Visiting a friend’s garden ...

Last week I was able to enjoy an afternoon visit with my friend Kim Smith at her Gloucester home. After meeting at last year’s North Shore Design Show at the Wenham Museum, we quickly discovered that we both shared a love of gardening, along with a passion for old homes (she has been creating beauty inside and out at Willowdale Estate, while I have been involved with decorating projects at the Stevens Estate). Parking my car, I knew I was at the right place as I was greeted with a fluttering of butterflies around a rose-covered front porch. Bird song filled the air and a profusion of colors and scents beckoned. I know this sounds very “Disney-like” but it really felt like walking into a secret oasis! Kim takes great care to design landscapes that attract winged creatures – birds, butterflies, bees –
all are welcome and enjoyed.

Here is just a glimpse of what I saw ...

Bee Balm

Honeysuckle ... pretty and fragrant

Easy to grow ... Annabelle Hydrangea

Tomato plants and Liberty of London watering can

A container-garden-filled courtyard

Can anyone identify this flower? The name escapes me ...


Bougainvillea ... holding up well despite summer heat

Lettuce, narsturtiums (a favorite of mine)
and Swiss chard (a favorite of my dad’s)

I believe this is a version of Lantana?

Shasta Daisy

A sure thing ... Butterfly Bush

Ferns (Japanese Painted fern is in front)

Potted poppies

Pink foxglove, large leaf hosta, and white edged Solomon’s Seal

My favorite photo of the day


The inside of Kim’s home was extremely charming. I did not take interior photos during our visit as I was there simply to enjoy her company. We talked a lot about raising our children (she has two, a girl and a boy, that while still under her wing are much more independent than my four littles), the need to create (she is writing and illustrating a new book, this time for children), and a variety of other topics including why the bowl of fruit I brought was still slightly frozen (when you are undergoing kitchen renovations, one must improvise!) Stop by and visit her blog,
Kim Smith Designs, when you need a bit of nature’s beauty to lift your spirits, or have questions
about gardening. She is an expert on many topics, along with being a gracious host!




This week I will be participating in the Alphabet Walk blog hop at
a fun blog I recently discovered: One Sydney Road. Check it out!
(My letter is “Y” and I will be posting on Friday, July 16th)

Bunting Flag Banner by Puglypixel.com
Alphabet Walk blog hop badge by 74 Lime Lane


Visit my space at the Danvers Historical Society
designer showcase now through August 1st!

An evening in the garden ...

A bold container garden by Tracy Drislane

Last week the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield held its year-end dinner event at the home of Tracy and Chris Drislane. Tracy, who is a garden club member, and Chris, who is a professional landscape designer and certified horticulturist {DesignScapes, Inc.} have a beautiful property that I have always admired for its rustic charm, great use of scale and creative touches. Here are some images taken during the
garden stroll portion of our evening ...

A variety of large leaf hosta plants fill the gravel
covered alley between the barn and the house.

A hurricane lamp decorated with hosta and coleus leaves still stands tall even after the skies opened up and rained during the early part of the evening.

S’mores were on the menu, but we had our
desserts inside. Isn’t this fireplace amazing???

I love how Tracy filled a number of wine glasses with moss and succulent blossoms and then accompanied them with candles in bell jars as table centerpieces.

Even the tomato plants looked great when
partnered with tall landscape grasses
standing like a living screen behind them.

It would not be a Village Garden Club party without a beautifully presented and equally delicious menu (courtesy of President Bootie Stevens, Tracy Drislane and other club member contributions).

Fresh rosemary is a pretty and fragrant
accent when added to a dish of hummus
or in a container garden like below.

With garden club member and friend, Laura Thomson

A lot of members commented on the gray floral pin I wore attached to a string of pearls. It is by stella & dot and is available by clicking here (type in my name as the hostess to order one for yourself, or any of the other lovely stella & dot jewelry items).


My rock garden this morning


A garden path by DesignScapes, Inc.
for Club President Bootie Stevens

This week I will be focusing on cleaning up my own gardens now that I have been completely inspired by the combined effort of the Drislane’s, plus a year of attending garden club lectures and events. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield (and live in this area ; ) please contact me by email at yblacker@verizon.net.



Annual dues are just $25 per person which entitles each member to discounts at local nurseries, free admission to monthly events (we meet from September to June) and lots of information-sharing from the dedicated garden enthusiasts that make up the group. We always have a lot of fun at our monthly Monday night meetings, and have done a lot of community service gardening for the town of
Lynnfield as well. To see some mentions of events from this past year, visit the following links:

Arranging dramatic centerpieces with Bert Ford

Art in Bloom at the Lynnfield Library

Holiday party decorating: Laura Thomson

Field trip to The Stevens Estate, No. Andover

Kim Smith and autumn gardening



Thank you for opening your
home to us, Tracy and Chris!

Kim Smith and Fragrant Gardening

At the Wenham Museum with designer Kim Smith

One of the best parts of participating in a local design show is meeting other creative individuals who share the same interests. Last year at the North Shore Design Show I met Kim Smith, a super talented designer, author, illustrator and photographer who created a lovely space for Willowdale Estate (see it here) where she works her design magic from the bridal suite to the garden landscapes. While at the show, I really enjoyed talking with Kim about flowers and design (a couple of my favorite things ; ) so I asked Kim to share some of her gardening wisdom with my friends at the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield. She visited with us in September, presenting her tips on growing native plants – illustrated with many gorgeous slides – to our group of garden enthusiasts. While Kim did not participate in the Favorite Spaces design show this year (her daughter was graduating from college – congrats to you both!) she did host a slide show that highlighted the best flowers to plant when designing a fragrant garden.


Peonies I caught in bloom at a local cafe.

My favorite shrub rose smells heavenly this week.


Here are just some of Kim’s fragrant favorites
(although I think she loves most every flower!) ...

White Lilac (Syringa vulgaris ‘Krasavitsa Moskvy’)
White Wisteria (W. sinensis v. alba ‘Jako’)
Old Garden Rose (Rosa Louise Odier)
Butterfly Bush (Buddleis davidii)
Nasturium (Tropaeolum majus)
Oyama Magnolia (M. sieboldii)
Moon Flower (Ipomoea alba)
Mock Orange (Philadelphus)
Peony (Paeonia lactifolia)


Her number one tip on choosing flowers with the most fragrance is to look for a white variety as scent is in direct proportion to pigmentation. The more showy, colorful flowers may attract your eye, but the subtle shades of white, cream, pale pinks, yellows and purples will release the most scent. And while you are at it, plant those scented species closest to where you are apt to enjoy them, near a window or along a traveled path. I am going to try my hand at Moon Flower this year. I love that it opens at night, just around the time that I will be out in my garden room, enjoying a glass of something cold and refreshing!


Vintage biennial phlox from my garden ...
they smell like cinnamon!

To receive Kim’s gardening tips via email, visit her website and sign up for her eColumn which is always chock full of great photos and information. Her blog is another great resource for gardening inspiration.


Kim Smith illustration from her book,
“Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!”

Colorful jewels from stella & dot


And for those of you who like to wear your love of flowers, I am hosting a stella & dot party online. One of my favorite items (besides the Sophia Pearl Bib Necklace that I am wearing in the photo with Kim above) is their Sasha Flower Brooch ...



These pin-on-flowers are all the rage right now, and are the perfect accessory to a summer top, bag or belt. There are so many pretty items in the stella & dot Look Book for Spring/Summer 2010. Take a peek at the latest trends and let me know what your favorite is ...




To purchase a stella & dot item, click on this link and add my name (Yvonne Blacker : ) as the hostess.

Have fun shopping ... and gardening!

xo
yvonne

North Shore Design Show Preview ...

My husband John and I at the Preview Party
share a celebratory drink in my “room.”

What a fabulous weekend we had at the Wenham Museum’s North Shore Design Show: Favorite Spaces! Today the museum is closed (which will give me a moment to catch up with life in general!) so I am posting some preview pictures for you to enjoy before they re-open for the week on Tuesday.

The show runs through Saturday, May 22nd and there are some great events scheduled: Behind the Scenes of This Old House on Wednesday evening with host and design show chair Kevin O’Connor, Private Tour plus Meet the Designers Breakfast on Friday morning from 9am to 11am, Designing a Fragrant Garden with author/illustrator/designer Kim Smith on Saturday the 22nd, and How to design a Well-Dressed Kitchen with Kathy Marshall of Marshall Whitman Design, also on Saturday.
Click here for ticket information.

Of course, I do not want to spoil your visit to the museum by giving too much away visually, so I will show you just a glimpse of what you will see in the 16 creatively decorated spaces at the show, along with sharing some great photos of our weekend guests!



Beautiful flowers by Lindsay Pollard
Arrangements of Hamilton
line the walkway and fill the museum.

Just some of the amazing behind the scenes crew who made the design show possible, including Honorary Show Chair Kevin O’Connor and his wife Kathleen. Special thanks goes to Lindsay Diehl, Executive Director; Christine Zampell, President; and Willa Worsfold, Council Co-chair. Not pictured: Lisa Bonneville, Consulting Designer.

Mary Donovan of First Oriental Rugs
(who matches my room perfectly!)

Stylish members of the Museum Council mingled with designers and other well-dressed visitors during Friday night’s jam-packed Preview Party ...

Participating designer/stylist Martha Sutyak
(on the right) with her friend, Irena.



Staged for a party: colorful and creative
details fill Martha’s fun-loving space.

Irena’s purse was pretty cool as well!

A corner of the elegant vignette by designer
Elizabeth Brosnan Hourihan of Carpenter & MacNeille
plus a close-up of her equally dazzling purse ...

Fashion designer Harper Della-Piana of Seams Couture with her mother, artist and gallery owner Elissa Della-Piana of Gallery Della-Piana. Here is a peek at the beautifully organic space that Elissa designed for the show ...




More vignettes from this year’s
North Shore Design Show talents:

Rich details fill the combined space of designers Gracyn Whitman and Kathy Marshall
of Marshall Whitman Design.

A jewel of a room inspired by the sea ...
Siemasko + Verbridge

A pair of vignettes from the warm and inviting space
designed by traditionally chic Honey Collins.

A charming powder room by Niles-Scott Interiors.

The table is set for a ladies’ luncheon by designer
Nanette Chandler of Interior Style, Brookline.

Unique pieces presented by Landry & Arcari

A stunning take on contemporary design
by Wilson Kelsey Design, Inc.

An engaging North Shore story is told in this vignette
designed by Patricia Finn of Finn-Martens Design.

A magical time of year is recreated in this room designed by Timeless Interiors of Prides Crossing.

An outdoor oasis designed by John Margolis, President of the Institute of Classical Architecture
& Classical America.

A traditional hunt tea designed with the equestrian in mind by Blue Peacock Home.

In vogue ... a reflective space designed by
Camille Garro Interiors.

I hope to see you at the show!

A special thank you goes to Paula Bakies of
Acorn Interiors for your professional assistance in creating the window treatments and upholstery for my space (I will post more photos of the entire room
after the show ; )

And thank you to the adorable Angela ...
my first visitor on Saturday morning (I could
not have cast a more perfect model!)

Stay tuned for some great design tips that I will post later this week from Sunday’s presentation by consulting designer Lisa Bonneville, shown here with Wenham Museum Executive Director Lindsay Diehl and yours truly ... xo yvonne