Groundcovers for a Lawn-less Garden.

  • Post published:02/27/2016
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One of the goals we had for our new Greenfield garden was to make it  lawnless. We certainly did not want a wild lawless garden, but we did not want large areas of grass that would need mowing. To prove his devotion to this goal my husband bought an inexpensive power lawn mower and said that it would probably last two years. He was giving me two years to design and plant a garden that would not include…

Reflections on The Worst Yet!

The reflections in the garden this morning make make concrete the challenge we face. Recently I gave a talk about The Making of a New Garden. I mentioned several times that the main challenge of this new garden is how wet it is. The soil is clay and the garden is slightly lower that the three adjoining properties. Lots of talk, but before I closed I showed a picture of one instance of flooding - there was an…

Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening by Jodi Torpey

  • Post published:02/20/2016
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What excites you in the vegetable garden? For some gardeners it is competition and the desire to grow the biggest, most beautiful beet or squash or cabbage. Jodi Torpey’s book Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening: The secrets to Growing the Biggest and Best Prizewinning Produce (Storey Publishing $16.95) will help all those competitive gardeners out there, while some gardeners might think it is time to take up the challenge and enter their vegetables at the Franklin County Fair this…

Summer Blooming Bulbs and Tubers

  • Post published:02/13/2016
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I missed my chance to plant spring blooming bulbs in the fall, but I am ready for those summer blooming bulbs. Last spring my husband and I travelled down to Texas to be present when our grandson Anthony was presented with his Boy Scout Eagle Award. There was an impressive ceremony and we were so proud of this whole Eagle family who had jointly done so much for the community. Besides our family celebration, daughter Kate and I…

Special Events Coming Soon

  • Post published:02/11/2016
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The ground is covered with snow, but we gardeners can feel our hearts beating faster as we sense spring and the special events that will remind us of the delights and work waiting for us. Here are the dates for some enjoyable and instructional special events. February 17, Wednesday 7 pm - The first event is my own talk on The Making of a New Garden at the Shelburne Grange, Fellowship Hall, 17 Little Mohawk Rd, Shelburne. I'll…

Augustine Henry – Plant Hunter

  • Post published:02/06/2016
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With all the attention being given to the importance of native plants in our domestic landscape, one can only wonder where all the non-natives, otherwise known as exotics, came from. If you look at plant names, sometimes including the full scientific name, you will get a hint. Many of the plants discovered in countries like China will have the name of the plant hunter included. Those who are familiar with Kerria with its sprays of golden pompoms may…

Ernest Henry Wilson – Chinese Wilson – Plant Hunter

  • Post published:02/04/2016
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  Ernest Henry Wilson (1876-1930) later known as Chinese Wilson, was British and as a young man he worked in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. In 1898 James Veitch of the Veitch and Sons nursery asked Kew for a likely young man to send to China to find and bring back plants for the nursery. Wilson was recommended and chosen. For his first trip to China his assignment was to find and bring home seeds of the…

Groundhog Day, Candlemas or Cross Quarter Day

  • Post published:02/02/2016
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February 2 is best known in the U.S. as Groundhog Day, the day Punxatawny Phil comes out of his burrow to see if he has a shadow and let us know if spring will be early. No shadow today! An early spring!  Of course, here in western Massachusetts we haven't had much of a winter.  I have been worring that  winter will arrive in April but I will trust in Punxatawny Phil. Candlemas is also a Christian holiday…