I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day
I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day. Here is a list of my favorite things this month.
Episode 12, September, 2023
A Plant:
Aster ‘Colonial Boston’ and others
Fall is aster time; I hope everyone has one or two asters in the garden. My new favorites are the Colonial series, including ‘Colonial Boston’ (photo above) and ‘Colonial Hartford’. These are relatively new, but worth looking for at your local garden center. As a bonus, they flower in the spring and fall.
If you can’t find these introductions, garden centers are offering perennial asters now – grab a couple. They may not be as impressive as you would like this year, but they get better with age.
A Garden:
Dunedin Botanical Garden, New Zealand
I realize that few of you will be trekking to New Zealand anytime soon, but if/when you do, try to find time to get to Dunedin, and this wonderful botanical garden. Dunedin is in the south of the South Island, so climate is quite temperate.
The rock garden is out of this world and the rest of the garden is equally impressive. A trip to this lovely country should be on everyone’s bucket list, and since spring is coming soon to the southern hemisphere, perhaps now is the time.
https://dunedinbotanicgarden.co.nz/collections/rock-garden
A Book:
Quiet, the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking.
Author: Susan Cain
Nonfiction. Reading this book puts the “issue” of introverts/extroverts into perspective and truly makes you think about a topic that people seldom reflect on a topic seldom think about. Cain, who considers herself an introvert, describes places like open-plan offices as group brainstorming sessions that descend on the startled introvert like flash-storms. She is definitely not a fan,“group-think favors the dominant extrovert, whereas the contemplative and quietly well-informed tend not to get a word in.”
She goes on to describe her fellow introverts as empathetic, preferring to discuss "values and morality" to small talk about the weather. She claims the introvert child is an "orchid – who wilts easily, is prone to "depression, anxiety and shyness, but under the right conditions can grow strong and magnificent".
Our book club loved this book and oh, the discussion we had! The wine helped a bit as well. We are five couples, and after reading this book, we took a poll. People who considered themselves introverts were in the majority and proud of it! Which are you?
A Show:
Streaming Show: The Last Thing He Told Me
Based on a book by Laura Dave, the series revolves around a husband’s sudden disappearance, for apparently no reason. The relationship between his new wife, played by Jennifer Garner, and his daughter is very much and not getting better. However,, when he disappears, they must find a way to cooperate and figure out why he left. Suspenseful and with a lot of twists and turns, it grew on us and it was all we could do not to binge it. Apple TV
A Place:
Ruthin, Wales
A trip to Wales is almost as good an idea as a trip to New Zealand, and a lot closer. Ruthin is the home of Ruthin Castle, built in 1277. The castle is not nearly as impressive as others in Wales, and for those on an ABC (Another Bloody Castle) tour, this would not likely make the cut. However, it is worth considering for a number of reasons. Part of the castle has been converted into a lovely hotel, in which we stayed and greatly enjoyed. The grounds are beautiful and the town of Ruthin is charming. Another reason to visit is that Ruthin is a great starting point for touring spectacular Welsh gardens like Powys and Bodnant.
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my list of OCtober Favorites.
I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day
I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day. Here is a list of my favorite things this month.
Episode 12, august, 2023
A Plant:
Phlox ‘Delta Snow’
Phlox ‘Ka-Pow Fuchsia’
Summer phlox, Phlox paniculata
There are few things not to like with summer phlox. They are native, they are fragrant, and they are magnets for all sorts of pollinators (the magnet queen is ‘Jeana’). But let’s be honest here, summer phlox have not always been a favorite of gardeners and landscapers. In fact, most of the old selections were awful! They reeked of powdery mildew. Thank goodness, this is no longer the case, better plant breeding has provided us with beautiful disease resistant summer phlox.
Here are two of my favorites. The best part is that they are both “clean”. ‘Delta Snow’ is an old-fashioned nativar, but one of the oldies that is not susceptible to the fungus. Plants are 3-4’ tall, and mine has come back for over 20 years! Its downside – hard to find.
A newer one that is striking is ‘Ka-Pow Fuchsia’, manageable height and persistent eye-catching flowers. Should be reasonably easy to find.
A Garden:
Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY
I have been to this wonderful arboretum many times, and regardless if I walk the grounds, roam through the conservatory, or visit the palatial Coe Hall, I always feel better than before I arrived. The beautiful landscape is influenced by the visions of the well-known and well-respected Sargent and Olmstead families. The noble tress are the framework of the arboretum but enjoy the historic Italian gardens as well as sensory garden, hydrangea collections, and the synoptic garden while there.
However, the garden would be a shadow of itself if not for Arboretum Director, Vinnie Simeone and his staff. His love of the arboretum and his attention to detail is reflected in every corner. Say hello and thank Vinnie when you visit.
https://plantingfields.org/
A Book:
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail
Author: Ben Montgomery
Nonfiction. Want or need a little inspiration, then you need to meet this hiking pioneer and superstar, Emma Gatewood. In 1955, at the age of 67, Emma left her Ohio home and told her family (she had 23 grandchildren) that she was going for a walk. With a hand-sewn sack over her back and a pair of Ked’s shoes, she left home. She was next heard from months later after she had walked 800 miles along a primitive and barely known track called the Appalachian Trail.
As her fame grew (reporters linked up with her along her trek), her exploits brought her on TV with Art Linkletter and to the cover of Sports Illustrated. The public attention she brought to the “lousy, difficult” stretches of the trail was unprecedented. Emma Gatewood likely saved the Appalachian Trail from extinction. She was the first person, man or woman, to hike the entire trail— twice. A truly amazing story, and one that might help us get off the couch and go for an evening walk.
A Show:
Streaming Show: Grantchester
Set in the 1950s, the show follows a vicar in Grantchester, a small village near Cambridge, England. He teams up with a crusty local detective to help solve crimes while still being the moral compass of the community. Many social subplots (women’s place in the 50s, the criminalization of sexuality, treatment of children) are woven well into the story lines. The show has attracted so much acclaim that it is continues to attract more and more attention. It is now in its 9th season.
If you have been following this thread, it is obvious that many of my choices are from the UK. Thank goodness for subtitles.
Prime video
A Place:
Oman
I realize that few of you will be taking a trip to the Arabian Peninsula, but then again, why not?
Oman is the oldest continuously independent state in the Arab world. In 2010, the United Nations Development Program ranked Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years. The country has long welcomed visitors.
Making the decision to visit the area is not an easy one; there are many easier places to get to with fewer question marks of safety and women’s rights. However, ignore all those fancy ads for Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and look into the independent Sultanate of Oman. The country has long welcomed visitors and most North American travelers would feel more at home here than in areas of the United Arab Emirates.
Regardless, the countryside is fascinating and the city of Muscat is delightful. The city is squeaky clean, the people are friendly and accommodations plentiful. Susan and I joined my well-traveled brother, Howard and his wife Phyllis, to Oman many years ago, and the times there still remain fresh and fond in our memories. If you are looking for adventure off the trodden path, look up Oman.
Watch your inbox for
my list of September Favorites.
I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day
I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day. Here is a list of my favorite things this month.
Episode 11, July, 2023
A Plant:
Heliopsis 'Burning Hearts’
False sunflower has been on the perennial plant market for years but has fumbled about in the shadows of plants like Coreopsis and Echinacea. I have been growing ‘Burning Hearts’ for three years in my garden and every year, I wonder why it is not as well-known as those mentioned. Blooming in early to mid-summer on sturdy 30-40” stems, this American nativar not only attracts the eye but also a ton of pollinators.
Showy, no disease and persistent, what’s not to like.
A Garden:
Chanticleer Garden, Wayne, PA
Talk to any well-travelled gardener about great gardens, and Chanticleer will be in their top five. Walking through the gates opens up a world of color, design and beauty. In a garden meant for relaxing and walking; and yes, admiring the extraordinary plant material and planting combinations, there is no reason not to visit. Not only is it special in its own right, but it also resides in the Land of Gardens around the Philadelphia area (I have already me mentioned its neighbors Mt. Cuba and Longwood in previous episodes). This forty-eight-acre garden celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year and only seems to get better.
A Book:
The Worst Hard Time: the untold story of those who survived the Great American Dust Bowl.
by: Timothy Egan
Nonfiction. I picked up this book wanting to learn more about one of America’s greatest environmental disasters, and to understand how such a thing happened. Once you get into the lives of the people who lived through the dust bowl and read about the incredible hardships and human suffering that accompanied “black dusters”, it is difficult to complain about weather ever again. Egan outlines the monumental greed and bad decisions, often backed by the Federal government, that resulted in such fertile grasslands experiencing years of tempests (the year 1933 saw seventy days in a row of severe dust storms). The financial, human and environmental devastation were ignored by the government - until Black Sunday (Aug 14, 1935). That one day alone, over 303,000 tons of soil were released into the air covering streets as far away as New York City in thick layers of dust.
It is the stories of people however that are most memorable. If ever you feel you are having a bad day, pick up this book and read about dust bowl survivors like Jeanne Clarke and Ike Osteen. Your troubles may not feel quite so bad.
A Show:
Streaming Show: All Creatures Great and Small
With so many detective stories involving murder and mayhem, I just have to find something that feels good every now and then. It may be just me, but they seem harder and harder to find. However, I noticed that a number of my past recommendations were just that, so here is another feel good recommendation. Based on the wonderful books by James Herriot, the streaming series is almost as good. Wonderful scenery, quirky people, and simply a feel-good series than spans four seasons.
Prime video
A Place:
Tignish, Prince Edward Island, Canada
People are always asking me about places to visit, especially if there are destinations that cruise ships and caravans of tourist buses avoid. You may find lots of visitors in the Maritime Provinces of Canada but you surely won’t see many if you adventure to the northern tip of PEI. Tignish is a small town not far from the North Point Lighthouse (the end of the island) and only about 50 miles from Summerside. Lighthouses, a thriving small town and beautiful quiet beaches are easily accessed. Be sure to check out the red beaches of North Cape, just north of Tignish. Here you will find hundreds of stacked rocks, known as Inukshuks, originally used by the Inuits of northern Canada. The dozens of Inukshuks on North Beach are built by locals and visitors. Just a neat place to visit when you are in The Gentle Isle.