David, Goliath, and the Negative Nosy Neighbor ~ A Weed Story ~
David was thrilled with his new house. After years of renting, this was the first home he’d ever owned. He loved the size (small), the location (on a quiet cul-de-sac) and the stand of trees next to the driveway. What he didn’t love was the weed-filled slope next to...
Soil Amendment From The Top Down
People often ask about fertilizing in the spring, but many ignore how Nature fertilizes and amends soil. There is no little Fertilizer Fairy flitting around the woods and fields pouring blue liquids or time-release pellets. Nature amends soil, and fertilizes, by...
Hellebore House
People who live in neighborhoods with sidewalks are so lucky. It’s easy to walk past area yards and gardens, and appreciate plantings that might otherwise be ignored by driving past at 30 miles an hour. So I enjoy visiting in places where sidewalks provide safe...
Spring Equinox
Today is the first day of spring. In some parts of the world spring weather has come and gone. In others it is in full bloom, while in the more northern regions it’s a season that we’re still looking forward to. But whether you’re past it, fully...
‘Raspberry Rose’ Hibiscus – A Stunning Plant
Imagine: “I need a plant that will be huge in July and August,” she said, looking out her kitchen window at the back patio. “But it can’t be there at all in the wintertime.” “Why?” he said, putting his coffee cup down onto the table. “Because in the winter I want to...
GWA – A Crowdsourced Poem
I belong to GWA: The Association For Garden Communicators. It is the group for those who write, speak, teach, blog, photograph or otherwise communicate about plants and gardens. Whether you’re a farmer, volunteer master gardener, grower, home gardener or plant...
A Violet That Doesn’t Take Over
Imagine: Sandra’s beloved dog, Violet had died. Sandra cried every time she walked into the house and Violet wasn’t there to greet her. She cried when she woke up, and for just a second thought she heard Violet’s tail thumping on the floor. She cried when she spread...
How to Stake A Flopping Peony – Attractively!
Faced with a peony with heavy flowers falling into the dirt, must gardeners stick a heavy stake in the back and wrap a cord around the circumference of the plant. It gets the job done, but isn’t very attractive in the garden. Most people who invest in the...
Saving Something Small
When I saw a hummingbird in my Massachusetts garden shortly before Thanksgiving, I did what many 21st Century gardeners would do: I posted a photo on Facebook. I’ve always believed that migrating birds had their act together. It was my assumption that they all got the...