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"Mine is the Month of Roses; yes, and mine
The Month of Marriages! All pleasant sights
And scents, the fragrance of the blossoming vine,
The foliage of the valleys and the heights.
Mine are the longest days, the loveliest nights;
The mower's scythe makes music to my ear;
I am the mother of all dear delights;
I am the fairest daughter of the year."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"It's beautiful, the Summer month of June
When all of God's own wildflowers are in bloom;
And sun shines brightly most part of the day
And butterflies o'er lush green meadows play.
Light hearted skylark, songster of the wing,
High o'er the quiet and lonely moorland sing;
Above her nest cloaked by the tangled heath,
Her charming song so exquisitely sweet.
So mellow the gentle breath of June day breeze!
The birds rejoicing on the leafy trees,
And dappled trout in pool bed of the stream
Bask in the sun, their spotted skins agleam."
- Francis Duggan, "June"
Roberta Crisson, Efrelyn Sarne Calitis and 23 others like this
Let me introduce you . . . .
One of my garden favorites is Pennsylvania's state flower, the Mountain Laurel (kalmia latifolia). Each year in June, I wait for the eye-popping display of tiny pink and burgundy blooms to appear. This year, with the abundant spring rains and recent sunshine, their display appears more glorious than ever! Looking like tiny Victorian parasols, the flowers add vibrant beauty and interest to our garden in late spring. And because they are evergreen, these shrubs add color to the winter landscape, too!
Contributed by Betty Hanselman
Gardener's wife
Ruth Krueger Fedder, Cindy Steffy and 23 others like this
Every Season Can Be Swimming Pool Season!
EVERY SEASON CAN BE SWIMMING POOL SEASON!
Although a Hanselman Landscape-designed pool is a delight to swim in during the warm-weather months, it is our passion to create pools that will bring joy, beauty and tranquility into your lives every season of the year!
A RETURN TO PARADISE (Part 5)
Address Water Issues
Erosion from water runoff and drought can be linked to poor planning and development, according to James Hanselman, garden designer at Hanselman Landscape. If you have areas in your yard where water pools, it may be necessary to regrade the property, incorporate drainage systems, or add raised pathways, and, in some cases, all of the above.
Clients in Lancaster “wanted to be able to walk around the back of their house but could not seem to get grass to grow in that shady, wet spot,” Hanselman says. “As a result, their walkway was a muddy mess most of the year. We reshaped the earth, installed a hidden drainage system that carries the water downhill and made stepping stones that would raise walkers well above grade. We also selected plants that do well in moist, shady locations.”
(The results are shown below.)
Contributed by Betty Hanselman
Gardener's wife
Jesus Genesis, Dora Angulo and 23 others like this
IN LIVING MEMORY
Several days after my beautiful, lively mother stepped into eternity, my husband hung several bird feeders outside our kitchen window: " . . . to bring you joy and remind you of her," he smiled when he came inside. How perceptive his gift! In the almost-18 years that have flown by since her death, I have delighted in the daily menagerie that flutters around the feeder-laden Pines within easy view of my kitchen workspace.
And each year, as our garden grows to provide more shelter, I am the excited observer of new varieties of feathered visitors joining the regulars at the fly-in diner. In recent weeks, we have enjoyed visits from Brown Thrashers, a Rufous-sided Towhee couple, a teeny Brown Creeper, Eastern Phoebes, a Cedar Waxwing and, most unexpectedly, a Baltimore Oriole! The vivacious activity outside my window is a daily reminder--a living memorial--of my lovely, joyous mother.
Perhaps you are grieving the loss of someone dear to your heart. May I encourage you to establish a "live" memorial in their honor--a bird feeder or two, a patch of wildflowers, a graceful tree, a flowering evergreen shrub--close by, so that each day you can enjoy vibrant beauty "in living memory" of your precious loved one?
Contributed by Betty Hanselman
(Gardener's wife and joyful bird watcher)
With gratitude for my mother, Miriam Keener Buhr
(January 13, 1926 ~ October 6, 1999), and mother-in-law, Winifred "Joy" Hayman Hanselman (July 3, 1922 ~ December 10, 1999).
Bonnie Wadsworth, Lisa Bolan and 23 others like this
One of the wonderful things about gardening is the way it leads people who often don't think of themselves as artistic into creative activity.
~ Noel Kingsbury (British garden writer, researcher, and educator)
Jesus Genesis, Vicki Miller and 12 others like this
These are the things I prize
And hold of dearest worth:
Light of the sapphire skies,
Peace of the silent hills,
Shelter of the forest, comfort of the grass,
Music of birds, murmur of little rills,
Shadows of clouds that swiftly pass,
And, after showers,
The smell of flowers
And of the good brown earth--
And best of all, along the way, friendship and mirth.
~Henry Van Dyke
Jesus Genesis, Robbie Reaser Horning and 23 others like this
BRINGING THE BEAUTY INSIDE
One of the great joys of having a garden is the privilege of being able to bring life and loveliness inside, any time of year.
For example, consider sprinkling pressed autumn leaves across your Thanksgiving table, creating stunning holiday wreaths with evergreen foliage, and, of course, showcasing cut flowers in the warmer months of the year.
Here are a few tips for cutting and preparing flowers for indoor display (shared by Emilie Barnes in her book, Time Began in a Garden):
~Gather flowers when the sun is low.
~Use a scissors or sharp knife and cut at a deep angle to provide as much surface area as possible for soaking up water.
~Place cut flowers into warm water as soon as possible after cutting; their stems begin to dry after just a few minutes. (Consider bringing a bucket of water with you so you can put flowers in water immediately after cutting.)
~Remove any leaves that will be underwater in the vase, as they are likely to decay.
~Add something to the water to provide energy, maintain acidity, and fight bacteria (such as commercial mixes from florists or a solution of one part lemon-lime non-diet soft drink to two parts water).
~Enjoy the walk around the garden as well as the final presentation!
Contributed by Betty Hanselman
Gardener's wife (& devotee of garden loveliness)
Vicki Miller, Onita Speller and 15 others like this
Even if she forgets the whole thing in her teens, later still, when she is grown up and has a first garden of her own, some misty memory of the pleasure of growing things will give her a head start over the gardener without any background, just as children who have spoken a second language, and forgotten it, can pick it up again in later years.
~ Anne Scott-James
Dora Angulo, Trisha Clouse and 11 others like this
SteveMark Topper, Efrelyn Sarne Calitis and 16 others like this
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