grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Tree Peony ~ a day in the life

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Tree Peony

Take a look at this gorgeous tree peony! Two of these beauties are in full bloom at the Headquarters House in Fayetteville, one on either side of the long sidewalk that leads to the front steps. If they know how beautiful they are, they are incredibly humble about it. They welcome visitors with saucer-sized blossoms; their sweet scent is like a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Classy. No doubt about it. With old-fashioned charm.

Ahhh… They smell like antique climbing roses, the sort that grew next to your grandmother’s potting shed.Continue Reading

in the early garden

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early morning in the garden / things the night owls miss

There’s a transparency in the early garden as fresh sunlight begins to filter down from Mount Sequoyah. Sweet air, clear thoughts, the dogs walk instead of sniff. O, the night-owls miss so much. I thank Daddy for my early-bird nature. And, Papa Creecy before him. Growing up in the Delta, I was surrounded by hard-working farmers who saw the sunrise every morning. It’s in my DNA. I bet if I do one of those ancestry tests, the early-bird farm girl slice of pie would be one of the largest pieces.Continue Reading

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

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What's blooming at Headquarters House

Where have all the flowers gone?

I can always find flowers at the historic Headquarters House in Fayetteville. The girls and I walk through the gardens almost daily. Only two blocks from our headquarters, we consider the grounds to be our personal secret garden. I’ve written about the period gardens and the house HERE, and I won’t repeat myself other than to say the place it holds in Fayetteville / Civil War / American history fascinates me. No matter what’s going on in the world (or in Arkansas), the Headquarters House is a peaceful place, a calm reminder of the vastness of life—the good and the ugly. It’s a spot that fills me with calm and restores balance.Continue Reading

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

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