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garden
it's the latest we've ever had leaves on the trees, and the colors are still so pretty! i decided to play around with some of my fave fall colors. . .
words and photographs by rebecca wood
it is that time of year when things are transitioning...the garden is coming off its summer run and things are dying back or newly emerging...we don't have a lot in flower at the moment- just some straggling green mophead hydrangeas. but, what we do have is a lot of green texture: hosta, fatsia, ferns, redbud leaves, mexican sunflower seedbeds, sea oats, etc.
together they combine to make a portrait of the garden this time of year.
words & photographs by rinne allen
photograph by rinne allen
the zinnias in the garden are electric right now! paired here with purple shisho, lemon balm flower & melon vine, their colors vibrate in this quiet setting.
arrangement and photographs by rinne allen
winterville is located just outside athens, although technically it is part of at the athens/clarke county community...they have a sweet little community garden right across the street from their community park. the community garden is vibrant and well-utilized- there is always something growing there!
photographs and words by kristen bach
the good thing about having a blog for so long is that is acts like a time capsule...i often go back and look at last year to the year before to see where we were or what we were doing...i look back at the seasonal blooms too, to see what was blooming when in our yard. this time it was interesting to peek at last year's arrangements, because we are about two weeks ahead of last year now...things that normally bloom in early july are already open. here are some pics from last year that show what was blooming and what i was arranging with.
words & photographs by rinne allen
it's always a treat to ride out in the country and visit goodness grows. it is located just outside scenic lexington, georgia. people come from all over the south to see their beautiful displays and their extensive collection of classic southern flowers and native plants. they have many varieties of old fashioned southern favorites like camellia, hydrangea, ferns, day lilies and hostas, and all so attractively arranged! i got a lot of ideas and went home with a few bee friendly perennials. don't forget that native plants feed many kinds of local bees and birds.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
i don't live in the country anymore. i moved to town for central heat and faster internet. i miss the ever present mind-blowing beauty of the country, but luckily i have some wildness of my own creation. last year i re-created the inspiring front yard garden that i remember used to be here. this year i just have to sit back and watch as the flowers have all gotten situated and settled themselves in. now i can just watch the wild beauty unfold right in front of me.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
photograph by rinne allen
photograph by kristen bach
this is my favorite time of year, melancholy and joyful beauty all mixed together. i adore the end of the garden and the wild chaos of death and rebirth. get out and enjoy before the first frost. gray days are best.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
a lady named pearl lived in this house from 1950 till she died in 1998. she gardened all the time. there's even a story about her visiting mt. vernon, and wrapping a pinched branch tip in a wet paper towel and putting it in her purse.
after she died, no one tended her gardens. plants got looted and depleted until all that was left was an old rose bush and a couple of phlox. i remember her front yard like it was yesterday. i remember seeing it in the early eighties and thinking it was my dream garden. her whole front yard was a riot of unruly flowers of all kinds, a mini meadow of chaotic, wild beauty.
the idea of that yard inspired me my whole life, and guess what? now i live there! i've been here a year, and the front yard is a riot of blooms. i am so happy to revive this yard! what a dream come true.
words and photographs by rebecca wood
photograph by rinne allen
photograph by kristen bach
{all week, rinne will be writing posts from her annual family trip to maine.}
my family has been going to maine for the last 15 years. there is a large raspberry patch on the property and we go there every other day or so to pick berries. often, one of my parents walks my young sons down there to pick, and sometimes i go too.
it is a great way to start the day!
in years past, we have made jam or tarts from our harvests...and this year we made popsicles with lemon, mint, honey and raspberries.
but, truth be told, the raspberries don't always make it back to the kitchen; we often eat what we pick from our hands out in the field.
words & photographs by rinne allen
there are lots of silvery-greens in our garden right now and they pair perfectly with the hints of pink that are popping up too (although some of these pink hydrangeas came from a friend's yard)...
photographs & arrangement by rinne allen
recently, i made a simple arrangement for a friend out of different types of hydrangeas, solomon's seal, hearty begonia leaves, and some iris greens...
photographs by rinne allen
photograph by rinne allen
the other day i had a photoshoot and needed some seasonal ingredients...they did not have to be actual flowers, but i wanted my photographs to have a botanical feeling, but also one that did not feel store-bought. i walked through the yard and cut a few specimens, and also went and gathered some of my pressed specimens from my studio. each cutting brought a pop of color to my shoot, plus i got to enjoy them in my studio afterwards...the gardenias, in particular, were so fragrant!
words & photographs by rinne allen
my mom is a big a gardener and a big flower arranger...i loved helping her with both when i was younger...
now, we often arrange together and i love it. she really is a master...she knows all about classic forms, but has a sense of the wild that i love.
recently, we were asked to do an arrangement for a gathering of ladies and we each cut things from our own yards, and from a few friends'. we arranged in a silver container, and used oasis- but, we don't use it often anymore...actually, i do not use it at all...
nonetheless, we had a fun day arranging flowers on my porch and visiting...
words & photographs by rinne allen
