Loading ...Pond Perspective
How to add pizzazz to your landscape with a fish pond—or a pondless waterfall.
When homeowners think about improving their landscape, they often focus on how to make their lawn look better, or perhaps how to make their home look more appealing with new foundation plantings. Read more…
- Posted in Gardens, Landscaping, Nature
Hydrangea Days
Pink, green, purple, white, red. Dwarf, tree, shrub, and climbing. Besides the classic blue beauties, there’s a hydrangea out there for every landscape.
Hydrangeas have long been loved as Cape Cod’s quintessential flower, ever since Martha Stewart shared her affection for the flowering shrub with the world in the 1980s. Read more…
True Cape Roots
Eastham turnips—those savory, violet-tinged staples of the holiday dinner table—have origins deeper than the soil.
Abbott Schafer Knowles started farming turnips just about as soon as he could walk. He was born in one of the old farmhouses on Locust Road in Eastham in 1905, and he came from a long line of Knowles men—farmers, mostly, and a few nefarious characters dabbling in moonshine. The Knowles farmed turnips. So did the Nickersons and the Kings and the Bracketts. Especially the Bracketts. Until suddenly, they didn’t. Read more…
Harvest Home
As I write this in early August, my vegetable garden is about to burst with tomatoes, squash, and basil. I have so many cucumbers that I plan to make jars of sweet pickles to give to out-of-town guests when they arrive on the Cape for our son’s September wedding. I will also be harvesting some sunflowers for the wedding—one variety that we planted is so tall it towers over my head. It has been an amazing summer for gardening—day after day of warm sunshine, followed by brief cooling showers. It is a perfect recipe for garden plentitude. Read more…
- Posted in Gardens, Susan Dewey's Blog
Flowering containers abound in the summer on Nantucket. Whether on the island’s famous Main Street or tucked away in winding alleyways, color and texture jump out from the deep shaded lawns of captain’s mansions or accent the plain faces of historic yet modest shingled homes.
The Wonderful Windowbox
Colorful windowboxes provide touches of beauty to homes and businesses all season long.
One of the joys of summer on Nantucket is the beautiful windowboxes decorating homes on nearly every street. Displays of gorgeous color come alive as soon as the daffodils come into bloom during the island’s annual April Daffodil Festival, when more than 50,000 bulbs burst forth all over this island, attracting visitors from near and far for a popular seaside festival.
Love In Bloom
From classic designs to seaside bouquets, Cape wedding floral ideas come alive on a visit with Verde Floral Designs in Mashpee Commons.
“Elegant, romantic, and traditional—or beachy, casual, and natural. Those are the words that I hear from Cape brides,” says Jeff Sawyer, owner of Verde Floral Designs. Jeff (in this case Jeff is a woman’s name!) has a passion for flowers—and Cape Cod. After 15 years of success in the corporate world, when she enjoyed the Cape as a getaway, Jeff opened a lovely Mashpee Commons shop where she is finally able to combine both her loves. She particularly enjoys working with Cape brides. “When I ask brides what atmosphere they want at their wedding they all have their own ideas—but almost every bride wants her flowers to reflect that special Cape Cod feeling,” says Jeff. Read more…
With Memorial Day right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking of light and easy meals created with fresh natural ingredients. We asked Cape Cod Life’s staff to share their favorite salad recipes to give you a head start on great summer salads!
In all seasons, a garden is one of the most life-affirming places on earth—so of course you want to get married there! Some choose a home landscape for their wedding site for this reason alone—others because it’s more personal or sentimental. Other brides decide on a garden wedding because of financial considerations. Those on Cape Cod often select a garden ceremony or rehearsal dinner because the outdoors are special here. Getting married where you can feel the sea breezes just seems appropriate for a Cape event. Read more…
- Posted in Gardens, Traditions, Weddings
When Cape Cod residents first plant their landscapes, many choose evergreen trees and shrubs believing that having foliage all year round is of prime importance. At some point, however, the realization sets in that their yard is a sea of green. Evergreens may have beautiful all-seasons foliage, but these monochromatic trees and shrubs don’t satisfy most humans’ innate desire for color. Read more…
