Roses in trees.....

Roses in trees....

 

A few weeks ago, I came across a very idyllic photo, which left me with my jaw gaping...it was a photo of Sophie Loren's garden in her Roman villa, photographed in 1964, for Life magazine.....roses growing through gnarled old trees with an understory of grazing sheep... perfection!

 

 

This was all the inspiration I needed to trellis my roses....why not tree branches instead of the standard iron tuteurs or cages commonly used to corral arching canes and heavily laden bushes....I was on a mission!

Luckily, living in the woods affords an abundance of fallen tree material....I love the look of cherry tree bark and branches....they have just the right texture for the delicate roses....soooo, we drove some reinforcing iron rods into the soil and attached the beautiful cherry branches....there were some very skeptical looks and arguments in the process...but I was not to be swayed!

 

Here, if you look closely, the iron rod is holding the cherry branch securely against the rose bush...

 

 

 

 

 

Cinderella Fairy, attached to a fallen, cherry tree branch.....

Like most gardens, the roses wait for no one...their first blush is a fleeting glimpse of beauty, whose questionable longevity is subject to sun, wind and rain....

I finally scored Pierre de Ronsard from Palatine Roses this Spring....looking beautiful after just a few months in my garden....yes!

In the kitchen...

 

Trying to capture them indoors....for a bit.

 

 

....and a little bit longer on some sap buckets....

Till next time....I hope I can post a bit more often, but I do visit my blog friends when I have some down time, between gardening and unpacking boxes!!!

N.xo

 

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Every day...a Mother's Day!

This year for the first time since I became a mother I will be away from home....! My sons will be able to golf to their hearts content on Sunday, without pause or worry about making it in time for brunch, lunch or whatever my husband and the two of them deemed worthy as a fitting tribute or celebration to recognize the day....silly really, I think! I adore my two sons, and enjoy their company and attention when ever I can...it is really gratifying as a mother, to see them as adults now, handsome, productive and engaged in so many ways.. healthy and happy. Really all I need to make my day! Every day....

My boys are both very dark haired and with dark eyes....their part Italian heritage...They would absolutely kill me if I posted any pictures here, now or when they were younger...seems like such a short time ago....so as a tribute to mothers this Sunday, I thought I would post pictures of our children....the innocent beauty of childhood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish all my dear readers, a beautiful and happy Mother's Day.....where ever you might be in the world..

N.xo

All the above images and their credits can be found on my Pinterest board, Innocent Childhood/Nella Miller.

Cindy Hattersley , from the very beautiful and informative life style blog, Rough Luxe, has featured my garden in her series Bloggers Beautiful Gardens.....again, thank you Cindy!

 

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A thing of beauty....

I remember reading something once about Jacqueline Kennedy, that one of her goals of motherhood was to bring culture and beauty into her children's lives...this stuck with me for some reason. I have two sons, grown young men, who no doubt have views of their own about culture, oblivious to the beauty that I see....

 

Recently, I sent this photo to my youngest son...from Pinterest..he has been thinking about getting a dog...he is so busy, working with his brother running a business, playing hockey, and finding time to play the dating game...I hoped that subtley , I could show him the beauty of a relationship between a pet and his master...even though we had several pets while they were growing up, inevitably the brunt of pet care fell upon my husband or myself....the beauty of this photo touched me...happily it did the same for him....

 

Simple, extraordinary beauty is all around us. I am fortunate to be surrounded by the beauty of Nature every day, it has inspired me in my every day life, and made me receptive to the possibilities it has afforded me...professionally and personally. I endeavour to bring beauty to our everyday life, meals, the way I set my table for supper, or just baking a rhubarb pie, my oldest son's favourite...

I have managed to grow rhubarb here in my shade garden, beautiful in it's simplicity, just freshly cut, in the late afternoon sun...the original plant was a gift to the garden from my friend Brenda......one of the first signs of Spring.....

 

My role as a mother has changed over the years, my nurturing instinct I have applied to other things now...

.....nurturing new rose bushes, not your usual shade, woodland garden participants....but I am determined to make them happy here...

 

Cinderella Fairy among some budding oak leaf hydrangeas, just one year after her addition to the garden....

.....Nature's hand at orchestrating beauty in the garden.....

Here she is in full bloom, all the characteristics of the old antique varieties, floriferous....very fragrant and blowsy and delicate....I secretly smile to myself when both my sons visit, and choose to sit outdoors.... in the garden.....

I think that ultimately, behind everything I do, I strive to make it beautiful....everyone 's idea of beauty is very different...my sister Micki brings beauty with her food presentation....

....recently she catered a bridal tea...every delicate detail from garnishing the finger sandwiches to

the cucumber and mint infused water contributed to the beauty of the food and message behind the event...

.....coming together to share a beautiful event in the life of a new bride to be.....her daughter, Allison, my niece, hosted the shower, just two weeks after being diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer...beautifully resilient...the inner beauty of a person....a force to be reckoned with!

 

 

The beauty that develops with age has always resonated with me.......a vintage pedigree is so much more interesting.......

 

Pinterest

 

I think about incorporating vintage, aged details, when I plan and design my wedding florals.....time's imprint on beauty....

I live in a testosterone driven world....a husband, two sons, and every dog I have ever owned, male!

My inclination to bring beauty and culture to my world can, at times, be challenging! The above photo, from Pinterest, is likely more realistic of my adult, married life, interjected with opera playing in the background, interiors sprinkled with vintage finds and romantic touches, a garden showing glimpses of grand dreams and schemes of my own idea of beauty....I would not have it any other way!

There is a delicate balance in our world today.....very delicate....what is beautiful, however far outshines, the ugly....we must always focus on that!

Surrounding ourselves with beauty, whatever that beauty might be..... is a joy forever....

Wishing all my dear readers a beautiful Spring!

N.xo

 

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Detail oriented....

My eye is always drawn to small details, touches that capture the special quality of an object, insignificant perhaps in the grand scheme of things, but none the less apparent to me...this is especially true in the garden....

The tiny green flower heads from a deciduous shrub have blown into a small bird bath and added a little touch of detail to an outdoor vignette...In direct competition with full blown white peonies in a vintage silver jug.....

Weathered and aged garden ornaments softened by late afternoon light add detail to an entrance way...

 

 

Adding a corona trellis to a planter with fledgling annuals in early Spring adds detail to a garden urn.....

Although the stone steps are holding there own in this corner of the garden, this rather formal garden accent adds detail to the soft ivy border.....

I love the small wisps of tiny fern fronds which add detail to the base of this rusted and weathered planter...

Adding accent planters to each side of the back path to our garden adds detail and structure......

More small ferns growing adjacent to this late summer planter add detail, not really needed here, but very welcome....

I love the added detail here of the rusted and weathered planter box, tiny ivy and bird bath against the moss covered terrace stones....

......more green detail!

 

 

 

 

.....so happy ivy grows here in the garden, climbing trees.....still waiting for it to cover portions of our red brick house.....

....absolutely gorgeous detail....provided by Mother Nature.....

....I have been waiting to add a table like this to my garden for some time.....

The detail is perfect.....moss covered beauty....

My husband would wonder about where to put his plate, the whole impracticality of it all...

Waiting patiently for the sun to shine and Spring to arrive, plotting and planning details

in the garden....

...all photos of our garden, the last two are from This Ivy House...

N.xo

 

 

 

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