Winterthur...take me away!

Yeah, its cold and raw outside....Its about this time of year every year that  I start thinking about seeds...coldframes....growing herbs... I  harbor a strong desire for ANYTHING green!...Fortunately a beautiful estate and garden  located  in  eastern PA named Winterthur fills some of that needy void, even in the winter...

Their woodland gardens are great places to get lost...And their garden shop is filled with items to make any gardener sigh with delight...  

Sometimes its fun just to observe the raptors along the garden paths that are much easier to spot when theres no foliage...

No matter what season is happening, theres always interesting flora and fauna...

One of my favorite spots is the Enchanted Forest, where a HUGE nest invites one to jump inside...

 

The sweeping vista of the pond and hillside are worth the short  hike to get there....

Best of all, this magical place is only a little over an hour from where I live.....

Bunny Run Garden is surrounded by a forest of trees....so coming to Winterthur gives me ideas on what to put in a shady woodland garden...

I hope you find a  quiet sanctuary to contemplate and dream this winter.....in preparation for the warm months ahead.....

New Year...New Beginnings ..First Blog!

Last year, I was having so much fun reading my garden and nature pal's blogs, it really got me thinking...Why couldnt I start my own blog?.....I love to write ....and dream....and write more....After feeling quite intimidated by the process of it all, and hemming and hawing for another few more months , I sat down with hubby and just took the plunge...I have tried to be fearless and move beyond my obvious lack of technical experience  in the blog and computer  world..

So here it goes...Hello...thanks for reading my blog....Some of you may already be thinking...Why Bunny Run?...Isnt this sorta a garden blog and dont rabbits eat precious things in the garden?....Well, yes and yes....But the name just coming back to me...Ive had an absolute adoration for the long eared varmints since I was little and firmly believe all creatures have a place in my garden....My own pet rabbit  that I had at age 10 was called Bun....She slept in my arms every night......I am constantly delighted and amazed by the critters that inhabit my garden.

This delight has grown into full obsession going back from last April, when hubby and I moved from busy metro Washington DC to the woods and water and marshlands of the Eastern Shore of Maryland.....The previous homeowner  of our house was not a gardener and with the exception of some nice azaleas around the front of the house and a neglected magnolia tree in the backyard, our new 1.2 acres was bare woodlands......Our house was tucked inside the woods....Its a whole different world out here where your neighbors are often  animals rather  than people....But theres no place Id rather be and I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be living here...Some places have that magnetic pull and when I first saw this place, I felt it right away...A very comforting feeling.
Even if that means starting over in the new garden (for the 3rd time) and doing all those countless  little things to settle in....A seasoned gardener on the Shore once reminded me to look at my experience as a privledge to begin the blank slate again, filling the open spaces with the plants that I love and that I am learning about every day....Her words to me were: "Deal with it and move on!"...And  even when the distance is longer to drive to places, Im inpatient at times to get things done  and my cell phone has dead zones everywhere out here, waking up and watching foxes and deer stroll outside my bedroom window, hearing the calls of birds Ive never  heard before  and watching  a resident eagle pair making a nest near our backyard  makes it all worthwhile...Last week I saw a raptor with a rat in its beak, so there is hope.
I am home.