Garden Inspiration: French Blue

The beautiful blue flowering shrub was everywhere I looked in Paris. It was in street plantings as well as public gardens. The flowers were fragrant and the foliage looked evergreen to me. Could the blue shrub be unique to France?

When I came home, I had to track down the information on this plant. The shrub is ceanothus or California Lilac. I'm sure the West Coast gardeners are familiar with this gorgeous shrub as it is a native in Oregon and California. Ceanothus is a new one for me as I've never seen it growing around here in North Carolina. I'm sure I would have noticed!


Ceanothus apparently thrives in poor soil and drought conditions. As with many native species, I think it's one of those plants that resents too much pampering from gardeners.

Ceanothus sounds like an easy plant to grow, but will it grow in a zone 7b garden with deer? It is supposed to be deer resistant and some varieties are rated for USDA zone 7, but most seem to be for zone 8 and hotter.

While ceanothus may never find a home here, I can imagine all the ways I'd like to use it to bring the hard-to-find blue flowers to my garden. The shrub may be a West Coast native, but I'll always think of it as divine French blue!


Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Paris, France; May 2009

Paris: Jardin du Luxembourg

Jardin du Luxembourg is a favorite park for Parisians and a wonderful outing for visitors, too. The open spaces and green lawns are backed by the stately Palais that was built in 1610 under the direction of Marie de Medici (that same Medici family from Florence, Italy), the widow of Henry IV and mother of Louis XIII. The palace is now home to the French Senate.

Jardin du Luxembourg was only a 20 minute walk from our apartment in Paris. Although it was a cloudy and cool day, we dined outside at a patisserie, Dalloyau, to have cafe express (espresso) and a just-baked pain au chocolate (chocolate filled croissant) for breakfast before visiting the gardens. We visited the gardens several years ago when our two sons were with us. We didn't venture through much of the gardens on that trip, so I was ready to see more of floral displays this time.

Wide gravel paths, in sun and in the shade, are filled with Parisians throughout the 22 hectare park. With the large size of the park, it doesn't fill crowded. This is a beautiful place to people watch... French queens, saints and mythological characters are among the sculptures that dot the landscape.

There are plenty of chairs circling the central pond where children maneuver their remote-controlled sailboats while mother ducks maneuver their tiny ducklings out of the way.

Flower beds are planted with seasonal annuals and large containers of orange trees are rolled out into the formal gardens in the spring. The French combination of tulips and forget-me-nots were in many of the flower beds. Wallflowers and dusty miller were also used in abundance in broad swaths of gardens. Formal, clipped miniature hedges were edging many of the gardens around the palace. There are informal cottage garden flowers mixed in large borders, even within the formal lines of the gardens.

For all the grandeur of the setting, the Jardin du Luxembourg is a relaxed park for everyone to enjoy.










Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Paris, France; May 2009

Paris: Jardin des Plantes

Paris is a beautiful city and we enjoyed a week there to slow down and take our time to get to know her better. The romantic River Seine was just under our windows at our wonderful studio apartment on Île de la Cité, an island in the river that is also the location of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral.

Our convenient location on the Seine made it our top choice for transportation around Paris. We hoped on and off of the Batobus river shuttle boats with a five-day pass. With only about ten minutes between stops on the route, it is a pleasant way to savor the sights along the river.

One of the stops on the Batobus shuttle route is the Jardin des Plantes, a 24-hectare (59 acres) botanical garden (free) that includes a natural history museum (fee). Parisians use the large and beautiful gardens for jogging, outings and botanical education.

Jardin des Plantes was originally known as Jardin du Roi (Garden of the King) as it was first a medicinal garden planted for Louis XIII in 1633.

There were large floral displays of spring plants - myosotis, tulips, wallflowers, and poppies of all colors. In addition to the display gardens are greenhouses, an Alpine garden, a potager, a rose garden and a botanical school.







Even avid gardeners have to eat lunch, especially when there is so much fabulous food around. We jumped on a bateaux (boat) and headed back to our apartment before seeing all of the very large Jardin des Plantes.

Our next stop was lunch at Le Petit Plateau, a little Salon du Thé on the same street, Quai aux Fleurs (yes, flowers) as our apartment. We dined outside to enjoy the beautiful day, river view, and the entertainment on the pedestrian bridge that links Île de la Cité with another island, Île Saint-Louis.

The quiche, salad, wine, bread, dessert - incredible! We had lunch (11 Euros each) there twice during the week. How good? This good...




Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Paris, France; May 2009

Monet's Water Garden at Giverny

Claude Monet wanted to extend his gardens at Giverny beyond the walls of his flower garden, Clos Normand. In the 1890s, he purchased adjacent property along a stream to create a pond and water garden.

To reach the pond, visitors walk through a tunnel beneath a road to reach the pathways leading to, and around, the water gardens. All along the shady paths, azaleas, rhododendron and other spring-flowering shrubs are in bloom in riotous colors of yellow, orange, pink and white. The textures of the weeping willows and the Japanese maple trees add to a sense of tapestry as you glance across the pond.

The arched, green Monet bridge is draped with the lavender wisteria that is depicted in so many of Monet's paintings. The famous water lilies float on the pond, but are not in bloom in spring - they will bloom in the summer.

When funds were raised to restore Monet's gardens, the pond had to be completely dug out again. The water gardens are a restoration interpretation, based upon Monet's his paintings and photographs. Liste des plantes et des fleurs du jardin de Claude Monet provides a list of plants in the gardens of Impressionist artist, Claude Monet.

We walked counterclockwise from the approach to Monet's bridge, waiting until we had circled the pond before crossing over it. This area of Monet's gardens is quiet, shady and so peaceful.














Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Giverny, France; May 2009

Monet's Gardens: The Clos Normand

Impressionist artist Claude Monet used his personal gardens at Giverny as inspiration for over five hundred of his works. After his death in 1926, his home and gardens were inherited by his youngest son, Michael. Following Michael Monet's death in 1966, a foundation was established to raise enough money, mostly provided by Americans, to restore the gardens for enjoyment by the public.

Due to this restoration effort, today's artists, tourists and gardeners have an opportunity to draw inspiration with the design, color schemes and flower choices growing in the gardens.

Monet's house overlooks a one hectare (2 1/2 acres) walled garden called the Clos Normand. On either side of this central path there are multiple paths and rectangular flower beds. Most are laid out in straight lines with few curved edges. However, the overflowing blooms and foliage soften these lines with billowing forms. Trees and vertical elements of arbors and supports are used for climbing vines, such as clematis.

At the bottom of the garden is a wall. The willows and other trees on the other side of the wall surround Monet's famous water garden pond with lilies and the wisteria-draped arched bridge (to be featured in the next story).










Color schemes are sometimes harmonic while others are contrasting. Soft palettes of blue, pink and purple are mixed in some gardens, while others sport strong red, orange and yellow hues. With the gentle slope of the gardens down from the house, you can view the wide sweeps of color or take a close look at the individual blooms. Those who are familiar with Monet's paintings will recognize different views of the gardens.

Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Giverny, France; May 2009

Monet's House and Gardens

French Impressionist artist, Claude Monet, is famous for his paintings and his house and gardens. Monet moved to his house (as a rental) in the village of Giverny in 1882. Seven years later, he purchased the house and began to develop the gardens in his own style. He lived here until his death in 1926.

During the first years, he did most of the planting himself, but as his paintings sold, he kept a head gardener and five assistant gardeners. His gardens have been the subject of hundreds of his paintings, most notably Water Lilies ("Nymphéas"), which depicts his beautiful pond. He painted many versions of the water lilies, but the most famous panels are installed at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, located in the Tuileries gardens (Jardin des Tuileries) right by the Louvre.

The Giverny gardens of Monet have been on the top of my list of "gardens to see before I die" for as long as I can remember. It was time! To try to describe these gardens won't do them justice, so I did my best to capture the gardens with my camera.

It was an overcast day, which worked in my favor to photograph the true colors of the flowers without glare from the sun. We visited on May 6 and the gardens were in spring bloom.

Monet's house of pink and green provides the perfect backdrop for the display gardens planted with pink tulips and underplanted with blue forget-me-nots. The foundation plantings are a mix of colors and flowers, true to "cottage garden" style. I tend to identify the green trim paint with Monet's house. The green color is used on all of the benches, trellises and fences throughout the estate.





No photographs are allowed inside the house, but I loved the dining room in sunny yellow. The kitchen that appears quite functional given the era, is tiled in blue and white with copper pots hanging along the walls.

It seems as though every room in the house has a beautiful view of the gardens. The walled gardens, or Clos Normand, will be featured next in my series of Monet's Gardens at Giverny.


Story and photos by Freda Cameron. Location: Giverny, May 2009.

Getting to Giverny: We took the 8:15 am Rouen-bound train from the Saint Lazare station in Paris. After about 45 minutes on the train, we got off at the village of Vernon. Just outside the train station, buses wait to take travelers to the village of Giverny, 4 km from the station. While you can walk or rent a bike from Vernon, we decided to save our energy for the gardens and took the bus.

Inspiration de Jardin: Giverny Musée des Impressionismes

Flowers are planted in sweeps of overlapping color in the gardens. Much like an impressionist painting, the gardens at the Giverny Musée des Impressionismes blur the lines of color so that it takes close inspection to identify the individual flowers planted in the gardens.

The village of Giverny, France is the location of the home and gardens of artist Claude Monet. It is just a short stroll down a village lane from Monet's home to the Museum of Impressionism. During our recent visit, the museum had a special exhibit of Monet's garden (jardin) paintings. Monet's paintings are on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The exhibit runs until August 15.

We went to the art museum to see Monet's paintings and to have lunch. We had already toured Monet's house and gardens during the morning. The lunch of quiche and salad served at the museum cafe was quite wonderful, and I recommend it when visiting Giverny.

It was great to see Monet's paintings of his gardens after seeing his gardens in person. I will be writing about Monet's gardens when I organize the 200+ photos from that visit.

Twenty of Monet's art interpretations of his gardens were on display at the museum. The small Musée des Impressionismes was not crowded during our visit, so we were often alone in the rooms with Monet's garden paintings. During our week in Paris, we also saw Monet's paintings at the Musée d'Orsay, Musée de l'Orangerie (where Monet's famous Water Lilies panels surround an entire room), and the Louvre.

The fact that the art museum grounds are planted with several small gardens was a pleasant surprise and worth a mention to any gardener making a trip to Giverny. These gardens at the Impressionism art museum are nicely organized by hedge divisions, turning each color scheme into an individual garden room. The quaint village lanes in Giverny add to the charm of the gardens.

Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) are often used in combination with tulips. I later identified the variety when visiting the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The Forget-me-nots are Myosotis sylvatica Sylva series 'Rose' (pink), 'Snow' (white), and 'Blue'.





Since our trip was during the spring bloom, other flowers that we saw included roses, clematis, poppies, pansies, wallflowers, alliums and irises -- and more. Every garden, large or small, was a delight to visit!

Story and photos by Freda Cameron. Location: village of Giverny, France. May 2009

Garden Inspiration: Irises and Companion Plants

Photos taken by Freda Cameron at JC Raulston Arboretum on April 29, 2009

The Lath House

Filtered shade, luxurious foliage and fascinating blooms lure me into an enchanting garden room. Among my favorite garden structures to visit is the Lath House at JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina.




Photos by Freda Cameron, April 29, 2009

Roses in Bloom

I wish these roses were growing in my garden! Fortunately, I can visit roses by going to the many public gardens in the area. These were photographed at the Rose Gardens of the Raleigh Little Theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina. There are 56 varieties of roses in the 60 beds at the Rose Gardens. Accredited by the All American Rose Society, the gardens include "hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, miniatures and antiques."






I photographed the roses on April 29, 2009 using a Canon SX10 IS camera, macro setting, wide angle (cropped with software). Since it was noon with bright sun, I shaded the roses for the photos. Each photo has been reduced from 1-2 MB down to around 200 KB for uploading. ImageWell Software was used to create photo pairs and frame the pair before uploading. All computer work was done on an Apple MacBook.

Freda Cameron

Garden Inspiration: Color Rejects Get Recognition

This Garden Inspiration was written by Brenda, a gardener in Zone 5, western New York.

What am I going to do with them? Color rejects. You know what I mean.

Schoolbus yellow and glaring orange blooms that simply don't fit in.

They are all fine plants in their own way, but they don't play well with others, at least not most of those residing in my flower beds.

They demand the spotlight and overwhelm the pastels. Their bold flirting with dark purple delphiniums usurps the soft lilacs and pinks that had previously enjoyed her company. They never complement the soft colors. A red hot poker plant just smoulders in a bed of soft, romantic pinks.

What to do with them? You see, I'm a compulsive plant collector and my plants often have a history. My husband was quite pleased when he surprised me with those Stella d'Oro daylilies, and great Aunt Ada gave me some of her "construction cone orange" poppies.

I actually grabbed several large clumps of black-eyed susans from my first garden club plant swap when I was a newbie; they have since expanded to about 8 acres it seems. I might even have bought those gaillardias because they were on clearance.

What to do then? The only thing I could do - make a new bed! I gathered together all the misfits and put them together with their own kind.

It's true that at first it seemed as if they were banished, banished to a bed far, far away by the barn. But my conscience was salved that at least I was keeping Aunt Susie's tiger lilies alive, and besides, those oranges and yellows act like beacons in the distance.

Then a funny thing happpened. When I put all those garish colors together they started to party!

As the temperatures started climbing, those fire colors disco danced in the summer heat, refusing to be daunted by the harsh sun and laughing at the humidity. Heat was their element and they bloomed most loudly in July, August, and September.

It turns out that orange and "gold" (such a nice euphemism for schoolbus yellow) go together-- well, like that eccentric couple you know who are both quite extreme in a different way and whenever you see them you say, "They deserve each other", and you don't necessarily mean it in a kind way. They suit each other. Still, just to keep things energized, next year I'm think of adding touches of hot pink. (ha!)

Now I not only have a vibrant "hot" garden for the heat of summer, but tranquility has once again returned to the purple and pink beds after those obnoxiously loud neighbors moved out.

Brenda is better known as "Gottagarden" on garden forums and has been featured in previous Garden Inspiration stories.

Brenda's story is a fun follow-up to the DYH Garden stories Give Orange Flowers a Chance and Garden Flowers: The Magenta Zone.

Garden Inspiration: French Garden in the Dordogne

This Garden Inspiration was written by guest blogger and gardener, Rob Harrison, who lives in France.


Karen and I moved to Le Banquet, Les Eyzies near Sarlat in Spring '04. We fell in love with the Dordogne following a Summer holiday the previous year.

Le Banquet is a beautiful ensemble of old farm cottages which we operate as self-catering gites during the Summer season.

Situated in some four and a half acres of the Vezere Valley, the most stunning garden of all is the areas outstanding natural beauty.

Faced with both more time and land than I had previously been used to, I have become hugely interested in gardening and never miss an opportunity to 'get outside'and 'do a bit'. I don't have any particular style, I just like to try things each year, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't-- but, that's gardening I guess, always work in progress.

One aspect of the garden that remains unchanged is the roses. Each year from about mid-June through most of July they are the star of the show. They simply look stunning blooming against the sand and limestone buildings typical of this area. I had over 50 at the last count.



At the start of spring my cold frames are over filled with as many annuals as I can sensibly sow to plant around the grounds. This year I grew Cleome, Amaranthus, the beautiful Nicotiana Sylvestris, Calendula and many others, too many in reality but who can resist the seed catalogues.

In the courtyard area I have some large Italian terracotta pots planted with clipped box and numerous pots filled with Perlagoniums (this is France after all) plus around the terraces, I like to grow things like Verbena, Ageratum and patio Roses again in terracotta pots.

As you follow the path down from the courtyard toward the river which runs through the estate you come to a small stone herb planter from which the guests can help themselves.

This year I planted a hot border close to the old tobacco drying barn. Filled with Canna 'Phasion', Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff, Verbena Bonariensis and Ricinus, by August it had really developed into haven of lush, abundant growth filled with sumptuous colour.

Away from the buildings, there are large areas of lawn puntuated with fruit and walnut trees that offer pretty views of the Valley.




Photos provided by Rob Harrison, Le Banquet.

Also visit Rob's blog Our French Garden in the Beautiful Dordogne

Garden Inspiration: Farmland to Flowers

What do you do when your land is devoid of trees, but covered with wild Bermuda grass? Shari Britt's land had probably been farmed in a previous life and had been taken over by the grass. Shari says, "I cannot just kill, smother or till the grass to create new planting space."

Shari has to manually remove the sod to clean out all the roots and runners of the stoloniferous Bermuda. "My precious planting space has been hard won and has slowly increased over the years. If I am not vigilant the Bermuda will creep in and take over quickly."


Shari's efforts are shown in the above photo with a large grouping of Miscanthus 'Cabaret', Chrysanthemum 'Single Apricot Korean', Mexican Bush Sage, Buddleaia lindleyana on the far left. Not easily seen in the photo is a Viburnum bracteum 'Emerald Luster' on the far right. The scale of the plantings fit with the scale of Shari's yard.

The success of Shari's gardening is well known to those of us who participate on the Garden Web Carolina Gardening Forum. Shari gardens in zone 7b of North Carolina. Like many of the forum participants, Shari attends the plant swaps to trade her own plants with other gardeners.

According to Shari "I don't think I have to tell you how much Garden Web has meant to my gardening. The plant swaps have given me so many plants to grow and experiment with and my garden just evolves with the general goal of privacy in my back yard and less grass to mow."

Another example of Shari's gardening is her vignette of Canna 'Musafolia' with Powis Castle atremisia, Mexican Bush Sage, Eupatorium coelestinum (hardy ageratum) and Salvia 'Indigo Spires'.

Shari is not only winning the battle with the Bermuda, but creating interesting designs with her plants. Shari has a way of combining ornamental grasses, shrubs and perennials for year-round appeal. Just mention a yucca to most gardeners and they are unsure of how to successfully combine the perennial in the garden.

Using a yucca filamentosa 'Bright Edge’ as a focal point, Shari adds orange daylily 'Trial By Fire', white Rose Campion, Salvia transylvanica and the ornamental grass, Kalamagrostis 'Avalanche' for a stunning combination in her full sun garden. Shari's daylily photos always draw accolades from her fellow Carolina gardeners.




Like many gardeners, Shari spends a lot of time photographing her gardens. She says "I'm just a byproduct of the digital age that discovered another facet to the hobby of gardening. I spent on average 30 minutes a day taking pictures through most of the growing season this year- making myself late for work more often than not because I would lose track of time."

Fascinated by the idea of using her garden photos on a calender, Shari started browsing her photos. She ended up with 400 potential pictures in the first round!

Since Shari loves to create CafePress® items for herself, she hopes others will like the items, too. CafePress® makes it easy to set up shop. Shari says "I am just beginning to explore what I can create and offer for sale there. I have no doubt that my products offered for sale will be a progression of new and different items- hopefully improving along the way."

Shari has two stores on Cafepress. Her SDB Garden Photography includes calendars, mugs, shirts, totes, pillows and other items featuring photos from her garden. For those who love daylilies, Shari features the perennial on the items in her Daylilies4U online shop.

Browsing Shari's online stores, I must say that her flowers look fabulous as wearable art and on other items!

Story by Freda Cameron. Photos provided by Shari Britt. Click photos to view larger images.

Garden Inspiration: Karesansui Style

Karesansui gardens are dry landscape gardens where sand represents water. Influenced by Zen Buddhism, these tranquil gardens can be small or large and either include plants or not.

At the gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild in France, the Karesansui garden is a small vignette within the larger Japanese gardens. I've seen larger Karesansui gardens, such as the one in the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. However, this little garden is on a small enough scale to fit in a backyard garden.

The green elements of this garden are simple and understated, shade-loving plants. Closely planted clumps of dwarf Mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) are used along the edges of the sand. Small azaleas are used as colorful specimen plants. A 'Gumpo' azalea could be used. Small, clipped pine trees or a Japanese Maple might be interesting at the edge of the garden. Since Japanese gardens are designed for year-round interest, the use of evergreen shrubs will create a backdrop of privacy and seclusion for integrating the design into an existing garden.

That said, many Karesansui gardens don't include any plants. Perhaps you've seen the simple rectangular gardens filled with pebbles, rocks and sand raked to resemble the ripples of water.

A Karesansui garden is made for viewing and quiet meditation.

Photo and story by Freda Cameron. Location: Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France; May 2008

Garden Inspiration: A Cottage Garden

Just the mention of a cottage garden conjures up romantic images of billowing blooms, spires of color and climbing vines. The only constraint comes in the form of a simple fence, yet the blooms spill over with divine simplicity reminiscent of English garden paintings.

If we ask a gardener what grows in a cottage garden, roses are always mentioned. Hollyhocks, foxgloves, delphiniums come to mind. Herbs such as rosemary, lavender and basil might be included along with a few vegetables. Annuals such as sweetpeas or kiss-me-over-garden-gate are old-fashioned favorites. Spring blooming bulbs of hyacinth and tulips may bring on the first signs of color. Plants are tucked into little places or massed in generous proportions.

In our modern world, many gardeners long to grow a cottage garden. We can't all live in England--nor can we all live in cottages. However, we adjust and modify our garden plans to find suitable plants to give us that cottage garden feeling. When the garden finally exhudes that ambiance, we want to stay in it forever.

Our gardening friend, Libby, inspires us with her Pacific Northwest cottage garden in Zone 8b, Victoria BC. Libby uses an abundance of color, mixing the flower forms and textures. During the peak bloom time of mid-June through August, Libby's garden explodes into color, blurred together to create one flowing river of a garden, rather than a collection of individually grounded plants.

Libby grows an English cottage garden full of delphiniums, hollyhocks, foxgloves, poppies, and peonies. A meandering path edged with brick winds through her garden, connecting the potting shed and the tool shed. A wisteria blooms abundantly in spring, creating a focal point at the back of the garden. Roses climb over vertical structures, adding to the sense of romanticism.

Libby buys her sweetpea seeds and allows cottage garden favorites to self-seed:

• calendula, campanula, cornflower, columbine, clarkia elegans, cosmos
• dianthus, Forget-Me-Not, godetia, honesty, feverfew, foxglove
• Jupiter's Beard, larkspur, malva sylvestris, mignonette, mullein
• nasturtium, nemophila, pansy, rose campion
• salvia hominum, Shirley poppy,snapdragon, stock, wallflower

Other flowers in Libby's garden include:

• Rose - cl. 'Cecile Brunner'
• hardy geraniums
• peachleaf bellflower - blue, white
• achillea - 'Moonshine'
• Oriental Poppy - 'Coral Reef'
• red valerian
• centaurea dealbata
• nepeta - 'Dropmore Blue'

Libby has been gardening in the same place for over 35 years. Her cottage garden began eight to ten years ago. It started out as a cutting garden and has evolved into a beautiful cottage garden. There's encouragement for those of us who want to grow our own cottage gardens.

According to Libby, we can quickly grow a cottage garden in three or four years. She says that she does spend a lot of time in her garden--weeding, staking, dividing plants--or, just looking.

When we love our gardens and delight in the results, is it really work? Is there anything else that we'd rather do than tend our gardens?

If we ask Libby to describe her cottage garden for us, she says, "My cottage garden is a sheer mass of color and fragrance and a joy to wander through. Trees, shrubs, annuals , perennials, bulbs, herbs, and old-fashioned favourites become a natural sanctuary for birds and wildlife."

Libby then adds the most important advice to remember, "A cottage garden can be whatever you want it to be - it's your garden after all."

Photos and inspiration by Libby. Story by Freda Cameron.

WWII Veteran and Gardener: Arthur's Story

What started as a story about flowers at the North Carolina State Fair turned into the history of World War II Veteran, Mr. Arthur Teasley of Durham, North Carolina.

Arthur and his wife Kitty had an award-winning display garden in the Flower and Garden Show. In addition to creating his own display, Arthur grew most of the beautiful flowers used in the award-winning display created by his granddaughter, Natasha, and other family members. Great garden design is apparent in the Teasley family!

As an 89 year-old, Arthur is quite the active and talented gardener. He grows his flowers in containers from seeds! Natasha Teasley says:

I asked Grandpa if he had anything to add about favorite plants or seeds or gardening advice. He said he didn't really have anything that people didn't already know. I asked him if I should say "some people have it and some don't" -- he chuckled.

While his flowers were quite inspiring, there is even more inspiration in the story of his service to this country. I'm happy to present Arthur's Story, in his own words, on this Veterans Day.

Arthur's Story

Serving in World War II
Arthur Winston Teasley
US Army
Headquarters and Service Company
1339th Engineering Construction Battalion

Kitty and I were married on April 4, 1942. About three months later I received the news that the US Army wanted me, so in July 1942, I went to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I stayed there one week then I was sent to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for Basic Training. Kitty came up to Fort Belvoir and stayed one week.

When I finished training I ranked in the top fifteen in Basic Training. Training consisted of sharp-shooting, field training and endurance. I earned the American Theater Service Medal, European Theater Service Medal, Pacific Theater Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. I also earned the 1903 Springfield Bolt Action Sharp Shooter Medal and (after 1943) the M1 Sharp Shooter Medal wearing a dishpan helmet.

In April 1943, I was picked to help train young men for war at Camp Abbot in Bend, Oregon. We stopped off at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for one month of training in close order drill. After training, I got a 15-day leave to come home.

We arrived at Camp Abbot on May 15, 1943. It snowed that same day. In May 1943, I was promoted to Corporal. Kitty and Julia (first born) came out in August to live. We spent a lot of time in Bend, Oregon, at the park on the Deschutes River. It was also a place we would go fishing. To get down to the water we would climb a ladder up and then down about 20 feet. In October 1943, I was promoted to Sergeant. In January 1944, we had to go out for two weeks on maneuvers. The temperature stayed from 10 degrees below to 10 degrees above with about 2 feet of snow on the ground. We stayed at Camp Abbot until June 1944, then went up to Fort Lewis, Washington.

At Fort Lewis, Washington, we continued with maneuvers and training. During my time at Fort Lewis, I met an old Indian who took me on the Columbia River netting salmon. I didn't feel too safe, but it turned out fine and we caught large salmon. Bubby was born September 3, 1944 in Olympia, Washington. We left Fort Lewis in March 1945 headed towards Boston, Massachusetts. Kitty, Julia and Bubby returned to Durham. We stopped off at Camp Miles Standish outside of Boston for about 4 days for re-equipment of the troops. We soon received word that President Roosevelt had died.

In April 1945 in Boston, we boarded the USAT George Washington* for Europe. We arrived in England April 27. We had to wait until dark to go through the English channel. We arrived in LeHavre, France, on April 28, 1945. There were sunken ships and planes everywhere you looked. That is when I wanted to turn around and return home. We got on riverboats and went up the Seine River about 50 miles. The riverbanks were lined with burned up tanks and trucks. They had gotten to the river and could not cross and had to burn the tanks and trucks. We got off the riverboat at a small town named Ville Saint Aubin les Elbeuf, France, put up camp and stayed three days before our convoy headed towards Germany. We would stop each day about 5 o'clock for the night. One of our stops was just outside of Lyons, France. On May 7, 1945, we were going through Paris and people were everywhere on roofs, hanging out windows, some laughing, some crying, and some dancing. We thought everybody had gone crazy. Then we found out the War was over. We got orders and did an about face and headed for Marseilles, France. We were real happy and almost knew we would be going back to the USA.

On July 10, 1945, we left Marseilles, France on board the USS Admiral H.T. Mayo** and 10 days later we woke up thinking we were coming into New York, but instead we were going through the Panama Canal heading for Japan. We were sitting out in the waters waiting for orders when the bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, so then we were put off on Okinawa (late August 1945). The first day we were there we had a bad typhoon. There were still some Japanese on the island that didn't know the War was over. We still had a lot of cleaning up to do. There were some dead Okinawa people we had to bury. Sad time! We also had to blow up many truckloads of ammunition that the Japanese left behind. The only injury I got was two broken ribs when I was riding on a bulldozer that got caught on a land mine. We left Okinawa in December 1945 on board a small Liberty Ship, the SS Cape Cod.*** We crossed the International Date Line on December 24, 1945, which made us have two Christmas Eves.

On January 8, 1946, we arrived in Seattle, Washington. On January 11, we left Seattle for Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

I was discharged from the US Army at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on January 19, 1946. Kitty was already at Fort Bragg waiting for me.

Good to be back home! I would not take anything for what I did and saw.


*The George Washington was a large German passenger liner captured in World War I. The United States converted it into a Transport Ship. It was commissioned the USS George Washington in September 1917. In March 1941, it was recommissioned the USS Catlin. In April 1943, it was recommissioned the USAT George Washington. It would carry up to 10,000 troops.

**The USS Admiral H.T. Mayo was commissioned in January 1945, decommissioned in May 1946, the later recommissioned the USAT General Nelson M. Walker.

***The SS Cape Cod was one of the 2,710 World War II Liberty Ships. We were unable to locate any specific information on the SS Cape Cod Liberty Ship.

Arthur's Story was written by Mr. Arthur Teasley. Photos and introduction by Freda Cameron. Research assistance from Natasha Teasley.

Fainting Goats and Flowers at Fearrington

By Freda Cameron  

If you ask me what to do in North Carolina, I'll tell you that there's always another garden to visit!

Between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro there is a village that was created in the early 1970s by RB and Jenny Fitch. Fearrington Village was built on the 1500 acre site of an historic farm. The Fitch family converted the home into the Fearrington House Inn & Restaurant. The barn and outbuildings were converted into shops, conference and wedding facilities and smaller restaurants. A community of homes was built around the village, but you still feel like you're visiting a farm as fenced pastures line the country lane leading to the village.



The symbol of Fearrington Village is the Belted Galloway Cow. The cows are a rare breed of Scottish cows. RB Fitch started the herd with five cows in the 1980s and there are now about thirty in the herd. These cows are strictly pets according to all of the Fearrington restaurants. The cows have cute, fluffy tufts on the ears. Three donkeys reside in the pastures to protect the cows from predators. I think the predators must be roving dogs as I've never seen a "beware of donkeys" sign anywhere!

In the last few years, Fearrington has added Tennessee Fainting Goats to color coordinate with the white-belted Galloways. When startled, the muscles on these goats stiffen and they fall over. I enjoyed petting the sweet little goats, and I hope that visitors never test the fainting theory.

There are gardens all over Fearrington Village:

• Jenny's fragrant white garden
• Perennial border garden
• Herb garden
• Inn's English courtyard and knot garden
• Wildflower garden
• Southern garden at the Old Granary Restaurant & Bar

My favorite is the fragrant white garden. I've been visiting there for years, and I never get tired of walking in the shade of the three long arms that make the U-shaped arbor. At the two corners, there are built-in benches that certainly feel Southern and romantic. In the center of the configuration is a shallow pool with a modern sculptured fountain that echos the white-belt of the Galloways. The plantings are soft in silver and green foliage and white-blooming flowers. I was there on October 31st and the fall garden was still quite beautiful.



The perennial borders were still full of colorful blooms for the fall. Since I was there on Halloween, there was a display of elaborately carved pumpkins among the gardens. Gaillardia, mums and camellias were among the blooming plants. Shrubs, ornamental grasses and groundcovers are abundant while white-painted fences, arbors, and other features give you the feeling of walking among a village of cottage gardens.

On a sunny day in any season, a visit to Fearrington to see the gardens and the animals is worth the trip. While you're there, you might as well have brunch or lunch at the Granary, browse the shops and check to see if there are any author events at the bookstore.

 

 

Photos by Freda Cameron

A Gardener's View of Blogging

It’s easier to get up early in the morning when you’re gardening instead of going to the office. In fact, if I sleep too late, I feel like I've missed the best part of the day. Being outside, whether in the garden, on a hike or riding a bike, is important to me. With cold weather coming and the garden chores being less, I see an opportunity to explore more new topics. Exercising my mind through writing is very rewarding to me.

Blogging has given me a new perspective. I see the world through a different set of eyes by looking at the details while appreciating the big picture. Whenever I meet an interesting person or see something interesting to gardeners, I get so excited about the idea of sharing these stories here in the blog.

Beyond my own blog, there are many wonderful gardeners and garden-bloggers that I've "met" through this venue and through garden forums. With the Web, the world is really flat. We can visit each other's gardens via the Web. It's great fun to have time to visit the other bloggers to see what's happening in their gardens and lives. I enjoy the interaction in the comments that are posted on my blog as well as leaving comments on the other blogs.

Retirement has given me time to slow down and take notice of things that have been right in front of me all these years. Or, time to experience new places. There is much to see and do here in the Chapel Hill area as well as the rest of North Carolina. Many of these gardens, sights and events are free.

Through my gardening and blogging, I now associate so much more with gardening -- native plants growing wild; farms and vineyards growing crops; backyard vegetable patches or potagers; beekeeping; butterflies and birds.

Inspiration comes from many others, so bringing guest gardeners, writers, artists, farmers, wildlife enthusiasts and environment supporters to my blog seems natural. You've already seen the featured Garden Inspirations from other gardeners as well as a book review by guest garden writer, Helen Yoest. Coming soon is a series to feature North Carolina artists whose beautiful work is inspired by gardens. I enjoy highlighting the work of others.

Enjoy the journey as we continue to meet new people and visit new places among all the wonderful gardening blogs.

Purple Rocks!

Have you ever seen a garden feature so creative that you had to find out the story behind the inspiration? On my recent visit to the NC State Fair, there was a particular garden design that made me smile. Why? Because the design was so different and unique, yet I could see myself enjoying this in a little secret garden.

I can’t begin to adequately describe the “centerpiece” of this garden inspiration, so I asked the creator, Tammy Kennedy, to tell us about her design. Tammy has a background in art, graphic design and photography. Her husband and children helped her with the garden entry for the Romantic Theme category in the Flower and Garden Show at the Fair.

Opposites Attract by Tammy Kennedy

The “Opposites Attract” design for our NC State Fair display originated from a stream of consciousness. My husband and I wanted to do a tête-à-tête bench, which we've both always loved. We realized that the spine of a tête-à-tête bench forms a backward ’s’ shape. We also realized that the shape forms the central portion of a yin yang, which represents male/female harmony and opposite traits. We felt that the yin yang went with the romance theme. Rather than trying for a black and white yin yang, which I felt would be too stark for a garden; we decided on dark purple and light peach.

We tried to play the lighter and darker tones of the two colors off each other everywhere possible in the design. We added a lot of little white touches for sparkle and night appeal, both in variegated foliage and small white flowers.

The design was sketched out on the ground with a stick after first figuring out the orientation on graph paper. We took measurements of the plot, sketched until I got the design I wanted, and then just transferred the design by eye. I knew the center circle needed to be about 4.25' because we already had the chairs and we wanted the back curves to echo the yin yang in a tight fit. We used the “stick and string” trick to mark a circle; I marked out the paths and then worked around the circle and paths when planting.

The rocks are painted using Setacolor Soleil Sun paint. Soleil is fabric paint, used for sun dying. The paint is translucent—great stuff to work with and you get fabulous results.

To mix the paint, I diluted about 5 parts water to one part paint and put it in a spray bottle. We spread our rounded stones out on bird netting to make it easier to pick up later. We gave the rocks 2-3 coats of sprayed paint, then turned the rocks over and repeated. I really like that the paint gives the stones color, but you still see the subtleties of the stone, too.

The design was edged with metal duct strap that was screwed every foot or so to an OSB base. We made the two halves of the yin yang separate so the gravel would stay separate. The rocks were poured into each half (one bag per half) and sprayed and rustled around then sprayed again. I gave the purple several coats, whereas the peach only needed a little bit of color to match the larger stone on the path. The eyes in the design are stones glued onto a plastic lid with silicone caulk and nestled down into the gravel.

Also playing the extremes game are a fountain and candle, representing the classic opposites of fire and water. We hilled up one corner with large lush plantings, while one corner is deeply sunken and has low and soft plants. Lovely sounds arise from bamboo wind chimes and the trickling fountain. Magical twinkles of light sparkle when the sun catches the twisting flappers of the chimes. Rounded gravel crunches underfoot to allow easy access to the seating area and gardens. There are many fragrant plants in the garden that bloom throughout the seasons.


For your own special garden retreat, create a space that really rocks…with your own favorite colors and plantings!

Stylish Sheds

By guest garden writer: Helen Yoest

Prior to going to Portland, Oregon and meeting writer and stylist Debra Prinzing and photographer William Wright, I read their book, Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways.

It was a gift from my friend James Baggett, Editor of Country Gardens magazine. He knew I liked garden books in general, but James also knew I like places to go in the garden – destinations such as seating areas, potting benches, gazebos, porches, sheds, hideaways.

With the tempting title waiting, I poured a fresh cup of coffee, with just the right amount of cream and began to read. Inspiration sprung, fantasy flourished. It was a great way to spend a morning.

For a very long time now, I’ve wanted to add a greenhouse, but not just any greenhouse. I always fancied it would have a certain look; a place where I could put not only plants, but a single chair and small table so I could go there to take my afternoon tea.

The location of the greenhouse, I thought, would have to be relegated to the “service” area of my garden – next to the shed. My shed is strictly utilitarian. We don’t have a garage to store bikes, garden tools, the mower, and other objects necessary to function as an all American family. I always assumed the greenhouse would go right next to the shed. Currently, there’s a table there and I refer to this area as the holding area. Calling it a nursery, would be too important of a word for the purpose. This place holds plants until I have a place to put them.

I’ve wanted a greenhouse to hold over tender plants - but I really wanted it as place for an escape. The idea of having a place of my own in the garden, protected from elements was the dream. Using it to hold over tender plants was the justification.

I just couldn’t get excited about the space though. It wasn’t enough to have a place to go. I needed it to be in a place I wanted to go. I was looking for a destination, one that wasn't closed off. I also couldn't see the garden from the service area. And that is exactly what that space would have done.

After reading Debra’s book, I had an epiphany. If the building is beautiful and well sited, then I could move it out of the service area and make it a part of the garden. Once I realized this, I began to take the steps to make this dream a reality.

I found my perfect greenhouse. It is offered by Smith & Hawken. I give monthly seminars there, so I’m familiar with their products. I love the look and after having looked around for a long time, I knew I would know it when I saw it. The Smith & Hawken greenhouse meets not only my need for aesthetics, but for function as well.

Debra and William's book touches nicely on the spaces featured including the bits of information about the owners and how they made their space personal. Each featured space has a chart to show the process the owners went through to create their space including the mission, must-haves, inspiration, design challenges, creative solutions.

For kicks and grins, I thought I would write my design statement. Put it on paper, so I could visualize it, make it real, make it my own.



The styling and photography are phenomenal. As a stylist, I can see all the attention to detail that happened to make these photographs what they are. And William caught the light just right. Well done!

All photo credits William Wright Photography.

About today's author: Helen Yoest is a gardener, garden writer and a garden coach. Helen writes for Metro Magazine, Fine Gardening Magazine, Carolina Gardener, Nature's Garden, and is also a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and their special publications. As a volunteer, Helen is a passionate promoter of area gardeners and gardens and has the honor of sitting on the Board of Advisors of the JC Raulston Arboretum. She is also the area representative for the Garden Conservancy Open Days tour. Contact Helen through her website GardensGardens.

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