My garden at Meadow Manor, in the English countryside, has over the last couple of years become a gift of learning—for its literal sense of beauty, as well as how the lessons translate into life itself.
Tending and Caring for an English Garden
My English garden receives water from rainfall as well as from me, with my hose in hand. Without automatic irrigation, I am gently guided to notice what and when needs watering. I avoid hosing under the hot sun, may water a little extra on a late summer evening at sundown, or skip watering entirely after a heavy downpour. I’m learning which plants flourish beside each other, which need shade, and which reach for the sun.
I clear weeds for the health of flowers and plants. I accept that there will be bare winter months, when pruning ensures spring’s blossoms and blooms. I place a trellis for vines to find their way, or stakes when plants need extra support. The garden is a magical world of coexistence, full of surprises and quiet lessons.
Life Lessons from Gardening
Subconsciously, my observations in the garden have inspired me to consider what areas of my life need nurturing, what is compatible with my sensibilities, where I need support, and what I must let go of to make room for new growth. Sometimes, a faraway seed reseeds itself—proof that beginnings can come from unexpected places. It all begins with not overplanting, ensuring I can lovingly tend what I choose. And finally, to truly enjoy the beauty of the fruits of my labor. Patience and acceptance are the greatest lessons.
For most of my life, I have credited myself with being a multitasker. While life inevitably requires juggling, I am learning that more is not always better. With the wisdom of experience, I am becoming more mindful of the time and attention needed to care for anyone or any project I commit to. Sometimes it takes letting go. Pruning back and weeding allows buds to bloom. Dismantling is an art—honoring what was while protecting what remains—and what is left afterward is often even more beautiful.
I have been soul-searching my priorities—who I want to be and how I want to show up in all areas of my life. Accepting that sometimes saying no is okay ensures that when I say yes, I am fully present, and that what I offer is meaningful for all involved.
While conveniences can assist us in staying connected, without the human experience, a busy life can feel isolated. The subtleties and nuances of truly being present are magical. Focusing on one thing at a time may result in a shorter checklist, but the process and the result are richer, more meaningful, and infinitely beautiful.
I have always strived to be my very best. Through my garden, I am reconnecting with myself, realigning so that wherever I place my mind, heart, and soul, it receives my complete attention and love. That is the experience of being human that is most valuable to me.
Rachel’s Favorite Flowers:
Roses
Roses, considered by flower lovers the fairest flower of all and a symbol of love.
When gazing at a rose, I am mesmerized at the complexities and varieties, all under the beautiful magical name of a "rose." Beyond their beauty they bring intoxicating fragrances that fill a room or subtly waft when passing by. It's hard to say which is my most favorite, but I do love cabbage roses, named for their densely packed swirl of petals. First developed by Dutch breeders in the 17th century, their fragrance and opulent size have made them a favorite for us all. Mainly in many shades of pink, as well as soft yellow, white, and purple. All completely romantic. I love the inconsistency of how their branches bow and the scale of their varied blooms. I rarely mix roses with other flowers when I'm "flower plopping" as I like to leave them alone in their own wonderful world.
Yves Plaget
I love this one for her rippled and ruffled leaves, particularly in raspberry shades fading to pale pink.
Peonies
The classic diva. Peonies bring grace into the garden. sometimes confused. with cabbage roses for her generous globular petals. When I see a bush of Sarah Berwhardt peonies I always think of ballerinas in tutus. Late spring or early summer are the times to enjoy this breathtaking fover A vase overflowing with lush peonies is glamorous and timeless, and commands to be the star of her own show.
Tissue Petal Ranunculus
A rose-like blossom with layers of tissue thin petals. A rainbow of colors: pink, burgundy, orange, pale yellow, and white. Italian ranunculi are the most splendorous. In handsome midnight purple with contrasting edges of the petals in soft pink they are overflowing with romance. Ranunculi are a signature in my vases, they last forever, and their beauty remains longer still as their tissue petals dry and fade gracefully.
Flouncy Sweet Peas
Delicate little flowers where I feel fairies may sleep. Prettiest of palettes. I mostly place in groupings of jam jars for their simplicity. A gentle little soul symbolizing oneness, goodbyes, and blissful pleasure.
Lilacs
One of the first flowers of spring, often near Easter time. Usually just a fleeting visit of two weeks. Mostly known for being the color of their name, however there are varieties of other colors, and I love white ones too. I like knowing butterflies rely on lilacs for their caterpillars' survival as though they house transformation. Lilacs are perfect for my “flower plopping.” I love cutting them in grand branches to make a dramatic yet still informal display. They were the center of attention on the cover of my book Shabby Chic Inspirations.
Hydrangeas
First cultivated in Japan. An abundant flower head made up of tiny petals, with many meanings related to their color offerings. They play a welcome role in my flower plopping, sometimes on their own but I also love to combine them with oversized flowers, often peonies and roses.
Hydrangea Color Meanings
Pink — Romance and true feelings
White — Purity and grace
Purple — Royalty
Blue — Gratitude and understanding
The Unsung Hero: The Carnation
Carnations don't hold the same stature as roses and peonies. But to me they are a flower of great beauty and value. Often reminiscent of a sad supermarket bouquet of red and white flowers with baby's breath wrapped in plastic. But if you look a little closer at some of the spellbinding varieties, you will see carnations in a whole new light. Historically, carnations are known to have been used for the first time by Ancient Greeks and Romans for making garlands. Pink carnations are the symbol of a mother's love.
Three Types of Carnation
Large — One flower on a stem
Spray — Lots of small flowers on a stem
Dwarf — Several small flowers with fringed edges
Preferred Colors
Loup — Light purple ground with thick creamy white picotee (picotee is a term for petals with contrasting edge).
Brava — Pure white.
Copacabana — Ballet slipper pink.
Hugo — Pale pink with white picotee.
Jacqueline Ann — White with powder coating of pink.
Apple Tea — Creamy pale yellow with little brush strokes of hot pink.
Clematis
A whimsical flowering vine. She has a wonderful ability to climb up walls and around trellises. Symbolically, she represents the beauty of mental strength.
French Double Tulips
I don't typically gravitate to tulips, due to their uniformity, but after I once mistakenly took a Double Late Tulip to be a peony, I had a whole new appreciation. They have amazing blooms and are known as the peony-like tulip, spanning up to a 10cm spread across their multi petals, often offering a sweet fragrance. They show their beauty in late spring.
My Favorite Tulips
Purple Jacket — Vibrant deep purple petals. Charming and romantic.
Blue Diamond — Double set of petals, impressive deep violet palette.
Lilac Perfection — Densely packed lilac purple petals.
Carnaval de Nice — Oversized double set of white petals splashed with burgundy resembling a raspberry ripple.
Dancing Dahlias
Dahlias are unrivaled for their showy displays. They can be as tiny as 5cm in diameter and as grand as 12in (30.5cm). Informal decorative dahlias are the crème de la crème to me, with their flat petals, sometimes slightly rolled at the edges with irregular arrangement. Formal decorative dahlias are also lovely, still with flat petals, but arranged more regularly throughout. Once cut, her life span is only a few days, a brief showstopper.
Dahlias are also the first flowers I chose to try my hand at growing in my English country garden. I was drawn to the large open faces of Otto's Thrill in shades of pinks and whites. They are the gift that keeps on giving during the late summer months. Once they complete their blooming, before the frost arrives, we gently lift them from the soil and store them in paper in one of my barns. Then, before springtime, they are placed into pots and nurtured once again, eventually returning to the garden soil—ready for their next performance.
My Favorite Dahlias
Otto's Thrill — Spectacularly eye-catching, spanning the size of a dinner plate (10–12in / 25.5–30.5cm) with luminous pink blooms. She looks stunning floating in a shallow vintage bowl.
Café au Lait — Magnificent creamy blossoms tinged in a light peachy pink whisper.
Leftovers
As flowers transition through their cycle of life, there are many chapters of loveliness to be had. Starting from the garden they grew in, cut for a bouquet, and finally their final stage as leftover dried petals. When I was in Asia, I was inspired by the offerings of flower petals in little bowls, left at sacred places. I have taken to making my own offerings with leftover petals in vintage saucers, sprinkled with water. I place them near my front door, in a nook, or in a hallway. Gentle moments to pause and give gratitude. And then once the leftovers are leftover, pressing petals between tissue or watercolor paper makes them a "forever-to-keep" token of love to pass on or to keep for yourself.
Gypsy Flowers (Wildflowers)
Wildflowers are nature's true gift. They plant themselves, along with their companions creating music for our eyes. They have an ephemeral beauty where they appear in their glory and then disappear, while their seeds blow in the wind and they find a new place to grow. They are a gentle reminder of the cycle of life. There is a profound pleasure from connecting to beauty that is wild and free. Walking through a forest or an open meadow of wildflowers is a perfect meditation for the soul, absorbing the fleeting beauty, and it is most certainly where fairies play. Wildflowers grow in uncultivated soil and different flowers bloom depending on the place in the world, creating their poetry as they sow.
Some of My Favorite Wildflowers
Dog Rose — A scrambling beauty adorning hedges with her pale pink petals.
Early Purple Orchids — One of the first wild orchids to arrive in spring. Pretty purple.
Cow Parsley — Gracing the roadside of the English countryside, similar to Queen Anne's lace.
Buttercups and Daisies — Innocent carpet of yellow and white.
Common Dog Violet — A flash of purple petals, a sanctuary for butterflies in the woodlands.
Campanula — The most divine purple bush, generous with petals. The most magical installation in my book, My Floral Affair.
Bluebell — The enchanting violet glow is a wildflower haven, a favorite with the fairies.
Bramble — Generously bearing gifts of berries.
Leave a comment