Arkansas, an escape like no other

Tags

American Grown, AR, Arkansas, Aromatique, bonnie plants, Crescent Garden, First Nature, Flexzilla, G2B15 Reunion, Jobes Organics, Little Rock, Moss Mountain Farm, P Allen Smith, PAllenSmith Hortus Ltd, Rowland, Sakata Home Grown, Stargazer Barn

A very special reunion occurred May 11-14.

There is a TV host and lifestyle guru named P Allen Smith. His vision led him to land on the Arkansas River, just outside Little Rock. There, five years ago, he began to invite garden bloggers from around the USA for a two-day intensive. I was lucky to go in 2013 and again last week for the five-year reunion.

P Allen Smith of TV and garden fame sharing his home and vision with his favorite garden bloggers outside Little Rock, Arkansas (pallensmith.com)

as a group we did a lot of hugging and chatting…

Allen greets us all

even the girls (and Amos, jr.) came strolling in to see what all the activity was about

we toured Moss Mountain Farm’s main residence and admired the flowers from sponsors American Grown (americangrownflowers.org)

what inspiration at Moss Mountain Farm!

everyone enjoys the vistas from the rear porches…

Mr. Duncan, the resident Scottie, was front and center and a hoot in the garden

the lower level of Allen’s residence was a treat to stroll showing his innate ability to create a charming home

while strolling the gardens, Allen shared his latest successes ~ quite an education!

views like this are everywhere

while around the farm, critters galore. Allen’s heritage conservation program of endangered breeds is laudable

one of the Anatolian shepherds cools off in a field trough while guarding the White Dorper sheep

Allen’s one-acre veggie garden evolves with bounty and creativity

a pair of Mute Swans set the stage for a funny story Allen delivered later that evening during Tales from the South live broadcast

heritage roosters feeling their oats and making an impressive show

a flock of White Dorpers from Africa and their soft and cuddly babes enjoy the bounty at Moss Mountain Farm

while back in Little Rock, John from Little Rock Convention & Visitors Center gave us an impressive walking tour of Main Street

facades of Little Rock’s history on Main Street

the Little Rock (little rock.com) architectural details are another story

we even met the Mayor of Little Rock who explained the impressive downtown restoration projects

impressive permeable pavers and water collection program along Main Street, Little Rock

the historic Little Rock trolley ride was fun for all

more beautiful flowers from American Grown

I had to give one of the Big Sisters at Moss Mountain Farm a hug, as this Post Oak is 350 years old. There are three on this property. 

this presentation by Corbin and Rachel from Flexzilla (flexzilla.com) was informative and entertaining. Legacy Manufacturing Company invented this fantastic hose…every garden should have at least one.

Allen worked with Legacy to offer a Watercolors Collection of colorful Flexzilla hoses

Crescent Garden (crescentgarden.com) wowed us with their products of functional containers loaded with style

Crescent Garden’s jazzy planter…one of many

Lois Chaplin and her wonderful, knowledgeable team always make for an educational presentation (bonnieplants.com) Make sure and download Bonnie Plants new garden ap…

Bonnie Plants since 1918 provides plant material to over 15,000 plant retailers around the USA

Meals were festive while American Grown and Stargazer Barn (stargazerbarn.com) were generous sponsors

two bloggers show off the fanciful garland headdresses at the final dinner

Jobes Organics blow me away every time they present their latest line of products…(easygardener.com)

Sakata Home Grown (sakatavegetables.com) breed and produce seed found in many garden centers and online ~ I am growing their Lilliput Melon and cayenne pepper this season. Notice the tall stand of asparagus just over Allen’s left shoulder…good eating in spring! Envy!

Allen and I in the one-acre veggie garden; a special friend in a special place

Special thanks to the city of Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Capital Hotel (capitalhotel.com), Kathleen Williford of American Grown; Steve, Carolyn, Will, and Netta of Aromatique (aromatique.com); Paula, Cesar and Mark of Crescent Garden; Joe from First Nature (firstnature.net); Corbin, Rachel and Andy of Flexzilla; Clemente, Jen, Martin, and Rebecca of Jobes Organics; Tracy and Alecia of Sakata Home Grown; and Bill from Stargazer Barn; and a huge shout out to P. Allen Smith Hortus Ltd, and Associates Staff for making this reunion one for the record books. You all inspire, educate and help provide for Allen’s magnificent Heritage Conservation Programs.  Anyone wishing to visit Moss Mountain Farm, simply go to the website for scheduling and special events at P. Allen Smith.com. Shop P.Allen Smith.com for Allen’s personal collection of online garden home gifts.

Copyright © 2015 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

~ this holiday it is all about the critters

Tags

Berry Family Nurseries, cats, charity, dogs, Holiday decor, P Allen Smith, seasonal greenery

Ask anyone who knows me or who follows this blog and they will tell you that
I am all about the critters.
Since Miss Kitty’s passing in May of 2011, I turned my critter affection out-of-doors.

Miss Kitty ~ my muse for eleven years

Over 1100 Monarch butterflies were raised in my Waystation since 2009.

female monarch ready for release

I became an official Bluebird Monitor and host adults as they rear their young.

nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage

During winter months, I feed, admire, and attempt to photograph
wild birds up close and personal.

handsome red bellied woodpecker

At the local shelter, I volunteer photo time so adoptees
have a better chance at a permanent home…

this pup is showing her holiday stuff at the SPCA

happy holidays and take me home!

This season is extra special, as P Allen Smith and Berry Family Nurseries
are offering to send assorted holiday greenery to the winning blogger’s charity.
This is Allen’s Holiday Cheer Challenge, and I need your vote to win!

Here’s the deal. Allen’s people will post this post (and many others) to his Pinterest Holiday page and the most number of likes or Pins will win the prize for the blogger’s charity. I am choosing Caring For Creatures, as this fabulous no-kill sanctuary could use the festive greenery for all visitors and staff to enjoy.
So if you have a Pinterest account, please click here to vote http://www.pinterest.com/pallen_smith/holiday-ideas/
Voting ends December 9.

chocolate spice wreath from P Allen Smith’s Holiday Collection

styled by moi with additional seed bells for the wild birds

During December, I will be wrapping gifts at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Barracks Road Shopping Center. Many volunteers will be there raising funds for both the CASPCA and Caring for Creatures. Stop by!

See, it is all about the critters this holiday season
here at Swallowtail Cottage! Thanks for your vote
and Happy Holidays!

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

a water feature added to the cottage landscape at moss mountain

Tags

Arkansas, bonnie plants, Cottage Home Challenge, HGTVGardens, Laguna Ponds, landscape design, Moss Mountain, P Allen Smith, pond installation, rain barrel, water features

How many of you watched P Allen Smith’s Garden Home Challenge on YouTube last summer? High goals were set in order to build a 1600SF cottage at Moss Mountain in 150 days for 150 thousand dollars. Yes, you read right. I was there, glued to every episode, taking notes, asking questions, as I too planned to build a small home with similar requisites. When the series came to an end, woeful me yearned to know the final details. Then came Allen’s invitation to join other garden bloggers at G2B13 May 6-9. My ultimate wish granted, I traveled to Little Rock, and soon was at the cottage threshold with Allen as host!

Allen welcomes G2B13 attendees to the Garden Home Cottage

Front door of the cottage

side pergola leading to lower garden

rain barrel at porch corner

rear deck from lower yard

Laguna constructing cottage water feature

overnight 1500 gallons of water flowed into the pond

Laguna makes installation appear simple

Byron Ford from Bonnie Plants is having fun during the pond installation while Janet Carson looks on

Allen applauds as water flows for the first time

Mallory Colliflower from HGTVGardens holds an aqua plant floatation ring

rear porch view of completed water feature. Allen will design a landscape around and below this site

one year later ~ fully landscaped Laguna pond at the Moss Mountain Farm Cottage. Photo by Teresa Byington

another fully landscaped Laguna pond at Moss Mountain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpC_x5gqtnw&list=SP156AE490198B14C8 is the link to Allen’s brilliant Cottage Home Challenge. Check it out and see if you too can create an affordable, cozy, green abode. And if you are lucky, a Laguna pond may find its way to your home.

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

p allen smith’s petit masterpiece

Tags

Arkansas, Arkansas Govenor's Mansion, Arkansas Govenor's Mansion gardens, city space, community, first lady of Arkansas, intimate spaces, landscape design, P Allen Smith, P Allen Smith genius, quiet elegance, silk purse, The Original City Garden Home

Ever heard the expression, make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear?
During P Allen Smith’s G2B13 event this month, attendees were invited to stroll Allen’s original garden home gardens—his city home—a former derelict structure.
Allen purchased this “fixer-upper” for one dollar then relocated to its current location.
There are photos on Allen’s Facebook page showing this sad structure when it was slated for demolition. Indeed, only a person with broad vision could see its potential.
The following images convey the simple, yet quiet elegance created within this city space. Please enjoy.

Enter the original city home gardens of P Allen Smith

Allen explains the history of this renovation

Allen simplifies the complex nature of this home’s phoenix

here begins the lush presentation

intimate spaces or garden rooms

oh the boxwood

raised bed area ~ complex planning within such a small space

quiet vista in this early spring garden

potting shed

it’s all in the details

Allen manages a small greenhouse on this property

garden path guides the visitor

finishing touches

a place to ponder

Enjoy Allen’s design concept in his own words at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1surUk0qRWg

Not far away, another of Allen’s masterpieces awaited on a slightly larger scale—the Arkansas governor’s mansion gardens

State Seal of Arkansas

The first lady of Arkansas welcomes G2B13 garden bloggers and sings praises of Allen’s contribution to the mansion’s grounds

classic pyramidal structures like this obelisk add architectural interest

stately pergola detail

detail of mansion’s rear addition

transition into the gardens

waves of roses and boxwood ~ a classic combination

Allen and the resident German Shepard greet again

impressive vegetable gardens at the mansion

Allen’s signature garden details

impressive composting going on behind the scenes at the Arkansas governor’s mansion

Throughout this city tour, I was continuously reminded how Allen is a problem solver and an artist. Often these two abilities escape the same individual.
Whether the challenge is a modest residential city lot or a grand swath of landscape, Allen’s ability to perceive the entire project’s scope, deal with endless details, while transporting human scale and unending beauty, is inspiring if not downright genius.

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

moss mountain ~ a place for the soul

Tags

Arkansas, community, creativity, Garden2Blog2013, Heritage Poultry Conservancy, Moss Mountain, P Allen Smith, sustainable living

This post is dedicated to P Allen Smith for sharing his caring heart, exceptional vision, horticultural brilliance, and unparalleled hospitality.
Thank you Allen for a visit of a lifetime.

Please view this post on your large format viewer for full effect…

the farmhouse at Moss Mountain

P Allen Smith sharing his wisdom

take a stroll and see for yourself

wisteria allee

view from Allen’s studio

koi pond

structural obelisks line a pathway

layers of texture

path to Arkansas River

endless rose hedges

color in profusion

below the mighty Arkansas

octagon building inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

garden ornament creates a sense of whimsy

gateway to the formal rose garden

kitchen dependency

exterior view of rear porches

a 350 year old post oak at Moss Mountain. One of  three “big sisters” at the farm.

front porch detail and love the color of the benches and chairs…pimento from Benjamin Moore

entrance hall

kitchen detail

mud room detail

view from second floor porch

main floor porch detail

bathing luxury on second floor porch

second floor landing

MBR detail

guest bedroom

guest room detail

intimate, charming spaces

Allen loves his poultry

one handsome rooster at Moss Mountain ~ Amos

sunbathing beauty

what flexibility!

Allen educates and inspires

can you feel the love?

Oreo feeling the love at Moss Mountain

someone’s lovin’ life!

detail of Allen’s one-acre veggie garden

Allen strolls his garden

details, details

white dorper sheep from Africa

Trudy ~ a rescue from a lab in Canada

Moose the mooch

a few of the handsome Heritage breeds

Giant Dewlap Toulouse geese ~ an old French breed, enjoy life at Moss Mountain Farm

Allen conveys the importance of preserving endangered heritage poultry breeds

dinner bell

one blogger’s repose at Moss Mountain ~ Barbara Wise

following many fine meals and lively conversation, we bid Moss Mountain adieu

day’s end at Moss Mountain

In addition to the activities listed above, Garden2Blog13 was chocked full of fun including a tour of the Governor’s Mansion gardens designed by Allen, a tour of Allen’s city home gardens https://dianelasauce.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/p-allen-smiths-small-masterpiece/, and Laguna’s construction of a water feature at Moss Mountain’s Cottage Home https://dianelasauce.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/a-water-feature-added-to-the-cottage-landscape-at-moss-mountain/. Additionally, Troy-Bilt, Bonnie Plants, Jobe’s Organics, The Seed Keeper Company, Star Roses and Plants, Berry Family of Nurseries and LeCreuset added valuable lessons and fine dining for all the G2B13 attendees.

Allen’s highly professional support staff guided us throughout our stay, filling us with radiance and awe that will continue to inspire us and our gardens to come.
My final thought is you have not lived until you visit Moss Mountain.

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

just had to share…

Tags

bluebird nestlings, nature, nesting bluebirds, overcast skies, P Allen Smith, platform feeder, precious ones, virginia countryside

These are two quick photos of the bluebird nestlings here at Swallowtail Cottage—they are only a few days old. Still cold here with overcast skies, yet mealworms are keeping both adults and chicks healthy. Yay!
Just had to share…

Bluebird nestlings all snug in their box–five in all

Just bits of fuzz on their bodies. Adult female must keep them warm until nestlings are older and have feathers

Off to Arkansas in the morning while my neighbor becomes guardian of these precious ones until I return on Thursday. Some critter was in the garden overnight and attempted to turn over the platform feeder just across the lawn from this box. I suspect a cat, possum or skunk…I may lose sleep over this one.
Simply click on the images to view larger for a closer peep…

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

FYI ~ going to arkansas

Tags

Arkansas, blog award, Garden Home Challenge, Garden2Blog2013, Moss Mountain Farm, P Allen Smith

winter in Albemarle

It is official. I would like to share some lovely news with my followers. P Allen Smith, TV host, author, brilliant garden designer, and lifestyle expert selected my blog home, garden, life as one of his Garden2Blog 2013 guests. I am invited by his wonderful staff for an all expense paid trip to Arkansas where I will have the marvelous opportunity to see both his city and farm residences the early part of May. There, during a two-day intensive, I will meet former selects of this honor and newbies like myself. This will be garden blogger heaven!

Invited this year to join P Allen Smith and his talented group of garden bloggers!

We will lunch at the Governor’s Mansion then tour Allen’s fabulous two homes—his city dwelling reclaimed and moved to its current site, Moss Mountain Farm, a sustainable Greek Revival home built by Allen on a six-hundred acre parcel above the Arkansas River, as well as the newly completed Moss Mountain cottage project featured in one-hundred fifty segments on YouTube this past summer.

Over the years Allen has inspired me in numerous ways. I so look forward to the intensive workshops scheduled for day two and I am confidant I will learn so much from the blogger forum. In advance I send thanks to all his people who are making this happen. Allen is a true steward in a multitude of ways, and it will be a pleasure to meet him in person.

Stay tuned as I will take a gazillion photographs to share when I return. In the meantime, check out P Allen Smith on the web at http://pallensmith.com or on Facebook.

Happy weekend to you all! And remember I told you first! 😉

Diane

Christmas…time for downsizing

Tags

Buy Fresh Buy Local, Christmas, downsizing, Garden Home Cottage, Holiday decor, holiday maddness, home, lifestyle, nature, P Allen Smith, the meaning of home

simple holiday décor on the cottage

My dear cousin inspired today’s blog. Describing how she struggled with the artificial Christmas tree assembly (sans husband), the frustration of which dead bulb affected the entire string, and how this process was no longer a joy, I wondered why bother; after all she and hubby are now empty nesters.

I relate to this tale, as last year I cut a small stray cedar at a nearby farm, hauled it home, dragged out all the accoutrements, and as I hung the decades old ornaments, realized that I no longer connected with this ritual. Three days later, I deconstructed the tree, wound all the lights into tidy bundles, bagged the ornaments that no longer held meaning, and donated the lot to the animal shelter in time for their holiday sale.

Christmas can be a time for renewal as well as a time for rebirth. Out with dated habits and in with new inspired traditions is my mantra. The suggestion to my cousin— make a list of current rituals that no longer hold meaning—the volunteering that no longer sparks passion—the chores that are dull—and make a new list—one that inspires good will and creative exploration—a direction intended to spread one’s light on the world.

Therefore this season, with fresh eyes and heart, I erected a small everlasting iron tree form in my bay window where I hung the remaining ornaments that hold meaning. Simple yet eternal—not the extravagant decorations of magazines, yet tiny snippets of my past that inspire moments of contentment.

everlasting tree with ornaments that hold meaning and a handmade felt tree skirt repurposed in the bay window

Here in the United States, I am annually horrified by the manic holiday season which is driven by the retail monster. Long before Thanksgiving, our senses are dulled by a push to spend, spend, spend. Most Americans do not have much to spend, yet are herded by traditions that perhaps are long past obsolete.

I opted out of this madness decades ago and choose instead to create a few tokens of affection and appreciation of my making. No outsourcing here.

Homemade, homegrown, home.

May your season be blessed with true meaning.

Copyright © 2012 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved