Hello,
October is Mental Health Awareness month. I don’t generally pay much attention to the flavor-of-the-month but my friends, mental health challenges are near and dear to this human who has managed (and sometimes not managed) depression for more than 35 years. I am committed to removing stigma and showing compassion to people who suffer. Please, check in on your people, especially so right now when the world is in such pain.
Tending
Today, extraordinary human and environmental loss and devastation is laid bare, raw, and intense. British theologian and novelist, Charles Williams wrote of “substituted love”—the notion that through acts of love we can ease the anxiety and even physical pain of others, whether they are family and friends, or unknown strangers. We all have the capacity to hold a thought, a loved one, even our flawed world, up to the light to see how it shines. — from my book, Color In and Out of the Garden.
I’m so glad you’re here,
xo Lorene
Naming Colors
October 4, 2023
The Sungolds are bowing out for the season. Not my finest tomato harvest by a long shot. But there must be something in the turning of the calendar to October that wipes my sparrow-like memory of this year and I begin to plan for next.
October 5, 2023
Blue is elusive. My paints want to granulate, which is fine if you’re lapis lazuli. Not as much if you’re trying to match ‘Heavely Blue’ — always worth the wait until late September for the first blooms to arrive.
Bluebird skies, today, tomorrow and the next.
October 6, 2023
Sometimes I sit down to paint with rough edges and the untethered energy rattles me. So I start over and paint a grid—> Then I try to blur my vision and find the middle ground.
Aster ‘Calliope’ has jet black stems that reach to at least 6’ tall. My plants swoon about resting on the support of nearby rugosa roses and fall grasses. A late season treasure in October.
October 7, 2023
A bean fashion show
Also showing in the 2023 collection, an elegant presentation in a demure and delicious color way—ivory, cream, and soft peach. Sorana, now called Pescia, is an enduring variety from Uprising Seeds.
October 8, 2023
Lancewood, also known as horoeka (Pseudopanax crassifolious) is a New Zealand native tree with a spectacular Seussian serrated profile. Love me some alliteration. Located at the foot of the entry steps in the front garden, this strikingly awkward plant demands attention in delicious shades of brown: coffee, Hershey, dark chocolate, clove, black pepper, tea, burnt crust, toffee, brown sugar — more please!
October 9, 2023
A garden watercolor—it’s even in the name: Hydra-ngea
October 10, 2023
Planted in 2003, a clump of three Katsura trees dominate the view beyond the windows of my living room. I begin every morning in this corner of the couch in their company, a delicious soft start to the day.
Even better, October turns the leaves to butterscotch and fills the front garden with the fragrance of brown sugar✨
Thank you for reading a handmade garden, a weekly dose of natural color and observations delivered to your inbox. To show my appreciation, I’m offering discounted subscriptions through the end of October.
In the Store
YAY!!! All calendar preorders have been packaged up and are on their way to you! Thank you so much for supporting this project — I look forward to it all year. If you haven’t ordered your 2024 calendar, there’s still time and, more importantly remaining inventory.