A cloudy, wet start to the week here in the Carondelet Garden.  More than two inches of rain fell last night and the Garden is fully saturated right now.  There are still a few sprinkles about with partly cloudy skies expected throughout the rest of the day.  Thank goodness I snapped this shot of our border garden yesterday to give me a bit of a PickMeUp.

"Into each life a little rain must fall." is a quote from the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  This is especially appropriate for gardeners.  It can't be balmy days and summer roses every day.  The exultations of Spring are brief, and the fireworks of Autumn are fleeting.  There must be downs so that we can properly appreciate the ups.  So let the rains fall.  Let the clouds roll by.  The sun'll come out tomorrow!

A good day for a cup of tea, a snooze on the couch, a good book and a puppy snuggled beside.  Be good to yourself on this last Monday in April.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

A bit of a mixed weather bag today in South Saint Louis.  Clouds, some rain, a bit of sunshine, more rain and even some thunder on occasion.  We should see mostly cloudy skies with some rain around this afternoon.  The freshly planted Dahlias will love the heavenly moisture.

Is there a more lovely flower than a Dahlia?  If you have ever been to a state fair, you have probably seen a pavilion filled with exotic and amazing dahlia blossoms. These hugely varietal flowers are a collector’s dream, with little starburst blooms to plate-sized flowers in every hue imaginable. Dahlias are relatively sturdy plants if grown in the right lighting, heat, and soil.  Even though we are now in Zone 7a here in the Carondelet Garden I still take up my Dahlias every Fall and then repot them in Spring to let them grow on and finally plant them into the parterre garden.  They went into the ground this week and are coming along quite nicely.  Looking forward to seeing them come into their full glory!

These past few days I have truly felt the throbbing of time more and more acutely.  There is nothing like adding a new puppy to this old man's life to remind him just how old he really is.  I feel it in my bones.  The aches and pains of getting up and down with the wee one.  Playing and trying to run around and chase has really taken its toll the past few days.  The lack of sleep has been a bit rough, but I am finally realizing that fighting it is simply making me even more tired.  I am trying to still myself and stay calm.  Maybe, I simply need rest more than I need sleep.  

It's a good day for a nap.  Fresh lettuce has been picked for a lovely afternoon salad.  Nothing tastes better than home-grown.  It's a good day for a bit of rest.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

A beautiful morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  The sun is shining, the fog has lifted, and the skies are a brilliant blue.  The sunny skies should stick around all day long with highs in the lower 70s.  A beautiful day to be out in the garden.

The rain yesterday was certainly appreciated.  The newly planted plants are looking very perky this morning after the heavenly moisture came and nourished the garden.  Isn't it amazing the difference between the water we can provide out of the spigot and the water that rains down from the heavens?  There is no comparison.  The plants simply soak it up so much more, not to mention the added nutrients.  

The Carondelet Garden is 35 years old this year.  It is rare now for folks to stay in same place for a long time, but continuity produces a tangible effect in a garden.  We love planting slow, steady, sustaining things in the garden.  In the garden, at least, if in no other parts of our lives, we can dream of a future filled with glory and goodness.

The foliage in and around us is a rich emerald green right now.  Filled with hope and promise.  Add a bit of faith and love and you have a recipe for success.  I hope you have a bit of faith, hope and love this Wednesday in April.  Be good to yourself and kind as well.  That is all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

Happy Earth Day everyone!  Bonny Doon the Garden Doodle is enjoying the sunshine on this bright, beautiful Monday morning in South Saint Louis.  It looks like the sun will be around all day with highs in the lower 70s.  A beautiful day for a bit of gardening.

I've heard it said that you take to gardening because it's cheaper than a shrink.  I would agree and add the need for a gardening companion.  My little Garden Doodle is quickly changing the way I do things.  I'm already a slow gardener but now I'm also a watchful one as well.  I have to take the time to watch for the little fur ball.  I need to be sure she is not into mischief but also make sure she is enjoying learning her new world.  I also need to remember to enjoy the process as well.  These puppy days go by so fast.  We long for a fully restful night but we also love the goofiness of a puppy in full play mode.  

It's Earth Day!  Chill out. Relax. Observe.  Like life, the point of gardening is the doing of it, not the having got it done part.  One more piece of the puzzle:  Chill out. Relax. Observe. ENJOY!  Take the time to enjoy yourself.  Time is a precious gift.  Let's enjoy every moment.  Truly live every moment.  As Auntie Mame would say, "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death."  Feast on joy this Earth Day 2024!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

A chilly start to the day here in the Carondelet Garden.  After several days of 80-plus degrees we are feeling a bit like April again.  The skies are partly cloudy today with highs in the mid-60s.  More seasonable temperatures for the next few days.  This is actually perfect weather for any heavy lifting jobs in the garden, so there are no complaints from this old man!

Today is National Garlic Day.  I cannot think of anything that deserves to be celebrated more than garlic.  I also believe that nothing tastes better than the garlic you grow yourself.  Garlic is a magical plant that is really pretty easy to grow.  We plant the cloves in late Fall in a dedicated bed and cover with a fairly thick layer of straw and wait.  The bulbs will be ready for harvest sometime after Independence Day.  This is a picture of my 'Music' garlic from last July.  I'm already looking forward to my harvest this year!  

I am a total believer in Slow Gardening.  We often hear of the Slow Food movement.  I believe in the Slow Gardening movement.  Mostly because I move a bit slower now and have more time to stop and smell the roses.  This is the time to simply relax and observe.  Take the time admire the was a seedling pushes itself up through the earth, its back humped into a croquet hoop with the effort.  Even if it's a seedling of a weed, its sheer tenacity is a miracle of endurance.  Grow something from seed.  If it's useful like lettuce, so much the better.  Train a clematis.  Plant a perennial.  Enjoy the process and reap the rewards.  Slow down, relax and watch in wonder.  Listen to the pretty!  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

It is a sunny start to the day here in the Carondelet Garden.  Another beautiful sunrise this morning in the skies over South Saint Louis.  The highs should reach the lower 80s with some hefty winds again today but nothing like yesterday.  

A perfect day for gardening.  The Dahlias have been potted up for several weeks and are ready to put out into the parterre garden.  We have added several more to the mix this year and I am looking forward to witnessing the beautiful blossoms this summer.  

I've slowly realized as I've gotten a bit older and a bit slower that my garden teaches a generous gentleness.  Toward myself. Toward nature. Toward those around me, and, eventually, toward my city, my country and the world.  We all need to be a bit gentler with ourselves and others, especially the way things are right now.  

The garden doodle and I have already puttered around the garden harvesting some of the Buttercrisp Lettuce in the cold frame.  Another delicious salad on tap for this Wednesday in the Carondelet Kitchen.  

It's a good day to be a bit gentler and kinder to yourself and others as you travel about on your journey today.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

A bright, sunny morning here in the Carondelet Garden in South Saint Louis.  It should be another warm day for mid-April.  A slight chance for a stray shower or thunderstorm is possible.  The high should reach near 90-degrees again today.  Definitely a warm day here in the Midwest.

The Garden Doodle is settling into her work.  She was quite the little helper in removing the empty plastic pots after we planted our herbs this past weekend.  She is a little love bug and we are truly smitten with our little girl.

One thing I've learned as an old man is that optimism is the essential tool in the gardener's toolkit.  The real point to a garden is to increase the value of our lives.  This little plot of land gives us the very best chance of fitting ourselves into this world that cities can often make us forget.  A garden locks us into the slow, inevitable rolling out of the seasons along with the cycle of growth and decay, the lengthening of shadows.  It brings us into the world of creation and a bit closer to the one who created it all.  

A bit of thanksgiving, a bit of faith, some optimism and hope on this Monday morning in mid-April.  Be good to yourself and kind as well.  It's a good day for a good day.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

Sunny skies this morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  It is definitely windy with gusts occasionally over 40 mph.  The sunny skies should last all day with highs in the upper 60s.

We waited quite a while before deciding to adopt another puppy after we lost our little Doodle Dog over a year ago.  To be truthful, I wasn't sure I wanted to risk the hurt again.  But this little bundle of fur became available and there was nothing I could do.  She had to become part of the Cozy Carondelet Cottage.  Let me introduce our sweet little Bonny Doon the Garden Doodle.  

They say that there's nothing better for your mental or physical well-being than fresh air and a dog.  I couldn't agree more.  Although I did forget what it was like on their first night home.  Needless to say, I am a weary old man this morning.  Weary but filled with love!

Bonny has already become very well acquainted with the back garden.  I'm sure my very small lawn will take a beating, but that is the price we pay.  A small price to be sure!

It's a good day for good day.  A lot of love from a little furball.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

A few sprinkles around this morning in the Carondelet Garden.  The forecast calls for rain this afternoon with the possibility of a lot of rain tonight with rain into tomorrow.  Looks like a wet mid-week here in South Saint Louis.  

The Lilacs are looking lovely out in the back garden.  Just beginning to open you can start to smell the amazing fragrance and are transported into the perfect perfume of Springtime.  Lilacs are a joy unspeakable.  They last such a short time but the aroma is a memory forever!

It is our job to celebrate creation wherever we are.  No matter where you look there is something beautiful and amazing to behold.  Beauty draws us in.  Nature in all of its glory is drawing us in to what is, indeed, holy.  We are longing for creation as it was meant to be.  We long for it and yet, here it is, waiting for us to open our eyes, our ears, and our nostrils to breathe in the beauty that is there undiscovered until we are ready to truly experience it.  

It is a good day for a good cup of coffee, a good book and some lovely music playing softly in the background.  Be good to yourself this mid-week morning.  Be careful when the rains come.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.

Oh, what a beautiful morning here in the Carondelet Garden.  I woke to the bird singing their song just before dawn this morning.  Some would be upset by the "noise," but this old gardener considers it the song of Spring!  The weather today looks to be outstanding.  Sun with a few clouds mixed in.  Warm with highs in the low 80s.  It looks like perfect eclipse viewing here in Missouri.

Most of the Spring bulbs have finished their glory but this little Hyacinth is hanging in and sharing her glory this Monday in April.  Spring bulbs are the balm we need after a long Winter. The tulips are hanging in there and the lilac is stunning right now. A glorious time to visit the garden in the morning.  

At this point in my life, I am trying to live the questions instead of avoiding them.  I have so many questions.  Yet, I would rather approach life with a certain fascination instead of fear.  The temptation in our world today is to live superficially.  Instead, I want to dig in, striving to live with the depth.  Striving to see deeply, feel deeply, think deeply, pray deeply, and, above all, love deeply.  I'm working on taking in those things that happen in my life in such a way that the ordinary becomes the extraordinary.  Love breaks through!

It is a glorious day for a bit of faith, hope and love.  Share a bit of each today as you travel about.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.