Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life
This picture of sweet violets was taken with my iPhone: it’s a blessing to be able to have it with me for moments like these. The heart shaped leaves are scrolled up, perhaps  to funnel rain water down to the roots and the scented flowers are tiny but radiant. This is a quintessential cottage garden flower for me and I love to see posies made with them. Continue reading “Viola Odorata: Sweet Violets”
Fragrant lilies in a corner of the garden at Wollerton Old Hall against a backdrop of hedging,  roses and clematis. Wouldn’t a tumble of lilies make a great collective noun?
I wish I could share the heady, sweet, warm and complex scent of these voluptuous magnolias: sadly all I have is memories and photos. If you’ve inhaled their perfume in the past, try drawing on your scent memory as you look at the pictures – it works at least a little for me!  Continue reading “Magnolias: the scent of the South”
I’m writing this with a shiny face. My mother has some unusual allergies (including to blue dye) and I’ve inherited enough skin sensitivity to be cautious. So don’t buy me expensive formulas of soap, shower gel or bath stuff – I’m a Simple girl in more ways than one.
If I fancy a blissful, relaxing bath, I often swirl in a few drops of natural essential oils before stepping in – perhaps rose or neroli, which is made from the flowers of Seville oranges.
This kind of bliss isn’t just for girls – my initially highly skeptical sweetheart now loves this kind of pampering (though he prefers jasmine, sometimes called the King of Essential Oils).
These three natural perfumes are luxury purchases but I enjoy having this small way to harness the natural healing and soothing power of plants.
The garden is more of a miracle than we know. Continue reading “Bliss in a bottle”
Susan Rushton 