“On such a day, the mere intaking of one’s breath is a joy. The sky spreads above us, a shimmering sea of blue — not the cool and crystalline sapphire of early morning, but the deep dense azure of midsummer noon. How hot the bees must feel in that furry coat! As we lie basking in the sunlight, and watching the buttercups dancing and dipping above the grass, like golden banners amid an army of green-bladed bayonets… We see the hot air quivering and simmering above the clover fields, but all else is drowsily, dreamily, still. The streets of the far-off city are reeking with dusty heat, but here we are in another world, and the bees and the butterflies are our brethren. This meadow is our boundless prairie; our heads are below the level of the grass tops which spread filmy arms above, like the boughs of a miniature forest.”

~Coulson Kernahan (1858–1943)

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& summer celebrant)

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” ~ John Muir (1838-1914; influential spokesperson for the significance and beauty of wild, natural spaces, especially Yosemite National Park)

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (awestruck by God’s handiwork on display in Yosemite)

At Hanselman Landscape, we make it a point to learn from the best garden builders in the world. James’ and my recent visit to Yosemite National Park was a case in point, as we spent an afternoon in Mariposa Grove, among massive Sequoias. James observed their trunk and branch spacing, the soil in which they had been rooted (many of them for hundreds of years), and read about the destructive forces that had felled too many of these majestic giants.

While we can not hope to reproduce a grove of giant Sequoias in Central Pennsylvania, we have been tending a grove of Metasequoia–Dawn Redwoods–in our Lancaster County garden for the past almost-20 years. These relatives of the massive Redwoods we were awed by in Yosemite are creating a majestic cathedral of their own here. Who knows what our Dawn Redwood Grove will become in 400 years? Possibly an East Coast version of the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite?

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& large tree enthusiast)

“Yosemite Park is a place of rest, a refuge from the roar and dust and weary, nervous, wasting work of the lowlands, in which one gains the advantages of both solitude and society . . . .” John Muir ( 1838-1914; Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, and early advocate for wilderness preservation in the USA.)

While we can’t create the grandeur and majesty of Yosemite in your backyard, we can learn from this stunning corner of creation the placement of rocks, and the space between through which meadows and rivers flow and sky is seen.

Gratefully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& newly awestruck by Yosemite)

There are days when my schedule feels like a tall pile of heavy books about to fall; and while I’m running to catch things before they tumble, I forget to take time to catch my breath. On those days, a hike in the Alps or a cruise around the islands seem like blissful escapes. But those are not even faint hopes–much less, possibilities–given our age and stage in life.

Gratefully, I’ve found an escape into beauty, serenity, and joy the moment I open our door and step outside. Because I am married to a garden artist who values daily interaction with loveliness, our home is surrounded with sun-splashed leaves of dancing Japanese Maples, a cathedral of stately Dawn Redwoods, the rich and varied textures of Boxwoods, Azaleas and Hollies, the vivid colors of wildflowers, and a cheerful chorus of birdsong. I need only take a few steps to be immersed in the joyous beauty of a get-away that is real and very present, every single day of the year.

With thoughtful planning, creative design, and careful implementation of the plan, your outdoor living spaces can become the escape you are looking for–right outside your door.

If you are ready to invest in your own everyday retreat, give us a call at 717-653-1273. We delight in bringing joy and beauty to life for our many friends across central and southeast Pennsylvania!

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& daily escape artist!)