feet or so are three of his off-spring.

curious wrinkles at the base of George’s trunk

English ivy grows rampant around the courtyard, and encircles George’s trunk like a green robe. Diligence on my part keeps the ivy growing around George, and not up his massive trunk. Unlike Emma, George has no blemishes or human fallacies to mar his noble stature.

Considering how long Emma and George have lived, and the house they saw built, the stories of the people who lived inside, and the relaxed under their branches, I wonder what stories these two trees could tell. As I watch my newly planted flower gardens grow, I also enjoy the richness of two special trees. Once upon a time they were but small saplings, and they have grown to leave an indelible mark in this place and on me. I hope the maple seedlings, plants, and flowers I am planting now will one day leave another mark once Emma, George, and I are gone from this life.

 

About the Gardener/Writer:

 

Ryan Jo Summers is a North Carolina author who specializes in writing romances with a twist. Love stories blended with inspirational, paranormal, suspense or time travel–or several at once. She also writes non-fiction for regional periodicals. Ryan’s dad is a songwriter and his aunt wrote poetry so she claims she came by her writing skill honestly. Apparently it’s in the genes.

Her hobbies include bird-watching, houseplants (50 ish and growing), poetry and yard work. She loves to gather with friends, hike in the forest with her dog, paint ceramics and canvas and work on wiggly word find puzzles. She lives in a 1920 cottage with a menagerie of pets. Living in the mountains, she dreams of the shore and frequently uses the water as scenes for her stories.

WEBSITE: http://www.ryanjosummers.com/

BLOG: http://www.summersrye.wordpress.comm/

FB:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Jo-Summers-author-page/312875648810797

TWITTER:        https://twitter.com/RyanJoSummers

 Coffecake Chaos

by Ryan Jo Summers

Avianna Goodman and Sawyer Steele had been young lovers. Now she is a caterer, building her own business. Right now she needs cash to help her family. He’s being ordered to stop his wild ways and settle down to take over the family empire. His controlling mother has picked out the perfect heiress for him. Now they need the right caterer to launch the perfect engagement celebration.

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with author Sandra Ardoin

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A Reluctant Melody, A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, blackberry lily, hellebores, Sandra Ardoin, volunteers in the garden

Today’s A Writer’s Garden guest is Sandra Ardoin talking about volunteers in the garden, and she doesn’t mean people who help you weed. I’d like to have some of those. LOL.  Welcome, Sandra!

 

Enough is enough. Maybe.

by Sandra Ardoin

They’re called volunteers because they “volunteer” to pop up in places and in numbers you never even considered.

No. Don’t thank them. They’re glad to do it.

Sometimes, these sprouts are a welcome addition to my garden and perfect for filling in little holes here and there. Often, all it takes is a slight shift in location. It certainly beats having to buy more plants, although for me, that is a fun hobby in itself. I love to rescue those poor babies left to wither on a sales rack.

Other times … volunteers are not so welcome. Take my hellebores. PLEASE! Also known as Lenten Rose for their bloom time, these are prime plants for shade. They set off a winter garden in various muted colors, flowering when most everything else is brown, leafless, or hibernating underground.

A few years ago, I started with six rescued plants. Because I’m lax in deadheading, today I have what seems like millions but is probably only hundreds. They pop up all around the parent plant, but I also find them several yards away. In the next twenty years, I expect to see the fifty acres of woods behind us covered with hellebores. 😊

Since I have all of that particular plant I’ll need for my lifetime, my only choice has been to get down on my hands and knees—something not as easily done as in previous years—and beg pull the invaders out by the roots. It’s a hard thing for me to do. I don’t like killing plants.

It’s hard to tell, but all those little green spots are seedlings.

Hellebores aren’t my only invaders, though. Blackberry Lily is another plant with seeds that love to spread their wings and fly far and wide. Then there are native Columbines, and don’t get me started on the Bee Balm!

Even though I have more volunteers than I can use, my gardens wouldn’t be the same without them!

About the Gardener/Writer

Sandra Ardoin writes inspirational historical romance. She’s the author of The Yuletide Angel and A Reluctant Melody. A wife and mom, she’s also a reader, football fan, NASCAR watcher, garden planter, country music listener, and antique store prowler. Visit her at http://www.sandraardoin.com/ and on the Seriously Write blog. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Pinterest. Join her email community to receive occasional updates and a free short story.

A Reluctant Melody – 2016 Grace Award Finalist

Kit Barnes’ drinking ruined more lives than his own. Now sober, he wants to make amends by opening a mission for drunkards. The most suitable location belongs to Joanna Cranston Stewart, a love from his sordid past and the one person he hurt the most. A pariah among her peers, Joanna is all too eager to sell her property and flee the rumors that she sent her late husband to an early grave. But she will let the gossips talk and the walls of her rundown property crumble around her before she’ll allow Kit back into her life.  When a blackmailer threatens to reveal her long-held secret, she must choose between trusting Kit or seeing her best friend trapped in an abusive marriage.  Will Joanna risk another betrayal? Or will she find a way through the pain of the past to love and trust again?

 

A Writer’s Garden with Zoe M. McCarthy–Straw Bale Gardening

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, contemporary inspirational romance, Garden blog, Gift of the Magpie, Straw Bale gardening, Sweet romance, Zoe M. McCarthy

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Zoe M. McCarthy is guesting on today’s A Writer’s Garden. I just love the post she’s got, too. I saw this gardening method at Disney World last summer at their Flower and Garden Expo and was intrigued by it. It’s great to get the low down from someone’s who’s actually used it.

Straw Bale Gardens are Just Right for Us City Folks

 John and I are retired city folks transplanted to the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. In this rural area, people have tractors to get their gardens ready for planting. We don’t have farm equipment, so we were attracted to the idea of straw bale gardening—no dirt, no plowing, and no squatting to harvest vegetables. This is the third year we’ve planted a straw bale garden following advice from Joel Karsten’s book, Straw Bale Gardens.

In straw bale gardens, the bales become ovens to germinate and grow fruits and vegetables. It’s important to use straw bales, not hay bales.

We knew our daily visitors would be problems, so we built an eight-foot fence that deer can’t jump and reinforced the lower fencing with smaller-holed chicken wire that bunnies can’t wiggle through. We laid landscaping fabric to discourage voles and moles.

Before we could complete the fencing, seven deer stopped by to sniff our bales and discuss among themselves what in the world we were doing. They seemed indignant at the chicken wire going up.

We performed a 10-day process to turn the bales into growing ovens. Fertilizing and watering. Again and again. Warm water only. On day five, we poked our fingers into the straw and felt the heat inside.

We ran soaker hoses on top of the bales. Timers attached to the hoses water the plants daily from our well. We can’t over water bales. It was nice to be able to travel and know that our plants would have plenty of water.

Then we planted seeds for cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, carrots, beans, edible sugar pumpkins, strawberries, and watermelons in a thin cover of potting mix (not soil—no dirt touches the roots) into thirty straw bales. We wrenched apart the straw a bit and inserted seedlings for some vegetables, such as peppers and tomatoes. We planted impatiens in the sides of the bales. All done.

Cabbages attracted worms, so we didn’t plant them again. Not a favorite anyway. This year slugs feasted on tender shoots, but they now drown in baby food jars filled with beer. Potatoes go in the sides of bales, but as yummy as they were, we only reaped a few. We harvested a few strawberries the first year so we didn’t plant them again, but they returned in washed down bale humps, and this year they came up again in those old humps and flourished!

We novices have been proud of our bountiful harvests. We make pumpkin soup, bread, and pies. The carrot cakes are to die for. I have fresh lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, and carrots for my salads every day. We’ve learned how to freeze and can. The most popular for us is the jars of hot salsa.

Straw bale gardens are great for city dwellers. A few bales installed on a patio and they have a garden.

Is planting in straw bales something you’d consider? Why or why not?

 About the Gardener/Writer:

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy, author of Gift of the Magpie and Calculated Risk, writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. Believing that opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. When she’s not writing, Zoe enjoys her five grandchildren, teaching Bible studies, leading workshops on writing, knitting and crocheting shawls for a prayer shawl ministry, gardening, and canoeing. She lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Zoe blogs regularly at http://www.zoemmccarthy.com/ .

 Gift of the Magpie

Amanda Larrowe’s lack of trust sabotages her relationships. The English teacher and award-winning author of middle-grade adventure books for boys has shut off communication with friends and family to meet her January 2 book deadline. Now, in the deepest snow accumulation Richmond, Virginia has experienced in years, Camden Lancaster moves in across the street. After ten years, her heart still smarts from the humiliating aftermath of their perfect high school Valentine’s Day date. He may have transformed into a handsome, amiable man, but his likeability doesn’t instill trust in Amanda’s heart. When Cam doesn’t recognize her on their first two encounters, she thinks it’s safe to be his fair-weather neighbor. Boy is she wrong.

Gift of the Magpie is a contemporary inspirational romance; it’s romantic with kisses.

Gift of the Magpie Buy Link

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–Adventures in Gardening with Sandy Nadeau

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A Writer's Garden, Adventures in Gardening, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Gardening blog, gardening in Minnesota Colorado and Texas, Sandy Nadeau, Texas Bluebonnets

Sandy Nadeau is the featured gardener on today’s A Writer’s Garden blog. She’ll be talking about her garden adventures in several of the USA’s great states. Welcome, Sandy! And I have to say I love the field of Texas bluebonnets pictured below. Beautiful!

Adventures in gardening

By Sandy Nadeau

Being a native Minnesotan, I used to be able to grow anything. I spent the fall canning, freezing and admiring my bounty.

Then we moved to Colorado with all its magnificent beauty. We lived in the foothills and I foolishly thought I could still grow anything. I tried. Lord knows I tried. We tilled up an area behind the house that seemed to get most sun and planted everything from radishes to squash. Not even one little red wonder made it. And there was no way anything would grow from seed unless started in the house. Best to buy established plants, but even then at 7,000 feet in elevation, the growing season was short-lived.

I did have some luck with flowers. One just had to be picky about the variety. I had a beautiful forsythia bush, a gorgeous spread of Snow on the Mountain, irises, mint and daisies loved to make their home in my garden. Chives and table onions were successful every year as well.

Now I find myself living in Texas to be closer to our grandkids. I knew I was back in a place that could grow anything when the former owner of our new home showed up to see if I wanted “his guy” to till the garden plot. Dumbfounded, I reminded the elderly gentleman that it was February. February! That’s like winter.

He chuckled and said, “Yep. Gettin’ kind of late. You best hurry and get that garden in.”

Having only been here one month and hearing that bit of news, we thanked him and said clearly we had a lot to learn before taking on a huge garden like he used to have.

Now this February came along, and I needed to garden. I added some western charm to a garden ring around a tree with an old wagon wheel and driftwood and the pop of color of pansies. It turned out great. We’ll see how it holds up to the Texas heat.

We do enjoy a field full of bluebonnets that I don’t have to do a thing with.

I wasn’t quite ready for a full garden, but we dug some large pots out of the wooded area to the back of our property, filled them with dirt and planted some zucchini that I started from seed outdoors!

In February! I added some peas knowing how much my grandkids love peas. A basil plant and a red bell pepper. And then I planted some lettuce in some planter boxes. It’s pretty small-scale gardening, but still gets my hands dirty. Not finding good sweet pickles yet in the stores, I also planted cucumber in a back garden by the house. It’s all experimental so far.

Our purpose for moving here was to be a part of our grands lives and watch them grow. To be able to share with them the growth of veggies they’ll get to eat someday soon, is a real treat for this gardeners heart. I look forward to next February when maybe I’ll have a better plan to grow a bounty.

About the Gardener/Author

Sandy Nadeau has been writing for as long as she can remember. She’s also tried gardening in three different areas of the country. Minnesota, Colorado and Texas. All three providing interesting challenges. Sandy loves to write about adventurous things whether mystery or romance from a Christian perspective; good, clean stories with a Spiritual message. Enjoying life in Texas near her three grandchildren, she hopes to share her love of digging in the dirt with them. She has two published books out and can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Pelican Book Group.

Visit Sandy at her website http://www.sandynadeau.com/ 

See her books at:

http://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_47&products_id=742

 

A Writer’s Garden–Elle E. Kay Talks Gardens and Goats

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Christian fiction, Elle E. Kay, Endless Mountain series, gardening and goats, Rose of Sharon

Elle E. Kay is the gardener author on today’s A Writer’s Garden, and she’ll be talking about her four-footed visitors who also love her garden. Welcome, Elle.

Gardening and Goats

by Elle E. Kay

 

The Rose of Sharon is in bloom. It is beyond beautiful. The blooms capture my attention every time I walk by on my way. Unfortunately, they attract the attention of our nine goats and three sheep too. As do most other attempts I’ve made to garden. I’ve tried hanging baskets, which they try their best to eat from. I’ve tried fenced area, which they’ve maneuvered their way into.

 This year, we’ve spent most of the summer house hunting. Looking for a house with large pastures where we can keep the animals closed in. As much as I like them visiting the porch and coming to the backdoor, I look forward to a new home where my gardens can once again flourish. I love watching the hummingbirds take a drink from the flowers in the hanging baskets on the porch. I love seeing the bees steal the nectar from the perennials out front. And I love the birds that make homes in the trees and come down to eat at the feeders. I loved my water garden with the blooming water lilies.

 My gardens are a comfort to me. I look forward to bringing them back to their former glory, without having to give up the simple companionable pleasure the goats bring. So, hopefully, we will find the property we’re searching for where we can strike the proper balance. I will dig up some of my favorite perennials to take with me, but the Rose of Sharon will probably have to stay.

 

About the Gardener Author:

 Elle E. Kay lives on a farmette in the Back Mountain region of Pennsylvania. She is a born-again Bible believing Christian.

She loves keeping perennial gardens. She enjoys the wildflowers strewn about her property as well.

Stella was her debut novel. Claudia, the next book in the Endless Mountain Series, is expected to be released later this year, with Sofie following shortly after. Elle writes children’s books under the pen name, Ellie Mae Kay.

 Her website is updated with the latest information about her upcoming books. http://www.elleekay.com/. She also has a blog, where she writes mostly devotional posts based on traditional hymns http://www.elleekay.com/blog/. Elle is on most social media platforms.

 

Stella

After an encounter that leaves her petrified, Stella faces her stark reality. Can she find the faith she needs to persevere? Jason is a complication she’d rather not deal with. Can she trust him? Something is awry in Stella’s world. When she is abducted will anyone hear her cries?

 A Christian romantic suspense about a young woman battling to find her faith in the midst of struggle. It deals with the heavy subjects of rape, pregnancy, and kidnapping through a lens of faith and hope.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15016833.Elle_E_Kay

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Linda Bradley

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A Writer's Garden, Catherine Castle's garden blog, garden memories, garden quote from Monet, Linda Bradley, Maggie’s Way, Monet’s garden, women's fiction

Today I’m welcoming author Linda Bradley and her garden memories to A Writer’s Garden. Welcome, Linda!

Thanks, Catherine.

Once upon a time, my garden was my refuge. Each spring I’d plant annuals amongst the perennials. I’d anticipate the blooms of color welcoming my favorite season, summer. If I count correctly, my garden was home to eight peony bushes, six rose bushes that grew like mad, a fence line of daffodils, one bleeding heart, a patch of iris’, lilies resembling sunbursts, sweet lily of the valley, and wild geraniums. When I first moved into my Calvin house, it was the middle of winter and I had no idea what slept beneath the drifts of Michigan snow. As I look back, the scenario fittingly represents that sliver of time in my life. It was a time when uncertainty shrouded me. I wasn’t sure how life would evolve or what life had in store for me until the chill from a broken heart melted and opportunities blossomed around me.

Toiling with the Calvin garden upkeep never bogged me down. The soft pinks, vibrant yellows, sharp fuchsia, creamy purples, and crisp salmon hues were like a balanced canvas. It wasn’t a canvas I painted, but luckily inherited. This unexpected bounty brought back sweet memories of my childhood and peace. Its beauty awakened something that slept inside me.

Four years ago, I said goodbye to the lovely garden at my Calvin house. I miss the greenery, the unmistakable garden scents, and beautiful flowers, but I’m reminded of the days I’d baked in the sun while turning soil as I stroll along on my new journey accompanied by a sweet rescue dog, Maisey. She occasionally stops along the way to smell the blooms, too. The aroma of lilacs transports me back to my childhood, whereas the scent of sweet roses conjures images of laughter, rough housing, bikes on the lawn, rollerblades in the drive, and a string of boys hungry for their next snack. As Maisey’s nose twitches, my does, too.

Claude Monet said, “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” Even though he lived in a different era and gardened on the opposite side of the world, the premise of sanctuary links his grandeur to mine. Each garden representative of the gardener at hand. Someday, I’ll settle down and when I do, I’ll remember the gardens from my past and the gardens I’ve passed along the way. I’ll also remember Monet’s words. While I believe he was referring to the relationship of harmonious color and balance of composition created in nature, I’ll smile knowing that joy created by something as elementary as a garden, color splashed on a canvas, or words delivering a heartfelt story, is universal.

 

About the gardener/author:

Linda’s inspiration comes from her favorite authors and life itself. Her women’s fiction with a thread of romance highlights characters that peel away outer layers of life to discover the heart of their dreams with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Her writing integrates humor found in everyday situations, as well as touching moments that make readers connect with her characters. Linda’s books are not spicy, are pretty tame, with a little kissing. Writing does elude that characters are intimate. Linda enjoys painting scenes from the gardens in her memories and travels. You can find her at Twitter Facebook Website

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/2bakz7T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Author Claire Gem

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Catherine Castle's garden blog, Claire Gem, ghost story, orchids, paranmormal romance, pictures of orchids, Spirits of the Heart

Today’s writer/gardener guest is author Claire Gem talking about a flower we’ve not yet seen on the garden blog–Orchids. Welcome, Claire.

My World for an Orchid

 

Everyone has their favorite flowers, and I wonder sometimes what this might say about a person. Each flower stands for something, right? Even the flower’s color has special meaning. Although some are obvious—the Forget-Me-Not means “remember me forever”—not all are as intuitive. A Gladiolus represents strength of character, while the Snapdragon means presumptuous. A red Rose signifies passionate love, while a yellow one symbolizes friendship. A comprehensive list of these flower meanings can be found Here.

Which brings me to me. I am a collector of orchids. This flower stands for delicate beauty, which I don’t think describes me at all! Perhaps it’s what I strive for, or maybe it’s just that the delicate beauty of the orchid inspires me to care for and protect it.

pictures from Pixabay

I have a room with a south-facing window which makes it a perfect place for the Phalaenopsis variety of orchid to live. This, the most common variety, is hardy and comes in a variety of colors and patterns. But many people, upon buying or receiving an orchid, assume that once the magnificent blossoms wither and fade, the plant is dead. I’d like to clear up this horrible misconception.

The orchid bloom can live from a few hours to six months, depending on the variety and its living conditions. But just because the flower dies, the plant is far from dead! Some types of orchids can live survive for up to 100 years—they just don’t always flaunt their lovely Sunday-best dresses. Fossil evidence supports the theory that orchids have existed in our world for over a hundred million years.

And talk about variety! The size of orchid blooms can range from 2 mm to 2.5 meters. Some display amazing coloration variations, from mimicking a snowy owl, to a monkey face, to a bee. Check out the awesome photos at this website to see them: http://www.flowerweb.com/en/article/190242/15-Amazing-Facts-About-Orchids

So, what draws me to orchids? I wish I could explain it, but I will admit I have become somewhat obsessed. As of right now, my “Circle of Life Room” (which is what my son calls my plant and aquarium room) sports over a dozen orchids in various stages. Some are plain-Jane, in their dormant phase: just thick, glossy green leaves with their fleshy rhizome roots crawling over the edge of their pots. Others are just now sending up spikes with tiny buds, the promise of new blossoms to welcome spring. Others still are in full, glorious bloom, looking for all the world like silk flowers in their perfection.

The garden staff at my local Home Depot calls me the “crazy orchid lady.” Periodically, I will peruse the store’s stock of orchids—mostly Phalaenopsis—but sometimes miniature or more unusual varieties. Do I pick the ones with the most buds? The healthiest looking leaves and spikes? No. I look for the ones who look neglected, forlorn, or ill-used. These may or may not come at a discount, but one thing is for sure: When these orchids leave the garden center at Home Depot to come home with me, they believe they’ve died and gone to heaven.

I admit it. I adopt abused orchids.

I have nursed many of these failing orchids back to life. Some remain blossom-less for months—one didn’t bloom for over a year. But what a rewarding feeling as I watch shriveled, yellowed leaves plump and turn dark green. And it’s a celebration day indeed when I find that, while I slept, a plant has thrust a bud-laden spike up toward the sun.

Easy to care for, most Phalaenopsis orchids thrive on just 3 ice cubes a week—yes, I said ice cubes. This allows for the water to trickle ever so slowly over the rhizomes, giving them time to absorb exactly the right amount of water. I’m such a fanatic I won’t even use tap water to make those ice cubes, since our town water is so bad I can’t drink it. I use filtered spring water, and have two special ice cube trays in my freezer labeled “orchid food.”

Sound crazy? Perhaps. But remember, the orchid doesn’t stand for insanity or mental instability. It stands for delicate beauty. And delicate beauty deserves careful, delicate treatment. Why don’t you think about adopting an orchid and giving this delicate beauty a try?

 

About the gardener/author:

Claire Gem is an award-winning author of five novels in the genres of contemporary romance and supernatural suspense. A New York native, Claire has lived in five of the United States and held a variety of jobs, from waitress to bridal designer to research technician—but loves being an author best. She and her happily-ever-after hero, her husband of 38 years, now live in central Massachusetts.

 

Her latest novel is the supernatural suspense, Spirits of the Heart, is set in an abandoned mental asylum in the town where she grew up.

An addiction counselor & a security guard struggle to free two, lost spirits trapped inside an abandoned mental asylum.

Laura Horton returns from college to move in with an old friend & start her career. But her homecoming is jarring. Her friend’s moved out, leaving Laura alone with the gorgeous but intimidating ex-boyfriend—in a house that snugs up to an ancient graveyard. Officer Miller Stanford is a man with a shattered past. His alcoholic dad destroyed their family, a weakness Miller is terrified will consume him too. The last thing he needs is a sexy, blonde addiction counselor watching his every move. When he begins to see specters in the dark, he starts questioning his own stability. But Laura sees her too—a pathetic child-spirit searching for her father. Can they unravel the mysteries of Talcott Hall without jeopardizing their love—and lives—in the process?

 Note to readers of sweet romance—Spirits of the Heart has been labeled steamy by some reviewers and may not be suitable for readers looking for sweet romance.

 Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/1QreCAY

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jt6k1p

You can find out more about Claire and her work on her website: http://www.clairegem.com/

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Author Carole Ann Moleti

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Carole Ann Moleti, Catherine Castle’s gardening blog, Garden blog, hostas, paranormal romance, pictures of hostas, pruning, Storm Watch, trimming, Unfinished Business paranormal romance series

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Today, we have gardener/author Carole Ann Moleti on A Writer’s Gardening with some beautiful pictures oh her hostas, and talking about garden clutter and getting rid of it. Welcome, Carole Ann

Thanks, Catherine,.

In gardening, as in writing, I find it difficult to get rid of things. The clutter sneaks up and gets out of control. I just can’t discard “my darlings” be they plants taking over a plot, escaping a border, or clever phrases and lush description concealing a storyline. So I reduce, reuse, and recycle everything.

A couple of years ago, my Black-Eyed Susans took over the front yard, and I culled several of them to fill in my mother’s flowerbeds. I edited more than 20,000 words out of my upcoming novel: flowery sections of prose that smothered the storyline. They’re being used as teasers bonus content for my newsletter subscribers.

This year, the Hostas are choking out the groundcover and daylilies. They’re dangling over the border onto the patio and into the driveway. My colorful accents have become a monotonous behemoth. So I grabbed a shovel and filled about fifteen pots with the lush foliage, giving most of them away to friends, saving some for our upstate cottage that needs things the deer do not favor (I let them sample the corn and crab apples).

Now the sculptures can be seen, the dead leaves hiding under the leaves are composted, and the Cana lilies are poking through the canopy. Next week, I’ll take a spade to the massive pinwheels of color spinning out of control in the front yard before they roll over the lilies of the valley and the remaining Black Eyed Susans.

My new novel, Storm Watch, the third book in the Unfinished Business Series of paranormal romances, is being released on June 28. Back to work.

 

About the Author:

 Gardener/writer Carole Ann Moleti has been gardening since she was old enough to remember. Her favorite things about gardening are the sense of peace and oneness with nature, bees buzzing, butterflies alighting, the fragrance of flowers, the field mice, frogs, and toads. When she’s not gardening, Carole is writing in a variety of genres including spicy paranormal romance, gritty urban fantasy, memoir, and nonfiction that range from the sweet and sentimental to the snarky and irreverent. You can see her portfolio at http://amzn.to/23KBru8 and find out more about her at http://caroleannmoleti.com/

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Author Caroline Warfield

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Caroline Warfield, Catherine Castle’s gardening blog, gardening with deer, historical romance, Pre-Victorian romance, romance set in India, The Reluctant Wife

Let’s welcome author/gardener Caroline Warfield to A Writer’s Garden today. She’ll be talking about the garden enemy that makes all gardeners cringe—deer—especially when they see their neighbors putting salt licks in their back yards for the foraging creatures. Welcome, Caroline.

Thanks, Catherine.

Let me say it clearly: I love gardens. As my various biographies have stated, I am enamored of gardens, but not so much the act of gardening. Gardening can be glorious or backbreaking in turns. It can also be heartbreaking. Five years ago we moved to Cheltenham, an older suburb that borders Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I left behind three lovely, manageable flowerbeds and my thyme garden, a mature herb garden designed around a sundial, a sort of literary conceit with several varieties of thyme used in Edward Eagers The Time Garden. I miss it still. That’s the glorious part.

The heartbreaking part wasn’t so much leaving it behind, as facing the new environment and finding an army of enemies. As if weather, rainfall variations, clay soil, dying fruit trees, and insects weren’t enough, I discovered some of my new neighbors to be a scourge upon plant life. That is to say, we are surrounded by white-tailed deer.

When I asked if I needed to worry about my raspberry plants, my grandson sagely replied, “These are city deer, Grandma. They will eat anything.” He didn’t exaggerate. They leave my daffodils and irises alone, but tulips, hostas, and annuals are at their mercy. The lovely hydrangeas I saw when we looked at the house have been reduced to nothing. They almost destroyed the buckeye tree we brought from Ohio until we fenced it in. The beasts target small trees.

buckeye tree

You may wonder how a deer or two can do so much damage. One can do quite a lot, and we have many more. I’ve counted eight in our yard at one time. Other family members once counted a herd of fifteen nearby. A scourge, indeed.

Research quickly turned up a wide variety of home remedies from human hair (which appears to have been a preferred tactic of the previous owner), to soaps to hot sauce, all of which need to be repeated often. Some more repulsive home remedies and commercial deer repellent products involve foul smells. None worked well for us.

We declared a moratorium on planting flowers until we know more about deer resistant plants and methods. Abandoning a vegetable garden, however, will not happen. It is my red line in the sand. After a disasterous first season, we declared all out war. We had only one option. We constructed an anti-deer fortress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has served us well for two seasons and we expect success this year as well. It is too narrow to tempt them to jump in and, while lower than experts recommend, is high enough to keep them from leaning in to the vegetables. They get a wee nibble of tomato plant late in the season, but leave the fruit alone. I don’t begrudge them.

For now we’re enjoying Philadelphia’s abundance of public flower gardens and wondering how they do it! So far, only Bowman’s Wildflower Refuge has revealed their strategy. They have a ten-foot electronic fence around the refuge. Sigh.

 

About the Author:

Caroline Warfield finds walking through a garden deeply soul satisfying, and she doesn’t need to own the garden to enjoy it. She has been thrilled with public gardens all over the world, from Singapore to London to New York.

Caroline has been many things: traveler, librarian, poet, raiser of children, bird watcher, Internet and Web services manager, genealogist—even a nun. She reckons she is on at least her third act, happily working in an office surrounded by windows overlooking bird feeders, trees, and her deer fortress where she writes family-centered romance with interconnected characters.

Her current series involves three cousins who have been driven apart by lies and deceit, drawn back to England by family ties, and sustained by loves of their own. Her books have a moderate level of sensuality. She believes that in romance sex will happen, but it can be handled with sensitivity and care. In such scenes she focuses on relationship, commitment, and emotion not eroticism per se.

In The Reluctant Wife, a disgraced Bengal army officer finds himself responsible for two half-caste daughters and a headstrong, interfering,—but attractive—widow. This time, failure is not an option.

Genre: Historical Romance, Pre-Victorian (set in India and England in 1835)

Heat Level: Moderate. or warm

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Wife-Children-Empire-Book-ebook/dp/B06XYRRR1R/