Garden books always inspire and teach me. It was once a dream of mine to have a cutting garden. This would be a garden with lots of flowers from early spring to late fall. I would stroll amid these beauties every morning and pick a little bouquet, snowdrops or narcissus for my bedroom. I would wake every morning to the beauties of spring. In the summer and fall the house would be filled with my beautiful bouquets of…
We have seen A and B. Now we are up to C - Clethra alnifolia, commonly called summersweet, is a deciduous shrub that is native to swampy woodlands, wet marshes, stream banks and seashores. Because of my wet garden, this fragrant shrub thrives. It is about four feet high. It gets lots of sun The sweetly fragrant white flowers appear in narrow, upright panicles. It will bloom for a long season in mid to late summer. It attracts…
Have you ever attended a seed swap? Thirteen years ago Melinda McCreven wanted to attend a seed swap. When she could not find one she put out the word that she was holding a seed swap. One of the responders said a seed swap was a great antidote to cabin fever. And so the Cabin Fever Seed Swap was launched. All kinds of seeds for swapping are brought to this jolly event every year. Some seed swappers are…
Bloom Day here in western Massachusetts has been creeping in. The temperature this morning, as many mornings was 40 degrees with temperatures sometimes rising into the 50s. These tiny yellow crocuses have been in bloom for over a month. Some days are sunny, some are cloudy. Some days are cold and some are unexpectedly warm. These little flowers surprise all the dog walkers who regularly walk past our house. I wish I knew their name. I should explain…
Two books came to me recently; the first Shrubs & Hedges and the other The Complete Book of Ferns. Good timing for me because all this mild weather (so far) has sent me daydreaming and planning spring projects. A garden is never-done. There are always changes to be made because of mistakes or because we just really need something different. Shrubs & Hedges: Discover, Grow and Care for the World’s Most Popular Plants by Eva Monheim (Cool Springs…
Extra! Extra! Bulb Show Cancelled! I visited the Lyman Plant House before the Covid-19-driven cancellation was announced. Now we will look forward to next year. In the meantime, you can still learn a bit about what it takes to put on the show. Keep Safe! For more information from the Lyman Plant House at Smith College click here. No matter the weather the Smith College Annual Bulb show sings out that Spring is here. For 100 years staff…
Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, loves the water. It quickly became clear to us that our new Greenfield garden was very wet. In the western regions we might even say swampy for a good part of the year. I learned that Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, is the perfect shrub for such a site. Indeed, it is sometimes used for riparian repair. Its roots at the edge of rivers and streams hold the edges in place. My buttonbush is happy in its…
Almost every garden has a shady spot and a shade loving plant or two is required. Last summer we put up a six foot fence. One side of that fence will be sunny for most of the day, but the other side will have shade for most of the day. I am planning a narrow bed along the shady side of the fence. Now I am deciding which shade loving plants would be useful and appealing. Heucheras, coral…