Moody Campobello

The recent snowstorm dressed our gardens in glorious luminous garb.

The garden was just breathtaking!

After a long period of hibernation - we have not posted a blog in quite some time - we were forced out the door with our cameras, followed by our two dogs to record such beauty. Our destination - the creek, which today, was absolutely breathtaking!

On the way back , pulling on our dogs, now spent from so much frolicking in the powdery snow, our minds jolted by such incredible landscape, we reflected on how much this area changes almost daily, showing us its different moods and truly affecting ours. Hard to believe that the creek, a couple of days ago, looked like this.

But every day, especially early mornings and late afternoons at dusk, we see moments of great change. Beautiful sunsets are common - some even haunting.

Misty mornings are also are also frequently experienced here - after all we live near lakes and of course we are near our creek.

The pastures seem wrapped in mystery.

"I don't ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful. "

Pete Hamill

The landscape becomes poetic, dreamy.

And as the mist lifts sometimes we are graced with rainbows such as these.

What more can we say? Well, spring is around the corner (wishful thinking) and with it the sounds of the birds and the stirring of insects and other creatures. And above all the garden will awaken and thrust forth all the colors that make us smile.

Well worth waiting for!

And in the meantime we stare at the glorious amaryllis which we forced indoors, and us giving us a preview of what lies ahead.

A Rosebud is born

Juliet:"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

William Shakespeare

Yes, it has been a long time since we took walks through our garden. But we were called to meet our latest rosebud, the youngest girl in our daughter Claudia’s family. Her name is Brooklyn Rayne, and she is as sweet as they come.

Here she is, as we first met her, one day after her birth.

And here she is with the proud sisters, Gabrielle, Alexandra and Logan. We took pictures of all three sisters holding Brooklyn outside, on Claudia's verandah, but this is the only picture in which Brooklys was facing the camera, and therefore our choice of picture.

Our absence from the Blog scene was, as you can see, very necessary. As well as the new baby, Claudia also moved from Shreveport, LA to her old house in Wexford, PA, and as it turned out, all the boxes arrived at the same time as the baby.

Nothing daunts neither Claudia nor Chloe, and of course the two got right to work. Soon they created a new home. And then Chloe collected paints and brushes and started gardening on the walls of the girl’s rooms. Here is Alexandra's room, which also, by the way, has one of Chloe's paintings showing a rose. The two falling petals say: "He loves me... he loves me not."



And since Logan wanted a tree to be painted on the walls of her room, Chloe gave her as well as a funky tree, the added bonus of a bluebird.

Here is another picture of Logan's room, after Chloe and Claudia finished decorating it. The tree is next to her bed, which Logan, being an artist herself, collaborated with her Maman in painting some of the branches and leaves.

Gabrielle, on the other hand got her full suite painted with more modern colours. More suited for a teenager.

Finally she was ready for the nursery. She left it for last because being no Michelangelo , she was not looking forward to painting that huge ceiling with fluffy clouds. It took her two full days so the strain on her neck was considerable, but it was well worth it since we were all very pleased with the result.

And here is a close up of the very atmospheric ceiling.

Grasshoppers were kind of a novelty for her to paint, but she did it on the walls surrounding the crib to echo the baby’s bedding.

In the past, when the other grandchildren had been born, Chloe had painted three nursery panels depicting fairy tales and nursery rhyme characters frolicking among wild flowers. Brooklyn will grow to appreciate them, as they now also hang in her nursery.

All the girls have also been lucky enough to receive one of Chloe’s original hand painted desks for their rooms. They always show scenes of our garden here in Campobello, SC. And Logan was kind enough to give Brooklyn her desk so that is now also in Brooklyn’s nursery.

Here are details of seat and back of chair, showing scenes from her garden here in Campobello. This is the seat.

And this is the backrest:

The back of the chair is graced by this poem, as depicted here:

The kiss of the sun for pardon
The song of the birds for mirth
One is nearer to God's heart in the garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

Dorothy Gurney
1858 - 1932

It has been awfully hot all over the country, particularly here in the almost deep south. So we did not miss that much our walks through the garden. But now we are looking forward to cooler mornings and evenings which should be around the corner. Our walks should resume then, and therefore soon we will give you more glimpses of our garden as it changes through the seasons.

Even in the blistering South Carolina heat, still Chloe’s rosebuds keep coming. Here is a picture of one.

Garden accents

“Every man’s work is always a portrait of himself.” (Samuel Butler)

Yes, “A garden is the mirror of a mind.” (Henry Beston)

That is why every garden is unique. Gardens are a reflection of their owner’s sensibilities. And that is why people put accents in their gardens. It’s their mark, what fits their fancy. A piece of garden art here, a simple whimsical sign there…

Accents in a garden can be formal – usually statuary in bronze like our horse here next to this Magnolia tree, with the vineyard in the background.

It fits perfectly on the front lawn adjacent to our own pasture land where our horses Paris and Gracie (not visible here,) graze at leisure.

But stone, particularly marble and granite are also used, and look beautiful amongst the flowers and trees. Here we have a small marble fountain.

…and here one of our great cherubims flanking the front door steps, inviting…

More simple ones, certainly less expensive and commonly used are some concrete pieces. Our St. Francis is a good example.

This pot, a woman’s head, sits on the edge of the pond making it easy to remember to add water.

As is this garden book

whimsical in its sayings:

“Gossip in the Garden”

Good Morning Glory, What’s the Four O’Clock news?
Johnny Jump Up, lost his shoes.
Black eyed Susan has her eye on you.
And the Tulip wants a kiss or two.
Iris just wants Rose to know
Sweet William is her favorite beau.
etc. etc.

And it ends:

Tomorrow who knows what gossip

there will be,
The Flowers are from such a large Family.
Let’s talk again soon.
Good Day Lilly!

Bird baths are also found in gardens. They invite the birds and the butterflies, the dragonflies and even bees.

Fountains do the same, and offer also the sound of dripping water, so pleasant to all. Chloe loves fountains. Here is our large fountain on a misty morning.

And the one at the head of the upper pond.

And let’s not forget that everybody loves whimsical pieces, for they bring a smile to all. Here a simple garden stake says “Mind your Carrots and Peas,” while holding up the Black eyed Susans.

And this simple fairy takes all of us to our childhood and a world of make believe.

As do the bunnies.

Or the playhouse, with Chloe, all sweaty, waiting for the grandkids to give it life. With the grandchildren now all grown up, this little house is now gone from Chloe's garden. It's making a neighbor's kid happy instead. The memories however will be with us for ever.

Formal and function come together in these ironwork pieces. Arches anchor many paths. They mostly support our climbing roses or Clematis.

This one, less formal, is made of Rhododendron branches. It supports climbing roses as well as a wonderfully fragrant Jasmine.

Knowing Chloe’s love for her garden, many friends have brought her gifts. This little horse made it to our house just recently.

Form and function, a touch of the whimsical, come together in this antique manure spreader, which is a great support for potted plants, sometimes even vegetables. And as a bonus in the fall it comes alive with a fragrant white clematis.

Bird houses, feeders and bird accents in general will be presented in a future blog. For now, good morning to you, and thank you for visiting again Chloe’s garden.