Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.
~ Bishop Reginald Heber (English Anglican bishop, hymn writer, and poet; 1783 – 1826)
Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s’ wife (& spring’s “floral art” enthusiast)
From our nursery to your garden . . . a palette of floral art to paint your springtime garden!
Click here and discover the timeless beauty of Japanese garden design. Explore how we can craft your peaceful oasis.
A few years ago, we were given a new, but slightly defective hot tub. A nice gift, to be sure, but where would we put it? The relatively insignificant need to carve out space for a “free” hot tub turned into the biggest and most beautiful puzzle my gardener, James Hanselman, has yet pieced together. Not only did he want to create a welcoming space for the hot tub; he also wanted to connect the hot tub organically and tastefully with the rest of the home.
To begin with, a pad was built for the hot tub near our daylight basement entrance. Then, beautiful, hand-cut steps were installed to provide access down to the hot tub from the upper level, first from the back of the house about 10 years ago, and finally, from the front of the house this past winter. From the lower-level hot tub and the front and rear steps, gracious nobedan patios and paths were added over time, providing attractive and comfortable access to the home from all directions.
Now, we can walk around the entire home on gorgeous, sturdy, textured walks. Our feet stay clean, our house stays clean, and flow between our home and our outdoor living spaces is smooth and trouble-free. Our nobedan puzzle was creatively pieced together to deliver easy access and joy to those who live here and visit . . . all because a “free” hot tub needed a home!
Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful hot tub recipient)
Photos show the masterpiece puzzle James and his team put together around our house to provide clean, easy, beautiful access between our indoor and outdoor living spaces.
This courtyard garden in Bryn Mawr, PA, was a response to paper artist Betsy M’s request for an uncluttered space where she could dream and create. Following a trip to Japan, she longed for the ordered simplicity, serenity, and grace she had experienced in the gardens she had strolled through there. But she was puzzled: how could she possibly hope to recreate the ambiance she desired in the cramped courtyard outside her home studio?
Noting the Japanese-inspired garden photos on Hanselman Landscape’s website https://www.hanselmanlandscape.com/ Betsy called James, HL’s principal designer, and her dream began to take shape. From drawing the cardboard templates and cutting the rocks into the templated shapes, to a practice run at the HL shop and final installation at the client’s home, HL’s craftsmen made sure that Betsy’s puzzle was solved beautifully, right outside her studio window!
Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& “garden puzzle” proponent)
“The hope in a gardener’s heart is strengthened every year by the experience of watching green settle in a filmy veil over bare branches, watching a bare, raked plot of ground suddenly explode with busy, purposeful growth. Hope is nurtured every time a pruned-back bush sends forth invigorated shoots, every time a languishing bush flourishes in a new location . . . . Hope is nurtured just by being in the company of trees and plants and flowers, by witnessing the relentless strength and energy of growing things.”
~ Emilie Barnes (Time Began in a Garden)
Wishing you hope and joy in the experience of green, growing things during this beautiful season of the year! HAPPY SPRING!!!
Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& eager spring celebrant!)
In recent years, we have had the privilege of creating Japanese-inspired nobedan paths and patios for a few of our clients. While nobedan stonework was traditionally seen exclusively in Japan, nobedan paths and patios are now adding striking aesthetic value to homes and gardens on this side of the ocean, too.
These beautiful garden additions are created by piecing together stones of various sizes and shapes. This process can be likened to piecing a puzzle together on the kitchen table, except that in the creation of a nobedan path or patio, the pieces are templated, cut, and shaped by the same people who will put the puzzle together in the client’s garden. And, believe it or not, there are rules that must be followed in the shaping and placement of the stones!
The process is fascinating and the final product is well worth the intense labor and necessary attention to detail. Over the next few weeks, I’d like to share some nobedan “puzzles” our team has crafted, beginning with a view from my garden (below)!
Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& “garden puzzle” proponent)
“Springtime’s coming,” he said. “Cannot tha’ smell it?”
Mary sniffed and thought she could.
“I smell something nice and fresh and damp,” she said.
“That’s th’ good rich earth,” he answered, digging away. “It’s in a good humor makin’ ready to grow things. It’s glad when plantin’ time comes. It’s dull in th’ winter when it’s got nowt to do. In th’ flower gardens out there things will be stirrin’ down below in th’ dark. Th’ sun’s warmin’ ’em. you’ll see bits o’ green spikes stickin’ out o’ th’ black earth after a bit . . . . Crocuses an’ snowdrops an’ daffydowndillys.”
~ Frances Hodgson Burnett (from The Secret Garden, one of my all-time favorite children’s books)
