Hi to Hydrangeas!

Flower Meaning~Gratitude, Grace & Beauty

“I took the left path where the hydrangeas grew and sleepy primroses under woods, edged shady trees.
The empty stream ran quietly dry
with grass cuttings piling high.
If one peeped, one would find tiny creatures
To cast a sparkle here and there, a delight.
So on tip-toe, with sandals bent
Up high I reached to take
The plastic fairy as she twirled a pirouette
In a theater made by chance.
Reflected in a silver mirror intwined with ivy branch.
A mottled foal tend his dreams and Christmas robin chirps...”

— Mary Gay Kearns

Hydrangeas are a particular favorite of mine. My mind wanders as I count this lush & multi season flower.
The summer brings pure colors of blue, white & pink. Then as autumn approaches the warm soft colors of blush,
cream & sage. Each year the number grows—somewhere over 80 bushes at Belle Flower Farm.
There are differing options as to when to prune.

Each year my own process begins in late winter. The PNW often shares some much needed sunshine in February and March—the perfect opportunity to get into the garden and see what is waking up. The birds sing a song of hope for spring, the breeze sends the smells of evergreen and fires.
Spending time in the rhythm of nature.

Step 1:
One bush at a time, I like to set attainable goals. The larger varieties can take up to an hour. Gather the tools of the trade— sharp & clean hand pruners/secateurs (for me, they are “Lefties”), long handled clippers for thicker branches, container for clippings (I use a tall trash can to collect for composting), and a small rake.

Step 2:
Make your first pass, snipping old mop heads to the 1st bud node. Take out any dead off shoots from previous years blooms.

Step 3:
Clip out any old branches that have lived their life and are absent of fresh green bud nodes. Prune down to the base of the bush.

Step 4:
Clear out any old decayed branches & leaf litter from the center. Rake the base clear.

Step 5:
Take your last pass around the bush to shape into a pleasing height & width. Remove to just above a leaf node which will encourage growth. Do not remove more than 1/3 of the branch structure each year. Harsh pruning will result in minimal blooms, as several varieties bloom on last years growth. Step back and take joy in knowing you have begun the cycle of new growth in your garden.

Additional Tips: The success of garden Hydrangeas begins with planting. Best planted in a bed with morning sun, hydrangeas make amazing structure for the summer & autumn garden. Feed at the end of winter with 10-10-10 fertilizer. Add limestone early spring & mid summer by scratching into the base of each hydrangea to maintain pH of 6.-6.2 for consistent colors. Well drained soil and a fresh layer of compost are healthy additions.

Say “Hi” to our garden friends, the Hydrangea.

“Hydrangeas are the fairy tale flowers of the garden. With their big, showy blooms and delicate shades of pink, blue and white, they are like something out of a dream.”

The Bud of Growth

“Your career is like a garden.
It can hold an assortment of life’s energy that yields a bounty to you.
You do not need to grow just one thing in your garden…”

— Jennifer Ritchie Payette

As the buds begin to set along the stems of our Belle Flower Farm winter garden, beginning their new cycle of growth, we welcome the new year. Looking back to look forward—I am reminded of my own growth. My “garden” consists of many blooms—wife, mother, volunteer, gardener, artist, friend & daughter. Not all of these buds set, bloomed or have even shown signs of emerging at the same time. But as I reflect at the different stages of growth I see multiple climbing branches. Sometimes branches wild like an Akebia vine, sometimes sweet like the fragrance of the Honeysuckle, weaving my growth.

Palatables was a catering business I started with my life long friend in Corvallis, where I was managing a clothing store after college. When we both settled back into the Portland/Vancouver area we renamed our business—Birds of a Feather. Clients with weddings, rehearsals & showers began to ask for florals as well. With an art background, floral & gardening interests—floral design became a service that increasingly grew.

I also hosted my first women’s market in our tiny bungalow in Rose Village. Looking back I see the bud, that all these years later, has bloomed with local women makers & artists. During this time I also worked for Laura Ashley in addition to freelance display & merchandising work. When my friend moved from the area, I rebranded again as Culinary Hearts, where my focus increasingly was centered around the floral work.

As I looked through my folder of keepsakes, I am delighted by the notes I had made some 30+ years ago.

“Culinary Hearts
Unique Floral Designs
Wedding ~ Special Occasions
lace, shells, antique bottles, framed photos, teacups, gift baskets

Suggest the person include part of their personality”

“White washed garage, curtains, shelving, refrigeration, business license, floor cushion, maps of the city, white embossed cards”

As our family grew—catering & floral designs for weddings & charitable events became a creative outlet. Saying “Yes” to new challenges created new branches all it’s own, a lesson I still try to live by. Developing the Art Adventure programs for local elementary schools created a vine I wasn’t expecting. Researching and creating monthly lesson plans for our team of volunteers along with annual art nights with hands-on activities for the kiddos was a sweet blossom. And resulted with bright eyes exclaiming “Hey, you’re that art lady!” From those early program days, I dreamed that Art Adventure could be the basis of creative classes for women. Our BFF Art Adventure workshops create a current version of “Gathering around the kitchen table.”

I couldn’t believe it. Without realizing it, I have taken all of the little snippets of experiences along with me as a continue to grow. In 2019, I began the preparation of launching Belle Flower Farm, with a “garden” magical & intensional. In the footsteps of my great grandmother Laura Belle, a Vancouver florist in the 1950’s, I know this is where I am suppose to be. For all of the buds, blooms & seed pods in my “garden” I share a sense of gratitude for those whom I love, learned from, challenged by & created with. Cheers to a moment to look back to look forward.

“Most people want to hear or tell a good story. But they don’t realize they can and should be the good story.”

— John C. Maxwell

Dogs

“Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like, afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.”

— Carolyn Knapp

It had been nearly 37 years since we were without a dog in our home. When Lilly passed away this spring, it was not only sad to lose her, but the end of a chapter in our family. Our previous 4 dogs had been a part of our young family—growing from a couple to children.

Abigail was our first pup, my Christmas gift the year Mark and I were married. She was a rescue from the Oregon Humane Society. She not only took to nibbling my new wedding ring but a nibble from my heart. Six months later we added Molly, Abi’s quiet counterpart. The early days of being a married couple afforded us weekend getaways to the beach. Their favorite sandy place to run.

Welcoming our sons to our family meant we were a full house. Caring for animals in our home meant sharing our hearts. A cuddle when needed, the joy of playing ball or going on a walk—extra work, but worth the effort juggling schedules and needs. As Abi and Molly grew in age, becoming ladies of leisure, the boys asked for a puppy. One that could once again go on walks and enjoy our new lifestyle at Belle Flower Farm.

We adopted Jack without so much as a second thought. An exuberant bundle of white fur. His addition meant we not only had a puppy but 2 geriatric girls as well. Life was full—full of kid activities & aging parents, settling into our home & developing gardens, businesses & volunteer work—and of course all things dogs.

With the loss of Abigail & Molly, both nearly 20 years old, we knew we wanted to add another pup. We couldn’t “imagine living any other way.” Another Christmas, 20 years after that first Christmas, I opened the door and Mark was holding a sweet 3 pound Cairn. Merry Christmas! Jack & Lilly were quite a duo. Best friends to each other & to our sons. Again, the swirl of activity…again, a life well-lived.

Now it is Mark and I again, and we missed “living” with a pup. A home that missed the joy of a wagging tail, play catch, a companion to join me as I garden and in the studio, see what was ripe for the eating in the veggie garden or curling up in front of the fire.

We are overjoyed to welcome our new guy, Henry!

A new chapter in our marriage & family—we couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Mudroom Reimagined

“Well, what I did was I saw 4 pieces of flagstone left over from the porch,  

that were just going to be thrown away, because nobody wanted them, 

and I asked Mr. Retch if he would just put them down on the floor of the flower room  

and poke a little cement between the cracks and give me a nice stone floor  

where it might be wet with flowers and things.  

That’s absolutely all I did… All I asked for was a nice dry stone floor…” 

~Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House 

Separated by a couple of generations, I still have much in common with Muriel Blandings’ vision of her Flower  Room. A large flower sink, organization for cleaning supplies, access to the gardens and restroom—and a “dry stone  floor." Most say the kitchen is the heart of the home—I believe the mudroom is a close second.  

Our kids were young, friends in tow—in and out like a revolving door—in the garage door and out the back through  the utility porch door. Whether covered in soccer mud or berry juice from rousing berry fights, aging dogs & new  pups. Our mudroom holds the stories of our family growing. 

Our previous home had the typical laundry room off the garage—always an untidy welcome to friends & family who  graced the casual entry to our home. Sensing the indoor/outdoor living we were creating with our new farmhouse  and gardens, our forever home, I knew the mudroom would play an important role in how we lived as a family. The  room on the blueprints was just that—a room, four walls and 2 doors—in from the garage and into the house. The  concept of storage, a water closet, utility sink and hooks for backpacks and winter coats were important additions. It  also became the pup room. It was a place that housed the kennels, food and water bowls and everything dog. 

As functional as our mudroom was for the past 22 years, the needs for my husband and myself had changed. As a  home we hope to be equally functional for our current age as it will it will be in 20 years and beyond. That meant we  needed a shower on the main and a more functional restroom for guests of my Belle Flower Farm business. More  than a refresh was needed, an addition was called for. 

I had worked with a designer a few years prior on another project. I knew he would do a wonderful job detailing my  concept and drafting up an engineered plan. We spent several months emailing each other with updates and  revisions—less room for the sink—more for the shower—skylight here and storage there. Finally, we were ready for  our Mudroom 2.0. I began ordering plumbing fixtures, searching for vintage lighting, hardware & decor.  

Then COVID. Our Project was on hold—it seemed like the right thing to do—an insignificant inconvenience. We  stumbled over our collection of boxes that adorned our unused dinning room. With the lack of entertaining needs, it  wasn’t missed. 

We saw the opportunity early last fall to proceed. Our plans were submitted, construction schedule created and we  were ready for our addition. Visions of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House were ever present when recalling the scenes from this favorite Cary Grant and Myrna Loy movie.  

“Yes, Sims, if we were going to build a house we want it—well, you know—just a little bit different.” 

As I stood in a downpour, trying to staple a tarp to our open walls in hopes to keep standing water from  accumulating, I thought of homeownership skills and education we have nailed together. 

“On those second floor lintels between the lally columns…rabbet them or not?” 

“No, I guess not.” 

“It sounded cheeper to say no.”

As our project neared it completion, many hours were spent calking, painting and more painting—the end was in  sight. Repurposing doors, art, my favorite flower vases and discovering the perfect “Bellflower” wallpaper— everything was coming together.  

Our new farmhouse mudroom and bathroom looks like it always belonged. As the sun streams through the  repurposed utility porch door—the one that our sons, their friends and Mark and I have used for 22 years— continues to tell the story of our family. Caring for future pups, hanging a crisp linen apron on a vintage hook,  organizing housekeeping supplies and trimming flowers at the farmhouse sink, standing on “a dry stone floor.”

A Few Of My Favorite Things

“Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,
Snow flakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into spring
These are a few of my favorite things.”

~Rodgers & Hammerstein

Our “silver white winter” has finally melted into spring. The scent of lilacs and Lily of the Valley fill the air. As the cool spring breezes carry the scent, their sweet fragrance welcome the new season. Birds are busy constructing their nests, laying eggs and raising young. The lawns fill-in and turn a vibrant shade of green. The sound of my husband mowing in the late afternoon is added to my soundtrack of life. Tasks include cleaning off the front and back porches and washing windows to allow the sun to shine through. Planning the vegetable garden, preparing the orchard trees for this years fruits, cleaning out garden beds. Busy as a bee setting about shaking off the cold months. The perfect time to “spring” into my first Blog Post.

The sum of our experiences, the people we meet for a short encounter and those who are family and life long friends—that is who we are to the core. Our farmhouse and gardens are casual, comfortable, and I hope, welcoming. Stories at every turn—each plant, each vase, each book. I surround myself with these objects because they are favorite stories in my life.

With the sun shinning and the lilacs in full bloom, I decided to celebrate “A Few of my Favorite Things”.

While the Peony is known as the queen of the garden, I consider the lilac her kind sister, the princess. When we moved from our last home to Belle Flower Farm I took cuttings from my first Mother’s Day gift—a lilac. Like many people—lilacs don’t like to move, their roots firm in their soil. I took a chance with several cuttings which now grace our gardens and remind me of motherhood as we plant a sweet addition each year since.

The antique cut crystal ice bucket, a wedding gift from a family friend, Dottie. Rattan wrapped bottles from my step father with their porcelain cap are a perfect remembrance of my relationship with this kind man, who enjoyed antiquing. From my mother—a cut and embroidered cotton table cloth and the sweetest vintage vase that belonged to her godmother, Esther. A favorite rose, aubergine colored tulip and fragrant stock are delightful garden additions.

One day I was at an Estate Sale when I came across an extremely large collection of cobalt blue eye wash wells. My thought many times since was what was the attraction—was her husband an Optometrist or did she just love the color blue. As my collection of vintage dogs, particularly terrier, continues to grow I may surprise myself with the my own number. Not only does it reflect my love of dogs but reminds me of the cute one my son bought for me with his own money as a little boy.

A collection of shells, rocks, twigs, sand are freely collected on our travels. Taking my mind to destinations near and far and are some of my most cherished memories with my husband and sons. A sunset photo—hand-in-hand with my sons many years ago included. Always preferring to stroll on the beach, my suitcase includes ziplock bags for collecting, sketchbook, pens and watercolors. The addition of a good book and I am all prepared to make new memories.

Vintage books continue to be a favorite hunt while at Estate Sales and shops. Always looking for favorite publishing houses and illustrations, it is always such a joy to find a date and name written on the cover page. Whether a Christmas or birthday gift, the soft thoughtful handwriting makes it an even lovelier discovery.

As styles come and go “Favorite Things” remain objects of the heart. They are the things that create the melody of our own story and how the lyrics weave with others in our lives. These are a Few of My Favorite Things.