For those who celebrated Easter (I know I’m a bit late here), I hope your day was filled with family, food and flowers. We usually join Tom’s family for Easter brunch, and it is always a special gathering with pretty spring blooms and delicious food.
However, this past Easter we moved furniture up to our place in Maine. Thanks to Tom’s careful packing and planning, the move was pretty successful…except for one hiccup: our rental moving truck broke down en route. We ended up spending a night at a hotel off the highway and, the next day, moving the entire contents from one 24 foot truck to another 🙁 Thankfully the remainder of trip went much smoother. A special thanks to our friends Steve and Darlene for all of their help!
While I regroup and catch my breath, please enjoy the rest of the Southern Living photos of our garden.
These are of the blue garden, which I designed around a cool color palette of blues, lavenders and purples. Thanks so much to photographer Helen Norman for her lovely photos. And of course, many thanks to Southern Living magazine – especially garden editor Rebecca Bull Reed. If you missed part one, click here.
Cheers,
Loi
PS – Enjoy more photos as well as a garden plan here.
Your garden looks so lovely Loi! Hope everything is ok with your beautiful furniture and hope to see your home tour soon!
Have a great week!
Hugs,
Vesna.
Thanks, Vesna! The furniture made it to Maine safely 🙂
Gorgeous !!! Love a singular colour garden. Must be the OCD in me !! Mine's white …. Gardenias, David Austin roses, white Hydrangeas, white Penstemons. Oh, by the way Loi, thought you may be interested in a product I've had great success with for liming my floors. There product photos look a bit streaky but it looks fabulous in real life. God bless. Felicity
http://www.feastwatson.com.au/consumer/products/exterior/product-details/1533
Cool! Thanks so much for sharing, Felicity. I'll try to locate a U.S. stockist.
To feast my eyes upon the cool and calming tones of your blue garden is a superb way to begin my week Loi. Superb photos.
I am a huge fan of Cryptomeria's herringbone foliage. The Yoshinos are absolute beauties, very impressive.
It has been such a long time since we have grown Baptisia, I feel a little plant hunt is in order. I have always wanted to try my hand at dyeing fabric using Baptisia, I'm inspired again.
Wishing you a wonderful week.
Paul
Oooow !! I can spell …. really !!! Meant to read "Their" …. and the product is called Feast Watson Liming White Floor Finish x Felicity
No worries 🙂 Thanks, again, for sharing that!
So beautiful, cool and restful Loi…..absolutely stunning! Very inspiring. I too am introducing quite a bit of blue with my favourite white, here in our garden in Kent. Have a lovely week!
Sophia x
Hello Loi, Helen Norman does have a gift in photographing flowers. I love all the shades of blue. I also cannot wait to see the progress on the Maine front.
–Jim
Absolutely beautiful, Loi!! So happy you finally made it to Maine…can't wait to see your progress there! Have a lovely week!
Wonderful photos of your beautiful garden! Sorry to hear about the complications on the move to Maine, but so looking forward to seeing some photos!! Have a great week – xoxo, P
YOU are the Magic Man, Loi. How I love your world, your garden is perfect for me. Last year, I had nothing but white flowers against all my boxwoods. I wanted something that would glow under the moon, and my garden did indeed "sparkle." But I have got to get some blues into my garden this year. Unfortunately, our very hardy green velvet boxwood stressed out with this horrible winter, so I have a lot of clipping to do, but I love that part of my gardening chores! Every inch of your garden is lush and relaxing, and I just LOVE that you are featured in SL. Being featured like that couldn't happen to a nicer family….you and Tom must be SO EXCITED, despite the little bump in the road, about getting that new home ready for entertaining and just flopping down and enjoying the peace of it.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU our dear friend! Anita
a real treat, loi. I especially liked seeing your majestic Cryptomeria trees. we added a row about 12 years ago and have been so happy with them. donna
Hi Loi,
Happy belated Easter; what an adventure! Your garden is beautiful; such a sanctuary of complementary hues that make pretty and peaceful views! Can't wait to see the progress in Maine!
xx
Poppy
your garden is such a dream come true! i need to see it in person one of these days! 🙂 my mom is an avid gardener and would love it!
Loi, What a dream garden. You teach me so much about heights, color combinations, placement…I could study your photos for hours and keep learning. Thanks for giving the names of the species you and Tom so carefully chose. Enjoy spring!
who needs a house when you have a garden like this…I could live here. seriously. its so lush and gorgeous. i'd never want to leave.
A broken down moving truck…glad it all turned out well in the end. Dying to see more pics from Castine. Blue is my favorite color – loved seeing all of it in your garden.
Oh goodness! The beauty never ends! The lavender and blue flowers are stunning, and I especially love the bluebells and iris.
Thank you for sharing the beauty, Loi.
Teresa
xoxo
Wow! Just gorgeous, Loi. I love your garden more and more with every photo. You really have created a perfect haven. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. Your moving experience doesn't sound like much fun (what is it with moving that something always seem to go wrong?). But I'm glad that you, Tom, and the contents of the truck made it through just fine. Can't wait to see how the house looks with furniture. Hope you get to rest up a bit and relax and enjoy your garden. Have a wonderful week!
PS – We are off to Maine in two weeks or so to visit family… I'm looking forward to some lobster!
Have a fabulous time in Maine! Bring a sweater as it will still be chilly.
The Blues are magnificent. Southern Living knows talent when they see it!!!! I cherish my issue!!
Your adventure to Maine sounds like a huge headache! So glad you and Tom are recovering!!!
Gorgeous, allI have is daffodils right now, I cannot wait for the other flowers to appear!
So Pretty…I could spend hours in your garden….the images are gorgeous!
Loi thank you so much for sharing! I love seeing gardens and yours are a delight; a feast for the eyes!
I will have a new post up later today. Email me if you have a chance, just curious if you acquired One Man's Folly for your shop….I think it would do so well!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
So glad you are getting more settled after the move Loi. I can relate as we are in the same boat! Your garden is beautiful, lush and green. The blues are stunning .. I do have this issue of SL and love it. Enjoy your week! xxleslie
Oh Loi, if only…I can never seem to get a beautiful garden…too hot, too cold…need your green thumb!! The images in Southern Living were stunning, as always!!
What beautiful blue blooms, Loi and Tom. We would never get any work done if we had a garden like yours – but then again, our thumbs aren't as green! 🙂 Hope you both have a lovely week…
xxoo
C + C
love the blue garden so much + don't get me wrong love the white garden also + blue garden has my heart + Don't you hate it when a truck breaks down + so happy the move went smoothly + happy belated easter. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
It's hard for me to pull myself back to So. California after being in your lush green garden…..so beautiful, just like heaven.
Have a super week..can't wait to see photos of The Maine House all decked out.
xoxox
Mary
Oh Loi, these pictures make my heart beat a little faster! Purples and blues in the garden are my absolute favorite! We have bought a new house and I am toying with a purple and gray garden in front. So much lovely inspriation from your photos!!
Loi,
Your home and gardens are always enchanting with your whimsical touches that shows yours and Tom's playful side. I appreciate how carefully you studied the garden when planting the beautifully vivid purples and blue. They appear as pops of energy that dance the eye around to take in the entire gardens beauty. That takes skill and talent. SL recognized the beauty and gifted their readers with stunning photography of your gorgeous gardens. I truly enjoyed seeing your gardens featured in SL.
Sorry there was frustration with the truck … The best plans often meet with life's little hiccups. Glad everything worked out for you.
Vera
Absolutely exquisite, Loi and Helen's photography captures all so magnificently! I adore blue gardens. If I ever had a garden, it would have lots of blue, white, chartreuse and green, and that is it! When I had a townhouse, with a small area for plants, I TRIED a bit of gardening… well…potted plants was about it for me. Is that Lobelia in the second shot? That color makes me a bit nutso! Thank you so much for sharing! And sorry about your moving snafu. Like moving isn't stressful enough without the tsuris of a broken down truck? But thankfully, you are back and safe. xoxo, Laurel
Thanks so much, Laurel. Yes, that is Lobelia. It's an annual in our garden.
OH no, your truck broke down? That is awful, but so glad it all turned out well. Can't wait to chat and hear how it all went. I love Helen's photos of your most spectacular yard. Isn't it so lush right now? I love it. Have a great week and talk soon. xo Nancy
Hello Loi, Always happy to see pics of your glorious garden.
The blue garden is a joy.
Thank you for sharing.
Hope you have a lovely week,
Liz x
That sounds like quite the moving nightmare. I'm sure you'll laugh about it someday.
Lovely as always. I love blue and white but I've never been able to restrain myself. I'm trying.
Hello Loi:
Simply lovely! But then, and we say this with great sincerity, we should not have imagined or expected otherwise.
We are so sorry to hear of the mishap en route for Maine but you do both seem to have coped with it with remarkable fortitude.
oh my, sounds like an eventful trip :)! I hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Maine. Can't wait to see more of your home there. I always enjoy seeing your garden and these photos do not dissapoint. Beautiful!
XO Sarah
Dear Loi
I could happily spend a day in your garden maybe reading and sipping tea and then do a spot of painting.
You seem to have handled the truck breakdown graciously and glad it all worked out well eventually.
Hope your week is special
Helen xx
Loi,
Blue flowers and related lavenders/purples are my favorite flowers. You have planted so many beautiful examples I had to write some of them down so I can order for my garden.
Oh my, how disappointing to have the truck break down. I'm happy to hear that you managed to get everything moved to a truck that could deliver and got things moved it. This is such an adventure for your readers. 🙂
xo,
Karen
Such a beautiful blue garden! It is delightful and just so soothing and restful to look at all those lovely shades of blue and green!
So very beautiful. I wish my yard looked half that good!
Truly Lovely……….I ended up not being able to find the magazine!I have looked and looked…………all I can think of it SOLD the first day on the newsstands as your GARDEN was featured!You two truly have a GREEN THUMB…………..I am taking NOTES!!!!
Loi, Sorry to hear about the truck! As if moving isn't bad enough! I hope all came out okay.
Love seeing your blue garden. So many gorgeous varieties too. I just adore this whole space. I'm inspired here to try and do a color themed area. It's lovely! x Kim
Loi,
The perfect spot to catch your breath and give thanks. So sorry to read about your moving hiccup. It's always something!
pve
Hi Loi, hope that you are well, and have survived the stressful journey! Well done. When I look at your beautiful photos I see a huge amount of work and effort behind the vision and inspiration. Your love of what you do is inspiring me. PS have you ever come across English bluebells – distant cousins of the Spanish variety and less invasive – I love them but I suppose I am biased! Thank you again, once I get home I will get gardening (I'm away on business right now and yearning for home). Best wishes for a wonderful Spring. Sheena
Hi, Sheena – I'm making a note to plant English bluebells this fall – thanks!! Safe travels, and hope you get home to Scotland soon.
Hi Loi, what a moving hiccup. But I'm sure you and Tom have put the move under control and completed the rest of the move. I purchased the Southern Living magazine and read the article. I'm so proud of you! Your garden is fabulous. Belated Happy Easter.
To think of a moving truck being unloaded with your beautiful things on the highway-yikes! So sorry you had to experience that.
You have created a beautiful blue garden. We had several of the same blue plants in our old gardens, the irises, bluebells, baptisia, alliums and also hundreds of muscari bulbs everywhere. We will miss their beauty this year but are looking forward to creating our new garden in the next . Love how your Yoshino trees block the neighbors home. So excited to see more of Castine house, love all your ideas so far!
Just spectacular….feel like I was almost there! I can see the love and passion given to this wonderful project that will pay you back in spades for all the time you will get to enjoy it…bravo to you!
Hi Loi, I LOVE your blue garden……just exquisite. I must have been somehow channeling these magnificent grounds when I painted my latest floral! See what you think at http://www.hollyirwin.com!
Olá Loi, amei seu jardim azul. Está belíssimo. Mudança sempre traz alguma desconforto,fiquei feliz que tudo deu certo. Nova morada noa vida e novas oportunidades. As energias se renovam e tudo de bom acontece. Desejo muitas alegrias e felicidades em seu novo lar.
Bjos tenha uma ótima semana.
Loi,
These photos of your garden are just breathtaking!! Our garden project got stalled and now we're on the docket, so I'm anxious to get started!
So sorry to hear about the hiccup on the trip up to Maine, but it sounds like you were well prepared and that made it more of a sidestep than a complete disaster. Can't wait to see photos of what you took up.
Have a wonderful week!!!!
xoxo Elizabeth
Your garden is gorgeous, Loi! Is it my imagination, or has the Blue Garden expanded?
Yes, it has 🙂 Good eye!!
The blue garden is breathtaking! Glad to know you have moved furnishings to the Maine house, it is a seldom that long distance moves go very smooth. When we moved from Boston, our car got lost during transportation from Boston to Oklahoma and took a week for the moving company to find it..
Have a nice week.
Dear Loi had to come and look again There is something about the pansies and irises close up I adore!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Loi, your garden with all the blues is just beautiful. Our back yard is in horrible condition, but we are slowly working on it and I hope to have it in much better shape soon.
So beautiful, Loi. I love how you always add some levity to everything you do. Those little faux bois boots are the perfect touch to a gorgeous garden. Your selection of plants and color palette is serene while providing plenty of visual and textural interest. xo xo
With all the rain today in D.C. maybe…blue water lilies?? franki
Amazing, magical …!!!
Loi, have a wonderful week.
Margaret
http://decordesireforbeauty.com/blog.html
Beautiful blues. Sounds like you have become honorary members of the Smith "Class Moving Co." It's always a trip!
Gorgeous! I love the blues against the vivid green of the leaves and grass. So lovely. Sorry you had that bad experience with the truck. Can't wait to see more photos of your place in Maine.
Claudia
I enjoyed the article and enjoyed the pictures here too Loi. Your garden is such a haven – I wouldn't change anything – perfection at it's finest if there ever is such a term! have a lovely day my friend!
Hello Loi,
Your blue garden looks so beautiful. What a welcome site after our long, hard winter. As always, your garden is an inspiration. There is something so magical about a blue garden. I love all the layers of structure you have in your space. It's awesome.
Susan xoxo
I am in blue heaven reading this!
Thank you.
Di
X
Hi Loi, sorry to hear about your moving truck incident. Horrid!! Glad you got through it. Who wants to get that news?!! Your blue garden is lovely. I have Siberian irises and also baptisia but mine don't come in until half way through summer. Haha. But I don't envy your heat. I'd rather have a mediocre garden and cool summer days…but oh, your garden is beautiful! Helen takes great photos but I think it looked amazing already. xo Terri
“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Lovely! Thanks for sharing!!
Oh my goodness. Blue being my favorite color makes this just a feast for the eyes. Absolutely beautiful and inspiring. Thank you!!
Pure heaven! Will you be setting up a garden in Maine? I can't wait to see what you do with that lovely home! I am sure a little gardening will be in the plans!!
calming, ethereal, inviting. just lovely loi. love your hand at varied textures in addition to the flowers color way.
have you heard of the clematis 'arabella?' blooms nearly all season in shades of lavender and deep purple.
enjoy these lovely days
debra
Simply gorgeous! Sorry to hear that your trip up to Maine was so rough. Can't wait to see pics of your Maine home with all of the beautiful furniture you brought up to it!
Delighted to see some of my "friends" in your garden! Gives me a very pleasant "blue:blues" 🙂 🙂 !
Wonderful images!
Looking very much forward to your future garden in Maine!
xxxk
Blues in gardens, usually so rare, are not the case in your garden, Loi. So blue, so beautiful.
How comforting and calming, especially after a 20' snowfall yesterday. I love EVERYTHING blue. So please, MORE! Thank you for sharing.
So pretty, thanks for sharing
Amazing! I really love your Blue Garden, May I know the flowers you use in your garden? 🙂