Garden Walk 2026
Welcome to Bartonia. I am a musician and composer who loves to garden. And I think
composing is a lot like gardening. I find seeds (musical ideas), plant them (begin composing), nurture them and watch how they move the process in the direction they want to go, never knowing exactly where that will be until the piece is finished and it takes on a life of its own.
The musical selections I wish to share were inspired in some way by my garden. Many werecomposed while my hands were in the soil, as I marveled at the symbiotic relationship between the plant and creature world, or as I sat in the garden and reveled in its beauty. Seeds that I planted but let grow in their own way. I hope you enjoy this garden-inspired music from Bartonia!
In My Garden
I come from a long line of gardeners. In fact, my maiden name ‘Gardström’ is Swedish for
“keeper of the garden.” My garden is a place of joy, happiness, refuge, solace, and repose. So, when I began writing this song, I tried to capture all those emotions experienced at different times and conditions. But as the song evolved it took on its own life. It became clear that it was more about the longing and remembrance of my husband, Bill than the actual garden. While he didn’t readily volunteer to help with the chores of garden upkeep, he did often accompany my work there with a fiddle, octave mandolin or guitar in hand. It clearly made the work much sweeter.
Firefly Jubilee
Two summers ago, fireflies appeared en masse in my backyard garden! As a child, I remembered catching fireflies to put in a jar to examine up close. Of course, they were always released soon after being caught. My father tells of catching them and smearing their luminescence on his shoes so they would light up. Sadly, fireflies are losing their habitats and so the remembrance of a firefly jubilee in the nighttime summer sky is quickly fading.
Grandpa Says
As gardeners, we often have our eyes on the sky in anticipation of rain. I wrote this song for my father and his five grandchildren. As an avid naturalist and a natural teacher, he instilled in them a sense of order in the process of life and our responsibility as humans to be good stewards of the Earth. A favorite saying of his is, “Sit under trees which you have not planted and plant trees under which you will not sit.” His avid planting led to the demise of many shovels. Alzheimer’s has taken away much of his memory, so this song was written as an attempt to keep his wisdom alive. The clarinet in Doug Howell’s stunning arrangement is a nod to my father’s love of the instrument he played for many years.
Råsa’s Waltz
Råsa (pronounced Rosa) is the name of my ancestral home in Sweden. My family has lived there for many generations. When Bill and I visited in 2000 I was amazed by the wild lupines growing in the fields and the roses that enveloped the house and barns. Bill wrote this melody as a fiddle tune and after his death, I arranged it for solo piano. My introduction to the piece is an attempt to capture the dark mood of the long winter before the endless beauty of the midnight sun arrives.
My Lovely Madame Butterfly
Last summer I noticed a dozen striped caterpillars munching away at my parsley plant. A quick google search told me they were to become Black Swallowtail butterflies, gorgeous and stately members of the papilio family. I decided to surrender my herb. On further study I learned that while in the pupa stage (inside their chrysalis) they exude an antifreeze which protects them over the winter. When they emerge in warmer weather, they only live for 2-3 weeks. During that time, they must drink nectar from sugar rich flowers found by sensing with their feet. Then they lay their eggs and die. Tragic, I think. After all they have been through for such a short time in the air!
Fortunately, the parsley plant always regenerates and I eagerly wait for a glimpse of a Black Swallowtail to flutter by. Chris Barton, piano and vocals. Doug Howell, synth harp, celeste and mark tree.
Wintertime Is Here
I wrote this for dear friends who named our home and garden “Bartonia.” They moved out of state a number of years ago on a cold January day, which prompted the reflection on the bitterness of winter, yet the warmth of love and the promise of Spring.
My musical partner, Doug Howell orchestrated it and sang harmony in that sweet, rich voice of his. My husband Bill played guitar, sister Susan played flute, and I sang and played piano.