Broken can be beautiful.

Life is messy and sometimes things get broken. And since we live in a disposable society it seems easier to just discard what has been damaged. But I would encourage you to reconsider. Whatever might be broken, whether a plate or a promise, can often be restored. 

I am especially taken with the idea of kintsugi. Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that takes broken ceramics and “glues” them back together with gold. The resulting piece, in the end, is actually MORE beautiful than its original. (see the picture above).

What about us, as gardeners? Can we take broken things and give them a second life? I was thinking that over and a few examples came to mind. 

Broken branches don’t need to go in the compost pile they can become plant stakes. Use broken china mixed with cement, to create beautiful steppingstones into your garden. Broken mirrors can be placed under plants like hellebore to reveal their beautiful drooping flowers. Use a Sharpie on pieces of broken terra cotta pots to create plant markers. Broken (aka runned) nylons make wonderful and soft plant ties. These are especially great for tomato plants. They can also be used like a sling to hold heavier fruits and veggies like watermelon and squash. Broken keys or silverware can be made into mobiles for the garden. A rake head with no handle can be nailed to the shed wall and used as a tool hanger. Finally, a broken umbrella can be used to shade new transplants or remove the nylon covering and allow climbers to scramble up the individual ribs.

I hope I have encouraged you to see a new use in broken things. It is not only the green way to go it can make your garden a more beautiful place.

Thank you…and silk flowers.

This spring has been one for the records as far as I am concerned. Busier than ever. The kind of busy where you lie in bed at night and start to list the things you still have to do until you get so agitated that you get up and start doing them. Even if it’s 3AM. A very dear Aunt passed away in March and I am the Executor of her extensive estate which added quite a bit more to my to-do list. At times I felt completely overwhelmed as I sat in on Zoom meetings with her legal and financial team. Latin names and flowers I understand. Legal terms…not so much. Did you know a Qtip isn’t just for after a shower but is actually a type of trust? 

A huge thank you to everyone who was patient with me this season. Thank you to those who extended grace when I was not as responsive to emails or phone calls. Thank you to those who forgave me when I forgot a plant or two. Thank you to those who offered me a cup of tea when I looked tired. And thanks also to a great team (shout out to Amy and Lauren) who had my back during the crazy times and even the times when I was cranky. Mea culpa.  

For those of you who might have heard me present my talk on container gardening you might remember my discussion of silk flowers and how they should not be used in containers. You might also recall that I had an Aunt who used them anyway. Well, that was my Aunt Mary who passed away. She has quite a few nice silk flowers that I will not be using in containers – they need a good home. If you know of an organization that might want them, please send me an email.

Big News!

I finally have the shed I have been dreaming of for years. Thanks so much to Post Woodworking out of New Hampshire for the beautiful work and great attention to detail. They were a pleasure to work with. 

This is less of a shed and more of a workshop where I will be crafting, designing, filming tutorials and holding the occasional DIY class. My husband wondered where the lawnmower would go and I said, “the old shed!”

This new space is a work in progress and if you have been reading along you know it has been too busy for me to yet accomplish all I would like. First off, is a coat of white paint for the interior. Next will be slate-look vinyl flooring. Then will come shelving, etc. etc.

For now, I just sit inside on the lone wicker chair, and dream.

I miss hugs.

I miss hugs. I never realized until COVID but I am a hugger. When I see friends I inevitably hug them; it can be pretty humorous when my large 5’10” body pretty much engulfs one of my more petite friends. When I see neighbors I typically hug them. Co-workers and those I know in the business also get hugs. Family goes without saying. When I hug someone, it means I like them and am really glad to see them. Now that I can’t hug it’s hard to convey the same feeling. Lord knows I can’t even give them a huge smile because I have a mask covering my mouth. I try to crinkle my eyes a lot so they know my smile is extra-large but they probably think I am squinting! I miss going out to dinner, to the movies, to gardening events but not as much as I miss hugs.

One of the original family therapists Virginia Satir once said, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” 

There are so many health benefits to hugging and touch in general (just Google it and you will see what I mean). Hugging and touch can decrease anxiety among other things. During a hug, which should be held for 20 seconds for maximum benefit, we release oxytocin, a hormone that relaxes us and lessens anxiety. It’s often called the “cuddle hormone,” and when it’s released during these longer hugs it can effectively lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Seems ironic that during an incredibly stressful year we are unable to turn to something that can actually help. Maybe that’s why alcohol and drug use are up.

I am grateful for my son who, like me, is a hugger. If you have those in your bubble that you can hug I encourage you to do so. It really is good medicine.

Let me introduce myself.

I realize I have been in business for 17 years now and while many of you know me and have been with me since the beginning (thank you!) there are so many who don’t know my story. As I gain more and more followers I thought I’d stop and reiterate who I am and what The Captured Garden is. 

In my life BC (before children) I was in marketing. More accurately I was an advertising copywriter. I loved the fast-paced creative environment. Days were long but laughter was abundant. Then came kids. (BTW two of the most wonderful humans you could ever meet). I realized early on that I wanted to stay home and be with them and my husband agreed. I had grown up in a family of gardeners and as we bought our first home, and the children became more independent, I found myself gardening more. I especially loved container gardening which I found a perfect fit for my busy lifestyle. Neighbors began to notice my windowboxes and ask for help with theirs and a seed began to grow. After talking it over with my husband we decided I should start a small business. 

People often ask where I came up with the name The Captured Garden and I answer, “Prayer.” And it’s true; I am a praying woman and I have a strong faith. I knew if this venture was from God He would have to be the CEO.  Lots of ideas for names crammed my brain but driving over the Tobin Bridge “The Captured Garden” came to me and it stuck. Over time my unusual container gardens prompted clients to ask me about garden design. I became a Master Gardener, MCH and MCLP to learn as much as I could.

Fast forward a few years and I have been blessed with opportunities to speak at Flower Shows, Garden Clubs and Symposiums. Now I am finding a whole new audience through Zoom presentations. I find that I LOVE sharing my passion, whether live or virtually. Today The Captured Garden is a business with three distinct segments: container gardening, garden design and garden presentations.

On a personal note, my first love will always be the Lord. A close second is my family. If you ask my children what my mantra is, they will tell you “Faith and family”. When making decisions these are the two criteria: it must be pleasing to God and good for the family. I also love animals, Masterpiece Theatre (especially Downton Abby and Poldark), long walks in the reservation behind our home and a nice glass of red wine. I love hugs, but you already know that if you have been reading this newsletter. I prefer the warm weather over the cold weather and my favorite month is May. Favorite color is green. I am a beekeeper which has really impacted how I garden and inspired my presentation “Beauty and the Bees”. Finally, if I could have a superpower it would be super speed because then I might actually accomplish everything on my to-do list!

Ultimately, I am sure I am like many of you. Just a simple gardener who is happiest when her hands are in the dirt.

Happiness is just two feet away.

Among all the great questions – “why are we here?” “is there life on other planets?” “what happens after we die?” I believe there is another we have yet to ask – “why did we stop skipping?”

The other day as I was out running errands I stopped at a light and, because it was a long light, I had time to look around, or “observate”, as my brother often teases. There were the young moms clutching their coffees, the store window signs that heralded “We’re open”, the teenagers in the Jeep next to me with the music too loud. I was just about to give them the evil eye because they were texting when something caught my eye. Two young boys, ice cream cones in hand, were skipping down the sidewalk. Skipping. As in see how high you can get your knees up, laugh -out-loud skipping. I watched as their father tried to keep up and started giggling. Didn’t he know that walking, even fast walking, can never trump skipping. Skipping is so much faster and more fun. And then I remembered when I used to skip. At first it was difficult and required me to really practice and pay attention. Kind of like when I try and do “the floss” dance move!

For some reason over time we have stopped skipping but I wonder what would happen if we started back again. I dare you to try and skip without smiling; it can’t be done. And for better or worse I bet when people see you skipping, they will smile. We have so many things to bring us down and as a result many of us move about in a depressed Eeyore-like shuffle that is worse than a teenager on the first day of school. To lighten our mood, we don’t need more drugs, we don’t need more time at the gym, we don’t need anything else that promises to make us happy. I think what we really need is just two feet away.