HI THERE! I'M BRIANNE TURCZYNSKI, FREELANCE WRITER, HISTORICAL RESEARCHER, & PERPETUAL SEEKER OF THE HUMAN CONDITION. WELCOME TO MY SPACE WHERE I SHARE THE BOOKS I'M READING, MY SPIRITUAL FINDINGS, FLOWERS IN MY GARDEN, AND LOST STORIES. ALL ARE WELCOME HERE.
“The tame, too smug, I cry;There’s no adventure in security;Yet still my little garden craft I ply,Mulch, hoe, and water when the ground is dry…” -Vita Sackville-WestPoems from The Garden; 1948 https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2319470.rss I was walking in the park the other night and a woman was approaching me and the dogs with her walker. Yoda, our … Continue reading Do you know what turgid means?
https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2319470.rss “It often happens that an old, rough hedge occurs somewhere in a garden; a hedge which presents a problem. Too heavy a job to grub out, too expensive to replace, and giving no pleasure to the eye, being composed of a thorny rubbishy mixture, usefully dense but unaesthetic. It is possible to add some … Continue reading How to Cultivate Creativity & Newness
https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2319470.rss “If we are to take this hint from nature it would be as well to dispose of the weeds first to save trouble later on. Weeds in paths are a constant worry to those who have not discovered the ghoulish pleasure of using weedkiller…” -Vita Sackville-WestA Joy of Gardening1958 I love Vita’s use of … Continue reading What the Milkweed Helped me Remember
https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2319470.rss ‘The place [Sissinghurst Castle], when I first saw it on a spring day... caught instantly at my heart and my imagination. I fell in love at first sight...It was Sleeping Beauty’s Garden: but a garden crying out for rescue.’ Standing in the middle of the vegetable patch looking up to the Tower, she turned … Continue reading Who was Vita Sackville-West: A teacher of transformation
https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2319470.rss "The narrowest crack in a path or paved terrace will surprisingly send up the finest seedling; I have known even such large unwanted subjects as delphiniums and hollyhocks to make the attempt. The reason, obviously, is that they never suffer from either excessive moisture or excessive drought, the stone preserves such moisture as is … Continue reading Hollyhocks: A Lesson of Thriving for the Lonely Ones
In this tenth episode, I introduce you to Vita Sackville-West, owner and creator of Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in Kent, England. She was my muse and the voice in my head for many years when I was doing a lot of gardening. I'm happy to tell you a little about her in this episode and share … Continue reading Finding Solace in the Garden with Vita Sackville-West
Can’t get enough Vita Sackville-West!!! This book goes month by month and talks about the flowers she didn’t mention in her first book, ‘In Your Garden’. Here she discusses what to grow from Spring-Fall, and how to prepare the garden in winter months. For a long time she was my muse and the voice in … Continue reading More for your Garden by Vita Sackville-West
Lost Garden Story: I love morning glories. This heavenly blue variety was a favorite of Vita Sackville-West. After five years I am still trying to find the perfect spot for them and the time to plant them. It seems I keep planting them too late; they never bloom until the frost comes in the fall, … Continue reading Heavenly Blue Morning Glories, a favorite of Vita Sackville-West
I think I have read just about everything Vita Sackville-West wrote about gardening, I also own many of her garden books. She continues to be the place I go for advice and also cute little anecdotes about additional uses for flowers most gardeners never think to mention. . . . Been fidgeting in the garden … Continue reading In Your Garden by Vita Sackville-West
The sudden warm weather in Michigan has got me thinking of the garden. A couple years ago I wrote a garden blog every week dedicated to the garden writings of Vita Sackville-West. Some days I miss her writings, her wonderful way of describing “ordinary” flowers and plants like human beings. She knew them all so … Continue reading Sissinghurst by Vita Sackville-West and Sarah Raven
BRIANNE TURCZYNSKI 