Found // 6 inspiring gardening videos

My husband is the master gardener of our family. The one dreaming up kitchen garden plans, planting perfectly straight rows of bush beans, and designing elaborate trellises for the cucumber plants from branches and posts he finds around the yard. 

But our first spring here at Woodlawn will be a little quieter on the gardening front. Mostly, we're spending this year weeding, pruning and sitting back to watch what emerges from the dormant gardens around the house. The surprise of a wisteria, slumped among the boxwoods. The twiggy bush outside my kitchen window blooming into a lilac. The hydrangea hiding outside the back porch. 

This spring is mostly about watching and waiting, and making as much room as we can for things to grow. Tidying up long-neglected flower beds. (And, dealing with outbreaks of poison ivy everywhere!) 

But we still look for inspiration. I owe many of these discoveries to my husband, who seems to have a knack for un-earthing long-forgotten television series. So with gardening season hitting full stride, I thought I'd share six must-watch gardening videos that will hopefully inspire your spring planting. Some have you stepping way back in time, but those lessons and reminders are timeless. Others inspire my modern-day gardening ideas and remind me of the joy in pulling those carrots or potatoes or cut flowers, straight from my own back yard. Enjoy.

1. Meet Your Urban Farmer | Victory Gardens // 2. Victorian Kitchen Garden | May

3. Fork to Fork | Potatoes, Carrots... // 4. The Wartime Kitchen Garden | Episode 1

5. Jamie Oliver at Home | Potatoes // 6. Geoff Hamilton | Parade Gardens

Woodlawn update // barn projects

Yesterday afternoon, while Birdy was napping, it suddenly occured to me that I hadn't heard from the girls for what was pushing two hours. Usually, I can hear them somewhere in the house. Or hear them outside the kitchen window. 

I walked outside and all was still quiet. Bikes strewn across the grass. A sweatshirt on the hood of my car. The usual troop of lounging barn cats were missing. No dog to greet me. I mean, let's be realistic. Usually in the span of two hours at least one person is coming inside to find me, usually in tears, usually arguing with her sister over something. At the very least, I expect someone to arrive with a bloody knee or skinned up elbows. 

My heart stirred a little. Did they go off hiking to the creek without asking me first? Did I give them permission to go off with someone and forgot? Were they up over the back hill? 

Click to read more ...

Things to discuss later

This weekend we had family in town visiting. In particular my two cousins and their little boys. Let's just say, my girls are pretty much baby crazy. We spent most of the weekend running a timer, making sure everyone had equal time holding and loving up on my cousin's baby. When there were tears this weekend, it was because someone wasn't giving someone else enough time with the baby. (Side note: I find the whole notion of "fairness" to be one of the most difficult parenting issues to wade through some times.)

Anyway, there was some serious withdrawal when the girls woke up Monday morning and it was just boring old me to hang out with. 

In the meantime, there are lots of good things going on in the background. Little by little we are settling in to Woodlwan. We've reached that dangerous point where we're functioning just fine each day, despite the boxes, bags and "things I don't know what to do with yet" languishing in closets, corners and that office/studio room that I'll someday put to use. But I'm trying to force myself to open one more box, or find a home for one more pile every day. It's slow going, but we're getting there. 

Totally unrrelated, and worth a post of it's own, I've been working on writing out a personal "mission" statement. It's one of those things I've heard of people doing and thought, hmmm that's a good idea. But I've never made time for it. Ever. A few nights ago, in a moment of inspiration, I sat down with my moleskine and started to write. Listen, people. The process was amazing. Writing down what I value? Putting my big picture priorities down on paper? It has been SO GOOD for me! Have you ever done it? But okay, I'm going to save it for another day, when it's not pushing eleven o'clock at night and my book and bed are calling for me. 

I've got a little barn project to share with all of you soon. Hopefully, tomorrow! 

Click to read more ...