Holiday 2021 at the Surgeon’s House
The vision for our 2021 holiday theme was frighteningly, woefully long in presenting itself. We were so busy inside and out here at TSH that we scarcely had a moment to be still and think about it. The second week of June (can you believe I waited that long?) we found ourselves a little less busy which allowed space for a near-panic to set in – yipes! Nothing was coming to me so I called in my steadfast creative reinforcements . . . our dear and beloved Kim Smerek and the incomparable Vicki Day. What a powerful team! My experience has shown me that the vision ALWAYS comes no matter how arduous the birthing labor and finds its foundation in whatever has been happening over the year. We begin with my ‘mind dump’ of whatever snippets have been revealed; then as I speak about it with these two creative wizards, things are simply magically honed and refined into the glorious and PERFECT final vision.
The gardens this year set the tone with one after another veritable explosions of color and beauty. The dichondra was like a green pillowy 5” deep cloud begging to envelop your hand or foot. The catalpa’s blossoms were so numerous and full while representing delicacy at the same time only to be followed by the bean formation – stunning never-before happening! And that doesn’t mention the dinner-plate size his leaves were this year.
The Youngster and the Grand Old Gramma wisterias surpassed their previous zeniths by quantum proportions with a breath-taking profusion of dusty lavender pendulous blossoms – something right out of a Somerset Maugham novel. Randy the cactus graced us with more face-sized blossoms than ever before and a series of THREE blooming cycles.
The violets naturalized everywhere as a velvety carpet of verdant and deep purple. Vining, climbing sweet peas looked like bouquets the size of a refrigerator. Clematis reclaimed her fat spot on the front of the house. Our Cecile Brunners gave us a couple of weeks of virtual spun cotton candy in the south garden with the weeping cherry rounding out the scene as the cotton candy umbrella of every gardener’s dream.
And our bee babies were loving it all!
Inside TSH, we were blessed beyond measure with record-breaking numbers of guests such that we could barely keep pace with the flow. All I could picture was fat, juicy, bursting at the seams inside and out! The Ace of Cups came to mind immediately as depicting the full moon contained and overflowing but not captured in the hands of the cup . . . and so there we were with ourselves living the vision daily and not being able to see it – wow I chuckle.
The colors that were revealed were dusty light pink and aubergine, typically found everywhere for the holiday decorating scheme, right? Not right but we gets what we gets when it comes to visions. Accent color of variations of emerald.
We have crafted a couple of special new food offerings that we intend are bursting with flavor so be prepared to feel over-the-top. Thank you for being a part of this glorious year of opulence,
Andrea and TSH grateful gang
Holiday 2021
