The Giving of Trees

Ever pause to think about the role trees play in our lives? That a life without trees would be unsustainable?

As we breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, they do just the opposite providing life's breath 

One of my favorite childhood books was 'The Giving Tree', a tale about a relationship between a boy and a tree. The tree always provides; branches to swing on, shade to sit, apples to eat, branches to build a home. As the tree and boy grow, the boy requires more of the tree and loving the boy ,the tree gives anything asked of him. In the ultimate act of self-sacrifice the tree allows the boy to cut him down to a stump and sail away with it's wood.
Years later the boy returns, now an old man. The tree says, "I have nothing left to give you." The man replies, "I do not need much now, just a quiet place to sit and rest." The tree was happy to once again be needed .

I want to weep every time i read this............what is wrong with me?!

 

'The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.'

     Chinese Proverb

  

And now IS the best time to plant a tree. It is an act of faith for the future.

  Come with me............ come with me and think about our life with trees.

We all know this story, the temptation of the fruit

 

And when you think about it, food is one of the aspects of trees we do not give second thoughts to; fruit, nuts, mushrooms and maple syrup to name a few.

                      

                       QUICK RECIPE

Impress your family and guests with your inner-genius. Put maple syrup in a saucepan, add fresh cranberries. On low heat simmer and stir until half the cranberries have popped. Serve in a small crystal bowl with ladle; delicious and a beautiful presentation.

  Who has not enjoyed the summer shade relief of a tree? Placed near your home they provide a cooling relief in summer and as a windbreak during storms.

'The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit'

                            Nelson Henderson

They support life in many forms; shelter, hiding places, safety,  food, launching pad for first flights............

 and wee folks

   They support us and our imaginations.................

hmmmm.............

 Lovingly support snowfall

 Become the focal point of our traditions 

Provide the stage for romance

                                                  Barretviewprints.com

 Take us away...........

                                              image;  country living

Protect us

                       But, did you know they have secret lives.......when we are not looking?

They complain! Maybe about us!

They even dance!

THEY WEAR KNICKERS! WHO KNEW!

God gave us trees man can use, but we must also nurture. Do your part, protect our trees and plant more for the future.

                         'Trees are your best antiques'........Alexander Smith

                  The '5th' Elements
             My five favorite trees...........for zone 5 and others.

The majestic Oak.   

• A tree for the future
• A myth that they are very slow growing
• A necessary food source, think acorns
• Beautiful Autumn color........and if young, maintains it's leaves for most of the winter

Malus 'Maypole', a crab apple

• a very columnar tree, approx. 3'wide and 18-20' high
• if you have been to the shop they are on the west side forming an allee
• gorgeous extra large pink spring flowers
• huge smooth and clean leaves, a mosaic of autumn colors; apricot, orange, burgundy
• fruit; either small and ornamental or as in the photo above, large and delicious
• edible fruit bearing variety does not require spraying

Note:  Nurserymen, please grow this tree, very hard to find. Why with all these attributes?

 Pyrus (Pear) 'salicfolia' pendula

• The delicate willow-like silver foliage. Any silver plant will act as a spotlight in the garden enhancing it's neighbors.
• Personally like to mix up foliage colors, unless very formal, an all green garden can be boring
• I keep these pruned to a small stature. Pruning is another post.....all trees can be manipulated to maintain a desired shape
• White spring flowers, on the small side. Autumn fruit is a golden mocha color, shaped like mini pears

    Cercis (Red bud) 'Forest Pansy'

•  Speaking of color! What a wow in the borders.......they create focal points. Imagine the above scene without the pop of color,your eye would wander.
• Prefers some shade and a protected nook from west winter winds
• Again......notice a pattern here..........large leaves.Large leaves lend order. Take note in the above photo, the understory is slightly messy in appearance, the interjection of a large leaf organizes this vignette
• A mid sized tree

Weeping 'Katsura', Cercidiphyllum 'Pendula'

• The form! How beautiful is this, lending a graceful shape to the garden. For a formal setting the branches can be pruned in a straight horizontal line, revealing the trunk.........gorgeous!
• In the spring the foliage emerges apricot by summer it is a green-blue, apricot returns for an Autumn showing.
• This is a large tree attaining a stature of 20x20......and what else.....large leaves!

Note: what additionally makes this photo appealing is contrasting foliage colors and shapes; weeping, upright and horizontal.

Espaliers, all varieties  

• Love the structure, very European
• Quick history.......In Europe villagers with limited space developed this form for fruit bearing specimens. When a fruit tree is planted against a wall, south is best, and when heavily pruned, the tree is stressed. Fruit bearing trees, ornamental or edible varieties, produce a heavy load of  flowers followed by fruit under duress. Survivability? High!
• There are many espalier (pronounced;  's   paal  yeah') shapes and species with seasonal variety
• Have a sunny blank wall? Consider this. I have even used the pre-formed mature specimens out in the open (no wall) to great effect.........once enclosing an intimate garden.
  

Thanks for reading!
Debra

Where would we be without it's wood? Look around you, it permeates our life; homes, floors, trim, furniture,  firewood, paper.........

Being in the landscape industry I love the opportunity to add trees; where?, which variety?.........but pains me to be the decision maker to say "no, it has to go."

   

You are cordially invited..............

I am doing it, really..........opening my home for a special event.

Throwing caution to the wind.
I have been asked to do this for years, but I am really not ready,
my home is not ready.............but is it ever?
Still have one more chair to re-upholster.
I am tired of our bedroom "set",
windows should be cleaned......................

Unlike the castle, this is more like it.
In Wayne, Illinois we live in a cottage from the 1850's. Little by little every room, the gardens and the exterior have been restored..............I only have two bathrooms left and big plans are in the future, the artist Patrick and I are brainstorming. But wait until you see his work in the entry, the faux bois walls, I love them!

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED

Wednesday November 11th from 1-5pm. I would be honored if you could join us for a special afternoon.

"Fall into Christmas" 

My home will be pure "Fall", decorated in the splendor of the season, filled with ideas inside and out. 

The shop will be all Christmas, brimming with inspiration. 

The afternoon begins at the shop in Geneva, Illinois. Transportation will be provided to my home where sister and I will be waiting to welcome you. Transportation brings you back to the shop for refreshments and a special discount for all attendees. Fee $12.00. Contact Sarah, our shop manager, to reserve your space.

630-232-1303 or sarah@scentimentalgardens.com Kindly reserve in advance, space is limited.

hope you can join us!

Debra

A FALL PARTY

Autumn is my favorite time of year. The rich colors, scents, the crunch of leaves and the foods of the season. Having not had a party in eons, we were overdue in returning the favor to our friends.

I forgot how much time goes into the details. Join me in the preparations..............




The landscape designer in me had to begin outdoors



A hard frost ended the impatiens in our front door containers.



What a mess! No amount of scrubbing would have removed the remnants of impatiens goo. What the containers really needed was painting.........no time!


Burlap to the rescue, inexpensive, seasonal and hiding a multitude of sins. This combination includes; yellow mums, red cabbage, purple aster, pansies and cut stems of bittersweet providing a great drape. The potted plants were just set into the burlap. I love to insert faux elements, in this case faux bittersweet clusters. Entwined with the bittersweet foliage they look vibrant and real and are re-used for years to come.




Next was the sad and neglected hanging basket highlighting the lamp post. Out with the dead petunia's and other miscellaneous summer annuals. Keeping the moss lining intact I quickly inserted golden mini mums, pansies, pumpkins and faux lady apples.


Often using faux elements adds interest, texture and the use of materials that might not normally last.



Our 1940's era upper patio with fireplace looks forlorn.



The bronzey metal wall containers flanking the firebox were filled with roadside clippings. Add pumpkins, mums and battery pillar candles. See my Cardigan Corgi, Cooper peeking out from the wool throw?


These battery candles are my best friends during a party, in particular. Sixty, yes sixty candles were used everywhere! Framing a pathway from the parking at the barn to the house. Unlike lumanaries, they are flicked on and that is it..............no wondering if any have burned out, no worries if it rains..........nothing. Indoors I like to tuck them in unexpected places, never concerned if they are "smoking", knocked over or dripping onto an antique piece.


The entrance to the upper patio was enhanced with.........more battery candles. In this instance using "wedding columns" from 1910, previously filled with flowers and flanking an aisle for a long ago bride.


In outdoor containers they are illuminated at night.


Emptied and waiting...............



Wanting to try something unconventional, faux birch stems were inserted upright and adorned with faux bittersweet, real bittersweet branches, a hand full of fallen leaves and all along the back of the birch, a line of battery candles which up light the birch at nightfall.


The night before many hands came to help. Don't you love to see women gathering together to help? I sure do and could not have finished without these women. From the left Susan Olson ( see post on inspiring women ), sister Diane and Betty Chittenden, Susan's mother visiting from Nebraska.

By the end of that night the wine flowed, the pumpkin martini's experimented with, music turned up and the laughs constant...........wish we had a picture of all of us doing line dances thru the house led by Betty!


The day of..........sister in her Halloween "teeth" making an artichoke dip. (I could be taking this too far..........sister may kill me for adding this photo) Don't you think she looks 25 years old?! Don't be mad sister.........love you to pieces :-)




Getting closer to panic mode I needed an arrangement for the kitchen table and wanted to use the Benjamin Carroll terra cotta pots given to me by my friend and artist Patrick Roullier.
note: remember the hallway Patrick was going to faux bois for me? Well he finished, it is beyond my expectations and will be in a future post.

In my garage I had these metal "trees"



Wanting height at the table these were perfect. Supported by tuna cans (how elegant) so they would not wobble,I speared fallen leaves onto the trees spikes.


Rolls of kraft paper is handy to have around. "Nests" were formed to hold......what else......votive battery candles, providing a glow at eye level

.
Naturally needing to hide the tuna cans, voila!..........bunched kraft paper at the base


Inspired by Eddie Ross and his October 13th post on decorating the show kitchen for Grange, just had to add wooden spoons and a gift from Susan a hand carved "salt well". Doesn't it look like the sheep are moving towards a trough?!


A brass and copper scale from Argentina is filled with fresh pumpkins and faux fruit. Labels were peeled off fresh fruit and affixed to the faux to look real. You may be asking yourself "why faux fruit?!" Well..........I get really busy and it just stays put until they need to be dusted.


Almost time! Tables were set with finger foods through out the house so as to not crowd one area. One of my favorite pieces is a turn of the century Crane from France. Looks like he is about to pluck the cookies.


The finished kitchen table, quick, get in the shower.......I'm late!


And finally the hit of the night.........pumpkin pie martini's. Whew, these were fun to create! Reading thru multiple recipes and combining bits and pieces that sounded good I came up with the following inexact recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Martini's

In a large pitcher fill 2/3 of the way with heavy whipping cream (calories do not count when partying!)
To taste add;
-vodka
-butterscotch schnapps
-pumpkin liquer
-pumpkin pie spice
Taste repeatedly until yummy
Dip the martini glass in a plate of whipped cream then dip in a plate of crushed cinnamon graham crackers



Even though I did not want anyone to leave...........this is how I felt the next day, and the day after that, and....................

Happy Autumn!
Debra