The Kingdom of the Three Rabbits

Three rabbits rule over my garden.

One sits on the front steps and welcomes visitors to the house. This rabbit was the first, a Christmas present long ago when my children were young. It is most wise. It watches the Front Garden and gives advice to woodland creatures that come on pilgrimage, including chipmunks, birds, squirrels, and, of course, rabbits. I like to gaze out the big windows in the living room, smiling at rabbits as they pause nearby the house, coming to worship the 'rabbit god', as my husband calls the piece of garden art. We once had many rabbits, before the foxes came and thinned them out. Even now rabbits use the front walkway as a route from one side of the house to the other.

The following photos were all taken this week in the Front Garden:

Another rabbit is cast iron and is the lesser of the ruling rabbits. It sits under a rose bush and has sway over the herb bed, the patio, and the vegetable plot. Despite the hard metal it is made of, it is a sweet rabbit and much too trusting, allowing all guests to pass by unchallenged on the way to goodies growing in the garden. I like this rusty rabbit. It is more of a pet than a guard. The following photos were taken around the patio and herb bed a little earlier this year, before most of the flowers retreated from the intense summer heat. The rabbit is covered with pollen because he likes to poke around in the surrounding flowers.

The third rabbit is the mightiest. It controls the Woodland Garden, standing proudly near the entrance to the woodlands. It never sleeps and is ever vigilant. All humans and animals must have his permission to enter. The woodland photos in the next two groups are recent, except for the one with the cat. It is last year's photo, but I included it because it shows the woodland rabbit doing his job.Note the invasive English ivy growing in the lower left photo, below. The gardener who built my house sixty years ago loved ivy and sprigged it here and there. This is what I have to contend with as the result. It's beautiful, but it smothers everything in its path.

I hope no one would consider my rabbits tacky, though I know it's all in the opinion of the beholder. I have no gnomes or garden fairies or statues of Greek gods, but throughout my gardens are various decorative objects: wind chimes, a couple of birdbaths, colorful pots, even an iron chandelier in the Lady Garden. With so much wildness of plant material, I think the garden needs an occasional punctuation mark for the space. Surely this would not qualify for a posting on LifesHighway, that blog that is a testament to tackiness. But even if so, I enjoy living in the Kingdom of the Three Rabbits. It is a happy kingdom.

Long live the rabbits!

For Whimsy and Romance

Lou was balanced on a ladder in the Lady Garden, stretching upward to hang a relatively heavy wrought iron chandelier from a tree branch.

I was down below, holding the ladder steady on the uneven ground so that he wouldn't fall, and more importantly, so that the ladder wouldn't tip over and crush a native azalea I have been nursing along for two years and which has finally begun to take hold.

"This isn't very practical," Lou said.

"Practical? Who said anything about practical? This is for fun. It's a whimsy. Why, it's for romance!"

With the word romance hanging in the air, Lou hushed his complaints and got into the spirit of the affair.

The chandelier is a new addition to the Lady Garden. It's not my fault I bought it. I was with friends when I found it, and they all insisted it would look fabulous in my garden and it was such a great buy, how could I pass it up? I would have walked away if I had been by myself, but, you know, they were right.

The chandelier holds six candles and is hanging between the arbor swing and a small but comfortable wooden bistro set, also a recent purchase. It is the perfect place for sitting with a relaxing drink and enjoying the sights and sounds of the Lady Garden and the surrounding area. Nesting bluebirds are nearby, as well as hawks and owls. Lou says he is looking forward to our date.

The Lady Garden, the newest addition to my gardens, is a feminine space with repetition of curves and flourishes. I raised three boys, so I think I am entitled! Echoing shapes, as well as materials and color, helps to unify a space. Below is a photo of the chandelier and a few other decorative touches in the Lady Garden.

This time of year the Lady Garden is surrounded by dogwoods and other flowering trees in bloom. Here are a few shots taken in and around the area:

I am waiting for most of the plantings in this area to mature, but a few colorful annuals add some color to the green shrubs and other plants.1st row: purple verbena; Cheilanthes argentea, my new favorite fern. 2nd row: boxwood; ajuga. 3rd row: decorative kale; osmanthus frangrans. 4th row: epimedium; pansies from the big box store.

Though life is serious business, I hope you will always leave a little place for whimsy, just for the fun of it, and for romance!

Note: I realize my last post also contained the word Romance in the title, but I just couldn't help it!