Work First, Then Play

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I’m getting ready for a trip. It’s a much needed and anticipated break. Wouldn’t it be lovely if that meant packing a suitcase and traipsing out the door! No such luck. As we all know, packing is not the problem. It’s tying up of loose ends at work, taking care of domestic chores at home and then, the one I dread the most, getting the garden in good shape so it survives my absence without going hog wild.

Work stuff is mostly dealt with. Once trip dates are set, I work methodically so projects are either completed or brought to the point where they can be paused. Home chores are similar; the usual things like laundry, emptying and cleaning out the refrigerator, fresh sheets on the beds, scheduling house cleaning, holding mail etc., I like coming home to a house that is clean and tidy. Of course, if someone is staying behind, many of the tasks are unnecessary. It’s kinda nice!

But the garden without me is a whole different matter. It likes to go rogue. Never mind that a family member will be checking on it regarding how the garden is faring as well as the cleaning and refilling of the hummingbird feeders. I generally only ask for minimal oversight as it is really too much to expect someone else to work as I do. So my main focus right now is (obsessively) weed, cut back (‘the Chelsea Chop’!) summer blooming perennials by 1/3 so they don’t get leggy. I also give many of the plants in pots a good trim to keep them tidy. All of the pots are either left in place with a drip system for regular watering or corralled together where a sprinkler on a timer and moisture detector will water them as needed. Every one receives a nice feed of compost for heaven forbid they mutiny against the absconding gardener. It’s a lot of work just to get away but if I don’t do it, way too much damage control is required. And that’s really no fun at all.

With that said, I am on hiatus for the next 3 weeks. See below for July’s To-Do list. On my return, I shall give a full report on the State Of The Garden.

July To-Do –

1. Weed, weed, weed! Remember, pouring boiling water over weeds growing between bricks and other stonework is an effective, organic way to kill them.

2. Deadhead often. Neatness matters.

3. Mulch, fertilize (organic only), water.

4. Mow regularly but keep the mower blade high.

5. Watch out for pests and/or disease. Use organic control in a timely manner.

6. Plant out vegetable seedlings for fall harvest.

7. Cut back summer blooming perennials by 1/3. They will fill out nicely and not grow too tall or leggy. Same for dahlias.

8. Keep birdbaths filled with fresh, clean water. Likewise, clean and refill hummingbirds feeders.

9. Order fall bulbs. Yes, it’s that time already! Don’t drag your feet on this as your favorite choices might get depleted.

10. Take time to watch dragonflies by day and fireflies by night.

In my garden right now –

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Points Of View

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My garden is a visual expression of my aesthetic sensibilities and deep commitment to sustainability, conservation and ecology. Creating a space that is beautiful, bountiful and life affirming is the underlying principle that keeps me motivated. Getting to know my garden is getting to know me.

Because it’s so personal, I tend to view my garden from only my singular perspective. Therefore, it’s always interesting, often eye opening to look at what I know intimately through another person’s eyes. I love such opportunities. So last week, I was in a heightened state of excitement when I once again welcomed a group of brilliant watercolor artists from New York City. This art workshop has become an annual tradition and several of those attending are my longtime fellow artist friends. Regardless of whether they are seeing the garden for the first or the umpteenth time, it always feels new to everyone – because a garden is never static. How the garden appears depends on the weather, the light, bloom time and of course, what has changed since the previous year(s).

Everyone starts out exploring the garden and I enjoy their observations, questions, pronouncements and proclamations. Most of them are non-gardeners, card carrying city slickers but all are terrific artists, each with their own unique style and experience. What they choose to paint and how they interpret it is mind-blowing to me. Knowing this garden of mine as well as I know myself, it is very hard for me to sit and paint it. Nevertheless I have done several paintings through the years but I’m hardly ever fully satisfied with my efforts. Besides, while I paint I’m constantly thinking my subject needs weeding/trimming/thinning/replacing etc., until I’m overwhelmed by my new to-do list. Not fun at all. Instead, I derive much vicarious pleasure from the viewpoints and efforts of others.

The photos I share below should give you an idea of the diversity of talent, style and distinctive impressions. Enjoy!

Screenshot
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(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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In Tune With June

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June has arrived in style – gorgeous weather, festooned with flowers and full of celebratory spirit.

The hummingbirds are back, all sorts of bees buzzing about their business and was that a firefly that flashed by two nights ago? I cannot wait to see the butterflies return – keeping fingers crossed and fervently hoping they arrive in larger numbers and varieties than we have seen in recent years. Optimism is a principal requisite in a gardener.

Thus far I’ve managed to keep pace with the weeds. More or less. But its astonishing how quickly they crop up as soon as you look away. Pots are being watered and fed (organically) regularly. Deadheading consistently really helps to keep the garden looking smart.

Here is the to-do list for June –

1. Weed, weed, weed! Do it regularly and you’ll be less inundated.

2. Continue deadheading flowers after they’re done blooming. Let those that you want to go to seed remain.

3. As many plants take off this month, keep the garden looking tidy by staking and tying back.

4. Water only as needed. As summer heat and humidity increases, too much watering will encourage the proliferation of fungal diseases.

5. Keep close vigil for pests and disease. Take prompt action. Use only safe, organic products.

6. Fertilize the vegetable beds and  plants in pots every two weeks or so. Comfrey tea, Epsom salts and compost are my go to fertilizers.

7. Mow lawns regularly but keep the blades at a height of 4 inches. The slightly longer grass will retain moisture better. Leave clippings in place to enrich the soil.

8. Prune back lilacs by one-third their height. Do the same for other spring blooming plants – once flowers are done of course.

9. Net soft fruits to keep away the birds.

10. With the threat of frost over, plant out tender plants.

11. Harvest vegetables regularly.

12. Each evening, make a point of sitting still in the garden and observing the fireflies do their silent dance. Smell the roses. Gather peonies to bring indoors. This, is why you garden.

Enjoy the images of what the garden is sporting right now –

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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May Be, May Be Not

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The month of May has had an identity crisis. Some days it has been like May is supposed to be – very pleasant, Goldilocks kinda perfect weather and, other days it has blasted us with either high summer heat or early winter cold. Then, it’s given us bone dry days as well as soggy ones. What gives May?

I have continued with weeding and deadheading. Though I’m getting really tired of the bumper crops of garlic mustard and maple seedlings. They are sneaky and quite literally everywhere. In addition, the forget-me-nots and ajuga that have remained in the meadow all these years are now cropping up all over the garden where they have no business to be. I can’t keep up with them!

Meanwhile, in the animal kingdom, this is a year of armies of chipmunks and squirrels marauding the garden. The former live underground and their extensive burrows can cause a fair amount of destruction to the garden. Despite my fervent hopes of the benefit of a bitterly cold winter, the ticks are out in full force. They’ve appeared early and brought reinforcement. How is a gardener supposed to get on with her work of gardening I ask?

On the upside, the peonies, irises, columbines, foxgloves, geraniums, poppies, baptisia, (native )wisteria and comfrey have started blooming. The roses and late season alliums are nipping at their heals. May flowers galore!

The birds have been busy too. Several have already raised their first clutch of babies. I’m not sure if the hummingbirds have returned as yet. In past years they have typically done so by early to mid-May but I haven’t observed any so far. I started putting out their feeders well in time. Cleaning and replenishing regularly. The reduction in the sugar water could be just from evaporation. I’ll remain on lockout. I sure hope they show up – it’s too painful to think otherwise.

That’s gardening isn’t it, full of trials and tribulations. Just like Life.

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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May Days

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Final week to get the garden ready for its close-up on May 9th! We’ve been toiling hard to get all the Spring chores done in preparation for Open Day – its a bit of a marathon. The weather this past week has been just gorgeous which has made the garden work so much more pleasant. I’m exhausted at the end of each day but still in a good mood and that’s entirely from being outdoors in near perfect conditions. Hallelujah.

Clearly I’m ahead of most of you in completing the spring chores so guess who’s going to chillax all of next week?! Just in case you’re not clear on what you ought to be getting done, here you go ‘

What to do in May –

  1. Weed regularly if you want to keep the thugs in check.
  2. Put stakes in place so as plants grow it’ll be easy to secure them.
  3. Deadhead spent blooms for a neat look. Some plants will reward you with a second wave of blooms. Of course, if you want to collect seeds, do not deadhead.
  4. Water as necessary. Add a splash of compost tea to fertilize – about every 3 weeks.
  5. Plant in summer vegetables, summer bulbs and tubers, new perennials as well as annuals.
  6. Keep bird baths filled with clean water. Use mosquito ‘dunks’ to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. The same goes for garden fountains.
  7. Start mowing lawns but do the right thing by keeping the mower blade high at about four inches. Leave clippings in place to replenish the soil.
  8. Make sure all beds, shrubs and trees are mulched to retain moisture and keep weeds from proliferating.
  9. To take care of weeds in areas that are paved or bricked, pour boiling hot water over them. The weeds will be killed and no chemicals were used! I use the water used to pasta/eggs/vegetables whenever available.
  10. Stay vigilant for pests or disease. The earlier you catch a problem, the easier it is to treat them. Always employ organic methods.
  11. Stir the compost heap regularly. Keep adding in kitchen and garden waste.
  12. Take time every day to simply enjoy the garden.
  13. Visit mine and other gardens through the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. You will be vastly instructed and inspired.

Enjoy the close-ups of the tulips having their moment –

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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April Showers, Flowers And Manpower

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I’ve changed my mind. March was not the temperamental one, April is. It has run the full weather gamut. From winter cold to summer warmth to perfect spring temperatures. From bone dry to super-soaked days. From whirling dervish winds to statue stillness. In all manner of permutations and combinations. But, as I write, it is most excellent outside. Clear blue sky with nary a wisp of a cloud. Sun positively grinning down at all and sundry as a gentle breeze tickles the young leaves on freshly awakened trees. And the temperature? As Goldilocks would say – just right!

Like the mail carrier, a gardener works no matter the weather. It’s been either challenging or exhilarating but the gardening is making progress. I can’t afford to take a break because Open Day is now less than 2 weeks away!

Due to the tough winter we had in the northeast, there were some unexpected setbacks. A big one being the ants that decided to take shelter in the greenhouse. Millions and millions and millions of them! After having emptied the greenhouse of all the plants the previous day (a backbreaking job in itself), all the slabs of the slate floor were lifted, stone dust replaced, environmentally friendly borax sprinkled and the slate slabs put back. Fingers crossed this should do it. The whole thing took an entire day and I cannot begin to describe how exhausted we ( self and spouse) were.

New plants were added in the meadow as well as in the front perennial beds. The early spring window boxes have been replaced with ones that should be good till fall. The aforementioned plants overwintering in the greenhouse have taken up their outdoor positions. Everything will be given a good topping of compost to get them growing.

Weeding has begun in earnest. There’s already a real nuisance bumper crop of maple seedlings everywhere this year. It behooves one to pull them out early as they prove tough to remove once they set out a few leaves. Ugh.

The daffodils are waning but the tulips, grape hyacinths and Leucojum are looking splendid. It’s happening a bit ahead of schedule because the hot spell jump started their bloom time.

I had completely redone the checkerboard garden last fall. It’s gratifying that it’s turning out as envisioned. It’s one thing to come up with the design in my head, plant accordingly and then wait 4-5 months to see if it works out. But that’s gardening for you! Because the Mazus is yet to fill out the squares, hyper-vigilance is necessary to prevent the myriad weeds from moving in. The opportunistic thugs have already started trying. Hopefully by the time fall comes around, the Mazus would’ve spread nicely.

With still plenty to do, I shall stop here. Must take full advantage of the good weather. Hope you’re as happily toiling in your garden as I am.

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Enjoy The Show!

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What a week it has been! Full of readying final plans, fine tuning details, strategizing, hoping fervently for it all to come together, finally installing what until then was all in my head to become a physical reality. Something additional I’d wanted was for my total installation to look simple. I wanted viewers to love what they saw and not be made aware of how much work went into it.

And so, by 4:00 pm Friday April 17, the 2026 Lyndhurst Flower Show was ready for her close-up – the Preview Party that evening. Just enough time for all the artist/designers to get cleaned up, dressed in party clothes and return to see each other’s fabulous creations, meet the first visitors to the show and celebrate a job well done. Over the next 2 days, the mansion hosted over 3,000 visitors . You read that number right!

Over those 2 days, I was nearby at my Seeds Of Design table selling my soft home furnishings – 100% of the money donated to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and Doctors Without Borders. Needless to say it was very busy throughout. All for 2 excellent causes.

I am now taking a couple of days off to decompress ( more like debrief myself), tie up loose ends, get paperwork and accounts done and pivot my focus to the garden. Open Day, May 9 is fast approaching!

Enjoy these images from Flower House 2026 –

My installation – Beejal on her magic floral carpet – trumpeting the message about conservation, coexistence and community.

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Showtime(s)!

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Two big, exciting events happening within 3 weeks of each other. Getting ready for them in parallel is challenging and yet, at the same time, pushes me to get creative. It’s the final stretch for the Lyndhurst Flower House event this weekend – my mind is working overtime fine tuning details, strategizing the sequence of installation and working out the logistics.

I have flower orders scheduled to arrive this Wednesday – fingers crossed they arrive without incident. At present, with so many overseas flights delayed and/or canceled, I am on tenterhooks anticipating my shipment from India. Believe me, I tried my best to source this order within the USA (preferably even locally) but, it proved to be impossible. I am also well over budget ( tariffs anyone?) despite paring down my original design concept to something way simpler. Given all the uncertainty, I have also had to keep a back-up plan in my back pocket.

All of which can be a real buzz kill. However, I refuse to let my high spirits be dampened. Flower House is a joyous event at a joyous time of year. It’s a privilege to participate in it and I absolutely love doing this show. This will be my third year.

At the same time, my garden has been clamoring for due attention. Open Day is fast approaching after all and it is eager to look its best for the fans as well as first time visitors. There is a great deal to be done so it behooves me to go through the long to-do list systematically and without delay. This past weekend was labor intensive. Hauling big pots of bay standards out of the greenhouse to take up position around the garden, but first they needed cleaning up and pruning, we made numerous trips with the wheelbarrow hauling compost from the pile in the woods to various parts of the garden including the very large pots that await the annuals that will arrive from the nurseries very soon, the vertical garden was recommissioned (take my word, it’s a big task), new perennials were planted in assorted beds and, several other smaller tasks got done. Whew!

And so it will be all the way to Open Day. Getting ready for 2 shows at the same time is not easy. The good news is that all the garden tasks need to get done anyway. I just have to do it at a frenetic pace to get ready by May 9. Oh the weeks after will be sweet and slow. Ahhhh!

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Making The Cut

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Garden work has begun in earnest even though the weather has been waffling. Gorgeous one day, ugly-wet and windy another, suddenly warm enough for shorts and then cold and crisp right after. Makes it necessary to stay flexible enough to pivot from one planned task to another.

I’ve focused mostly on cleaning up and cutting back. Due to all the snow we received in late January and then again in February, winter pruning had to wait till the snow had melted and it was possible to access the trees and shrubs. Falling behind in seasonal tasks never feels good. Miss certain windows and it could mean a poor performance of flowers/fruit. For instance, pruning the espaliered fruit trees demands more than just thinning out and/or shaping it. Ensuring the correct cuts to expose the limbs to sun whilst maintaining the lattice design of the espaliered trees, is imperative and requires additional know-how.

Two weeks ago, the wisteria and hydrangea were pruned. This past week, all the espaliered trees as well as the grape vine were duly attended to. Whew.

With the peonies pushing their maroon noses through the earth, the supports were put into place. Delaying this task is not recommended as the plants grow rapidly and then it can be quite inconvenient to position the supports. The lengthy cuttings from the grapevine were, as always, wound around the peony supports to soften the look. Adds a nice aesthetic.

Now that all the pruning work is done, it’s time to procure plants that make the cut for this year’s planting plans. To that end, I’ve begun visiting my local nursery to check on what’s arrived with each weekly shipment. Heaven forbid I miss out on anything. The folks at the nursery know me as their friendly, harmless stalker-lurker.

The very big pots that stay outside through the winter have been divested of their protective winter-wear – can’t wait to pot them up. Soon, soon!

With gardening juices coursing through my body once again, I’m in my element. Hope you’re feeling just as optimistic I am.

Don’t forget the Lyndhurst Flower Show and my garden Open Day!

Fritillaria
Grapevine
Peony noses
Peony supports in place
A section of the freshly pruned espalier
In the meadow

(c) 2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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No Fooling April!

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April begins tomorrow. The first Quarter of 2026 has been rather challenging for certain. At this point, with everything going on in the world, I can’t take any additional foolery. Good humor and fun certainly but nothing else. Let’s just put our best efforts towards creating a better, healthier, sustainable environment for all. Lift each other up with kindness, compassion and empathy. Peace in every which way.

One step in that direction is of course in our gardens. Let’s get cracking!

What To-Do In April –

1. Time to restart the compost pile! Give it a good stir and add fresh compostables. If you don’t have a composter, please do make or buy one.

2. Clean up all winter debris.

3. Can you believe weed patrol begins now? Look carefully, some weeds are already emerging! Be regular about it and you will always be on top of this chore.

4. Seedlings started indoors can be planted out once the soil has warmed up and has been well prepared for planting. Stay vigilant for spells of late frost. Keep cloches and fleece covers at hand.

5. Attend to the lawn. De- thatch, aerate, reseed and finally, fertilize with a good layer of compost. Do give serious consideration to reducing the size of your lawn.

6. Similarly, feed trees, shrubs and all garden beds with compost.

7. Remove burlap and other protection from plants and pots.

8. Divide overgrown perennials. Check that the soil is fully thawed first!

9. Plant summer-flowering bulbs.

10. Remove any dead, damaged or diseased stems/branches from roses, other shrubs and trees.

11. Start using an organic control to put off slugs and snails. I’m going to lay a ribbon of copper mesh around the vegetable bed. Fingers crossed!

12. Clean out birdhouses. Wear a mask and gloves when doing so.

123 Put out nesting material such as pure wool, moss, cotton string, shredded paper, small twigs, feathers and hay for the birds.

14. Uncover the outdoor furniture and give them a good cleaning. Now you’re prepared for the first truly warm day!

15. Plant or move evergreen shrubs and conifers.

16. Get your tickets to the Lyndhurst Flower House event. Tickets sell out fast so don’t wait. I am participating in it once again – so excited!

17. Similarly, order your copy of the Open Days Directory and reserve tickets for the gardens you want to visit. Better yet, join the Garden Conservancy and the directory comes with membership. My garden is open May 9.

18. Take the time to revel in the beauty of the bulbs and early perennials in bloom. Enjoy the birdsong!

Spring up close –

Peonies pushing through

(c)2026 Shobha Vanchiswar

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