Note to Michele: Peter Rabbit in Celia Thaxter's Garden

Michele, 

It has been some time since my last update. I enjoyed seeing your patio flowers. Interestingly, we both chose the same color impatiens.  You've come a long way since your gardening days in Portland, Oregon. You are truly a coast-to-coast gardener now! How do you like the East Coast?

This summer has been full of activities, visiting family, and daily life. I will give you a full garden tour soon, but for now, here is a sneak peek of my deck, where I am growing annuals. As you can see, I have some house plants mixed in with petunias, impatiens, geraniums, coleus, nasturtiums, begonias, and argeratum. I am growing some herbs, but no vegetables this year. 

When I saw this little bunny on a recent excursion to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to visit the gardens in Prescott Park, I thought of you and your love of rabbits. Do you think your Louie and Pepper would like to play with this tiny fellow? Reminds me of Peter Rabbit after he’s lost his jacket and shoes! But there is no Mr. McGregor here. You are safe from angry farmers, wee one! 

I will be posting photos from my trip to Portsmouth soon. I visited the formal Josie Prescott Garden at Prescott Park as well as the nearby Celia Thaxter Garden, a re-creation of the poet's garden. Both are on the shore of the Piscataqua River that separates Maine from New Hampshire. More about that to come. 

I’ll also update you soon on my own garden, as well as my parents’ cottage garden, which I’ve featured in the past on "Sprouts." 

Cheers! 

Caroline 

Note to Caroline-4th of July, 2026

Hi Caroline,

As I was putting together this post about Longwood Gardens, I found myself reflecting on how much my gardening life has changed over the years for me. Getting older and dealing with a progressive disorder that effects my mobility, and energy level has definitely changed the way I will  garden going forward. There are some things I simply can't do anymore, such as spending hours digging, hauling heavy bags of soil, or maintaining large garden beds. I miss some of those activities, but I'm learning how to adapt.

One thing I love about living in Maryland is the abundance of beautiful public gardens. Visiting places like Longwood Gardens allows me to continue learning, finding inspiration, and sharing gardening experiences with our readers, even when my own physical gardening is more limited than it once was.

I'm also still learning how to garden in Maryland. The climate is quite different from Maine, and every season brings new lessons. My gardening space has changed dramatically as well. Instead of large garden, space, I now have a small patio container garden.

Much of what I grow as far as produce will be for  rabbits, including herbs and greens, along with a few vegetables and flowers for myself.

Like many people  these days, I find myself paying closer attention to costs. Gardening on a budget has become important, and I'm always looking for creative ways to grow more while spending less.

How are things going with you? I know you're helping in your parents' garden this season. You mentioned cleaning up the pond area. I can't wait to see the post. I always enjoy hearing what's happening in your corner of  Coastal Maine. I have enclosed a few photos from my patio garden, but its not really blog ready yet. 

 Michele