Gifts from the Cutting Garden
The crocus, grape hyacinths, daffodils and tulips all bloomed at once this year, turning my yard into an absolute work of art. That is, until the grandkids decided they needed to pick bunches of pretty flowers for their mothers. Two and three-year-olds do not have a great grasp of how to cut flowers for a …
Add Fragrance To Your Garden
As I mentioned last week, I am determined to recreate an heirloom flower bed. Not finding heirloom seeds in stores here, I spent much of the past week browsing through and making lists of potential purchases from online heirloom seed company catalogs. Although my initial sheet had over thirty varieties on it, I was able …
Remembering Grandma’s Garden
My husband and I just returned from a ten day vacation in Virginia. The weather was perfect the whole time we traveled; spring was emerging and everywhere we visited the surroundings were bursting with color. Since we both love American history almost as much as we love gardening, both Monticello and Colonial …
The Not So Secret Lives of Bees
Originally published in September 2018, our two part series on native and non-native bees adds important information to our current discussion of native pollinators. Two years ago, when we moved into this house, I planted the beginnings of a butterfly garden. Last summer it didn’t amount to much — the perennials were small and it …
Preparing for Pollinators
With all the Buzz about pollinators in the news lately (sorry, just couldn’t resist it), I thought that this might be a good time to think about adding a pollinator garden to the landscape. For the past few years, flower and gardening magazines, websites and even home improvement television shows …
Plant A Patch: Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Whether used as a divining rod to find water, a cure a broken heart or to ward off evil, the native shrub witch hazel has held a noteworthy spot in American folklore for centuries. Better known today for its offering rare “golden blooms in the dead of winter,” witch hazel deserves a …
Declining Insects -- Declining World
Insect populations around the world are rapidly declining. Within the next 20 years, 40% of the earth’s insect species may be extinct and within 100 years insects could disappear completely. (Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers Biological Conservation, Apr. 2019). If your initial response to these …
Feel the Need for Green: Caring for Your Houseplants
Writing about houseplants the last few weeks has made me want to spruce up my office with some new plants. The ones I have are solid, dependable varieties that do well in low light conditions and benign neglect, but they don’t particularly inspire me anymore. It’s time to try something new. Saturday, …
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