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Gardeners and their Gardens

After discovering so many new varieties of milkweed, my newest obsession for the spring season is to start a butterfly garden in my front yard that features a variety of milkweed plants. I think that it would not only be a great stopover site for migratory monarchs but would also nurture dozens of other pollinators as well. As an added bonus, it will blend perfectly with the “little patch of prairie” we put in a few years ago. 

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon reading picture books with my granddaughters. One we read was called  Home Is Calling by Katherine Pryor,  about the migration patterns of monarch butterflies. (It’s a beautiful book filled with gorgeous illustrations and factual information woven together in lilting prose. The teacher in me was impressed!) Ironically, the very next day I happened upon a report from the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico stating that the eastern monarch population in central Mexico has nearly doubled this year, occupying twice as much forest land as last year. According to researchers' estimates, that means that approximately 28 million monarch butterflies are currently overwintering on about four acres of forest. (A number to celebrate, but nowhere near numbers from the late 90s when butterflies covered over 45 acres of forest.) While the number of butterflies in Mexico may not seem pertinent to us here in the United States, it actually is encouraging news for us too. It could be a sign that we can still save this iconic species from extinction  –  if we understand them and purposely work to help them..

Online information can be a great help or a huge hindrance. 

Browsing the internet the other day, the title of an article caught my eye:  It’s Time To Prune Your Hydrangeas. Well, I thought, on one hand that’s true, but on the other hand it’s false. The reality is that the kind of hydrangea you have determines when and how you prune it, not a blanket reminder from the internet.

For years, I believed what the catalogues and plant tags told me --  the only light categories I needed to worry about were:  full sun, part sun or shade. In the last few years though,  I have begun to appreciate the fact that shade is not a one-size fits all situation. It is variable and it is transient. There are multiple degrees and types of shade and each nurtures its own, wonderful plant palette. 

Portions of my yard lie in deep shade throughout most of a summer’s day. Combine that with incredibly terrible soil and the result can be summed up as a discouraging mess.  I felt like planting annuals in those spots was just condemning beautiful flowers to a long, slow death sentence. Although I knew what would happen, I just kept planting, longing for the summer color. Finally, desperate for success, I dragged some giant-sized clay pots to the barren beds and planted them with shade-loving annuals. Those first pots certainly wouldn’t have won any design prizes, but at least the flowers lived and bloomed throughout the summer.

I am so tired of grey, dreary skies, frigid temperatures and biting winds  And snow, so much snow covering every inch of the yard!  I’m sick of being trapped indoors by slick sidewalks and icy roads. I desperately need spring to get here so I can dig in the garden. To counteract my descent into the winter blahs, I’ve done what every serious gardener does this time of year. I've been intently studying my collection of favorite catalogs, magazines and websites for new ideas to instantly transform my landscape this spring.

My “outdoorsman” son-in-law asked for a book on foraging for Christmas. Since my perception of foraging is tramping through the woods looking for either mushrooms or other obscure, supposedly edible plants, I didn’t really give much thought to the book. Until today, that is, while I was reading an article about the top new landscape design ideas for 2025. There it was… number 2 on the list: Hunt-and-Gather Foraging Gardens:  A Feast for All Ages.  Now I wish I had at least leafed through that guide.

Each of my children has a fiercely competitive streak that seems to reach its absolute zenith  at Christmas time. They good-naturedly battle over who has the best decorated tree, the most beautifully wrapped gift, the tastiest appetizer at Christmas Eve dinner. This year they added outdoor decorations – specifically winter themed pots  –  to the competition. Since they all consider themselves to be the “winner,”  they decided they needed an impartial judge – so they chose me because, in their words, “I write about that stuff.”  While it’s true that I do periodically feature design aspects in these blogs, the truth is that I do not have one artistic bone in my body! What appears to be expertise in design is simply a recitation of what Jo Ann Prieto, Embassy’s seasonal color specialist, has taught me over the years.