“Spring drew on…and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.” – From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Good morning dear friends and Happy Saint Patrick’s Day !  This time of year always finds me enjoying green.  The brown is slowly turning green, green shoots emerging everywhere, and the entire earth seems happy.  So today, I thought I would share a bit of nature’s color ~ both from the garden world, and interior spaces.  Grab your coffee, and come along. Perhaps, “In The Green” will speak to you. 

 

“I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.” ~ Ruth Stout

Something I love in a garden is a parterre.   If you are not familiar with parterres, they have their origins in France.  They are meant to represent, a garden within a garden.   While I no longer wish to care for one the size in this photo, I do have a small one in our garden, which I will share later in the spring.  They can be a joy to a gardener, because of the endless creative possibilities.  They can be designed to immediately show the treasures they hold or designed to slowly open, so as to reveal lovely things.  Often they contain spring blooms of daffodils and tulips, and pretty summer blooms of every description.  They can also be pretty and interesting when planted with delightful herbs and vegetables.  Parterres are also wonderful homes for roses too, as roses prefer to have their ankles hidden.  

“For still there are so many things that I have never seen:  In every wood, in every spring, there is a different green.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Moving along to interior spaces let’s go in the back door, and begin our tour in this wonderful garden room.  Truly, every gardener or floral designer dreams of having a room ~ a green room, with a great sink, shelves for vessels, cabinets for storage, and places to hang baskets and tools.

What a charming space to curl up and enjoy a nice coffee or tea.  Perhaps a great book, followed by a nap.

And who doesn’t love a cheerful dining area ?  This room would be spring in January, with its touches of green.

What a beautiful bathroom, dressed with a marvelous shade of green.  However, I believe the real beauty  of this room is in the design.  The entire look of the room  could be easily be changed,  simply by a different color selection of towels. To me, great design is when an area can be refreshed without significant cost or effort.

Have you read the book, “The Bee Cottage Story?”  The book was written by Frances Schultz, and it is about the renovation of her cottage in New York.  She was clearly  ‘In The Green’ as she made fabric selections for her lovely living room.  Schultz is also an interior designer, and often writes for House Beautiful magazine.

I too, found myself  ‘In The Green’ a few years ago when a category in a Standard Flower show needed filling.  For those of you who may not know ~ if all categories in a show are not filled the show is null and void.  This is not a good thing, as there is a tremendous amount of work and hours of planning that goes into a flower show.  But, back to me “In The Green” ~ my first thought was, “How in the world will I do an all green design?”  But, I did.  And, it won the Designers Choice Award and Best In Show Award. The plant material is: hydrangea, spider mum, bells of Ireland, English ivy, and curly willow.  The vase is green glass.

 

I hope you have enjoyed your time ‘In The Green.’  And, as it is Saint Patrick’s Day, I will leave you with one of my favorite Irish Blessings.

 

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.

May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.

May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue.

And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Know how much I appreciate your comments.

Wishing you and yours a beautiful day !

 

 

Au Revoir,

Sandra

 

 

Photos:  Pinterest, Michael Lambiotte, Veranda, House Beautiful and Country Living.