Life From Life

Posted on April 5, 2021January 29, 2022 by Betty Hanselman

When James Hanselman of Hanselman Landscape needed containers for young nursery stock, he commissioned Jeff Hershey, his friend and a neighboring wood craftsman, with a sustainable option: build the new “grow boxes” from trees that had been removed from a nearby property.

“In keeping with our traditional hand-crafted approach in every aspect of garden care, it seemed fitting that we find a local craftsman to help us build these boxes,” smiles Hanselman.

The photos below show the full-circle journey from live trees, through the milling and assembly processes at Jeff’s lumber mill and workshop, to the final stage–as life-support structures in which saplings can receive nourishment and nurture in the Hanselman Landscape nursery, until they are ready for installation in client gardens.

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife

Life From Life Dawn Redwood Cathedral 1 — From live trees . . .

Life From Life Tree Trunk To Tree Box 2 — From live trees . . .

Easter

Posted on April 4, 2021December 31, 2021 by Betty Hanselman

Wishing you a joyous celebration of new life this Easter!

“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.”
~ Virgil A. Kraft (American minister, 1910-1988)

Azaleas in vibrant springtime color surround this custom-built swimming pool complete with nature-inspired stream and swim-in water fall, Manheim, PA.

The day before April

Posted on March 31, 2021December 31, 2021 by Betty Hanselman

“The day before April
Alone, alone,
I walked in the woods
And sat on a stone.

I sat on a broad stone
And sang to the birds.
The tune was God’s making
But I made the words.”

–Mary Carolyn Davies

Well-planted boulders add structure and beauty to a garden; they can also serve practical purposes as splash pads for water features, seats for contemplation, tables for eating, and natural playground equipment for climbing and exploration. Can we plant some rocks in your garden?

Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful World…

Posted on March 30, 2021December 31, 2021 by Betty Hanselman

Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful World,
With the wonderful water round you curled,
And the wonderful grass upon your breast–
World, you are beautifully dressed.

The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.

You friendly Earth! How far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow,
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles?

Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers to-day,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
“You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot:
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!”
~ William Brighty Rands

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful grandma!)
(Poem from my first “Childcraft” poem book)

Wherever you find yourself this spring, I hope you take time to seek the wonder and beauty to be found in God’s garden–the great outdoors!

Sunrise, Sunset…

Posted on March 25, 2021December 31, 2021 by Betty Hanselman

. . . quickly fly the years.
One season following another,
laden with happiness and tears.
~ Sheldon Harnick and Lewis Bock Jerrold, from Fiddler on the Roof (musical)

Gratefully shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful daily “grace gift” recipient)

Sunrise and sunset over our back patio, grand reminders that I take time to still my racing soul and savor the grace and glory all around me.

Old Trees

Posted on March 20, 2021December 31, 2021 by Betty Hanselman

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” ~ Greek proverb

Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful my “old man” realized this early)

James began planting trees on our property almost as soon as we moved into our home 22 years ago. Now, we are enjoying the rewards of his early action: a Dawn Redwood cathedral that towers above us, a Cryptomeria and Green Giant fencerow that provides shelter for a myriad of feathered friends, and a Pine grove where our grandchildren will soon be able to camp out (post-Covid!!). Healthy, well-maintained trees increase in value and beauty as they grow, adding grandeur and grace to any landscape.