By the Hearth on Sunday: Savoring the Autumn Season

By the Hearth on Sunday is my little time to just share…anything. From things I am loving to things that catch my attention. Because somedays life does not fit into a perfect little bucket. I hope you come along and also share some of the things filling your cup.

Things I am Thankful For

  • Silent mornings in the word by the fire, while cuddling the doggie

  • 15-minute walk breaks

  • A healthcare professional FINALLY giving me answers

  • The support of my husband

  • Choosing new flooring for the casa and getting rid of the ugly nasty carpet. Y’all have no idea how I could cry as I write this. It’s finally happening! LOL.

  • Last but not least— AUTUMN! Here in Minnesota, it was a slow go at first, probably because of the drought we had, and then last week… boom! And I have to say that this is the most brilliant autumn since I moved here 8 years ago.

Books I am Reading

  • Flowers of Provence by Jamie Beck

  • The Ranch Table by Elizabeth Poett

  • American Roots by Nick McCullough, Allison McCullough and Teresa Woodard

  • Counterfeit Gospels by Kevin Wax

Shows and Films I am Loving

  • The Way Home on Hallmark Channel

  • La Pitchoune: Cooking on France on Discovery+

  • The Garden Chronicles on Magnolia Network

  • Growing Floret on Magnolia Network (finally getting to watch S2)

Songs on Autoplay

  • Firm Foundation by Cody Carnes

  • Coat of Many Colors by Brandon Lake

  • Getting Ready by Maverick City

  • 2 Corinthians by Alabaster Co.

  • Notebook, Part 1 by Alabaster Co.

  • Yellowstone S3 Soundtrack

Things I am Not Loving

  • Winter has arrived to my part of Minnesota

  • I am questioning my life choices of all the tropical plants I had in the front porch. Now that they need to come in, I do not have space for them! My office looks like a jungle.

  • My Wheaten Terrier, Riley, turning 10 years old. Where did time go?

Food I am Loving

  • Nutella Babka— I tried making this for the first time and fell in love with it. Recipe coming soon.

  • Homemade No-Knead Bread— when the temperatures drop, I want to bake all the bread.

  • Homemade Apple Sauce— having an apple orchard on my way to and from work, is wonderful, and I have been able to get freshly picked apples of many varieties. And nothing beats sugarless homemade apple sauce. Ripe apples will make sure your apple sauce is sweet and delicious.

Here are other amazing link-ups I enjoy—

Come and join us!

Garden Bucket List: Olbricht Botanical Gardens

A couple of months ago, I got to check off one of my gardening/horticulture bucket list items— visiting the Olbricht Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI.

I first learned about this garden a couple of years ago when the Garden Bloggers Fling was scheduled to take place in Madison. Sadly the pandemic happened and that trip was put on hold, and the following year, when it was brought back, I was not able to make it. But thankfully, with it being only a few hours from where I live, I had the opportunity to visit, and it was fabulous.

The trip to Madison was to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary, and we planned it so we could also attend the CrossFit Games, which happened that same weekend. First off, Madison was a lovely city and I foresee coming back soon because I just loved it. From the people, to the food and places to visit. It was just so pretty and fun too! And if there was one place that was a must for me to visit, it was this botanical garden. And it did not dissapoint.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a 16 acre outdoor botanical garden and 10,000-square-foot conservatory. Founded in 1952 and named for its founder, Michael Olbrich, the gardens are owned and operated jointly by the City of Madison Parks and the non-profit Olbrich Botanical Society.

My favorite thing about this venue is that it is broken into separate and distinctive gardens. I could write a separate post for each of the gardens, but for this post, I am going to focus on the ones I loved the most. They are all beautiful, but some just spoke to me due to their function or design. Also, in this post I will not be talking about the gorgeous Conservatory— that deserves its own separate post.

As I mentioned, there are many garden areas within Olbrich, but the following, are some of my favorites.

Moonlight Meadow

I have never met a monochromatic garden that I did not love, and this one was no exception. This prairie style meadow is a gorgeous grouping of white flower perennials, grasses, and native sedges. And it all combined beautifully not only to give the garden a light and airy feeling, but it serves as a beautiful background for the striking stacked fieldstone obelisk that is the center garden art feature. I love this so much that are considering building one in my garden.

Herb Garden

The Herb Garden is made up of a series of smaller gardens showing how relevant herb gardens continue to be. As someone who loves structure, I loved the use of hedges to separate the smaller gardens. Per the Olbricht Garden website, “specialty gardens within the Herb Garden include the English Courtyard, Tea, Touch and Smell, Knot, Sage and Thyme, Medicinal, Dye, Kitchen, and Sinister Gardens.” This is the garden I spent the most time because there was so much to see, plus I am a big fan of herb gardens.

The patina on this water fountain is beautiful.

Tower Garden

I think this was my second favorite garden room. A beautiful tower welcomes visitors before entering the most beautiful garden that reminded me of Italy. In the garden you will find various trees, shrubs, and vines, flowering perennials, hardy shrub, climbing roses, tropical plants, grasses, and beautiful foliage. And pulling it all together are the beautiful native limestone fountains. It is a beautiful space that invites you to stop and rest.

Prairie Dropseed Meadow

As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate the planning that goes into creating a space that looks “natural” and low maintenance. But what I truly love about these gardens is that it gives gardeners alternatives to having lawn. And after a summer drought, I am thinking more and more about this as an alternative. Per the website, this garden fatures “native Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) and ephemeral spring wildflowers, [giving] this rolling meadow pairs plenty of visual interest with a low maintenance alternative to turfgrass.”

Royal Thai Pavilion and Garden

I think the piece de resistance in this botanical garden has to be the Olbrich’s Thai Garden. With its stunning Royal Thai Pavilion, a gift from the government of Thailand and the Thai Chapter of the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association, it is a showstopper. Fun fact— this pavilion is the only one in the continental United States, and the only one outside of Thailand surrounded by a garden.

Sunken Garden

As you make your way back towards the main building of the garden, you go past the Sunken Gardens— Olbricht’s oldest garden. The rectangular symmetry of it, just spoke to me (it’s my perfectionist). This garden has a two-foot drop from the edge of the garden, hence the name. This garden is very formal in the English-style tradition. Again, be still my heart and those beautiful shrub hedges that border the reflecting pool against the backdrop of Lake Monoma. Just so delightful. I can just imagine a beautiful wedding or gala in this spot.

Olbricht Botanical Gardens was everything I expected and more. And I have not even covered the conservatory. I cannot wait to come back and visit. Definitely should be on any gardener’s bucket list.

Have you visited this botanical garden?

Here are other amazing link-ups I enjoy—

Come and join us!