Celebrating Eight Years of Blogging – Giveaway

This year Cool Springs Press is helping me celebrate my eight years of blogging with a Giveaway of Terrariums: Gardens Under Glass. These have been rich years for me be cause my blog has brought so many wonderful gardeners into my life, and so many beautiful gardening experiences. With other garden bloggers I travelled to Buffalo and to Seattle and saw beautiful gardens, large and small and all different. This past summer I attended a Garden Writers Conference…

Time to Think About Spring and Spring Blooming Bulbs

  • Post published:10/13/2012
  • Post comments:3 Comments

  While attending a wonderful art show featuring my friend Trina Sternstein’s paintings at the Forbes Library I couldn’t help using the library services as well. I was searching in the garden section for a book on trees, but I came away with Anna Pavord’s big book, Bulbs. When I got home I found that the mailbox was full of bulb catalogs, from John Scheepers, Van Engelen, and Old House Gardens. That made for a very dangerous night,…

Gardening in a Straw Bale

  • Post published:06/02/2012
  • Post comments:5 Comments

When I visited Daniel Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm some time ago, he showed me how he did a lot of planting in goat manure-laced hay. I envied his access to so much bedding because it does provide plants with nutrition and eliminates weeds. No fertilizing. No weeding. He is a lucky man to have manured goat bedding from his barn, as well and old hay bales. He said he doesn’t use the hay bales for planting until…

Chicken Encyclopedia – Storey Blog Tour & Giveaway

The chicken is a familiar farm animal, but even those who are setting up backyard flocks may not be aware of the more arcane facts of their life. Some may not be aware of the most basic facts of their biology. I cannot count the number of times people have told me they would love to have chickens producing eggs in the backyard, but they just cannot stand the thought of having a rooster. BASIC FACT: Hens, like…

Foliage Follow Up – January 2012

  • Post published:01/16/2012
  • Post comments:2 Comments

I rarely participate in Foliage Follow-up, but Pam Penick at Digging has prompted me to take a good look at the foliage around me at this time of the year. I have owned this orchid cactus (Epiphyllum) for a number of years. I pay almost no attention to it which is shameful, because it would bloom regularly and magnificently if I did. You can see I don't even give it the pedestal it deserves. For the past year…

We Have a Winner!

  • Post published:12/07/2011
  • Post comments:0 Comments

Congratulations to Laura Bell! Succulent Container Gardens and The Roses at the End of the Road will be on their way to you - as soon as I get an address. I know you will enjoy them. I also want to thank all the other commenters for visiting and making these past four years such an enjoyable time.

Last Day to Win

  • Post published:12/06/2011
  • Post comments:1 Comment

Today is the last opportunity you have to win a copy of my book about life on and off the Rose Walk, and Debra Lee Baldwin's book, Succulent Container Gardens: Design Eye-Catching Displays with 350 Easy-Care Plants. Click here and leave a comment by midnight tonight, December 6. I will announce the winner, chosen at random tomorrow morning by 9 am. Four years ago, on December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, I gave myself a present that…

Blogoversary Giveaway

On December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, I will celebrate my Fourth Blogaverary! It wasn't an ideal time to start a garden blog, but I had just learned about blogs and 'met' Kathy at Cold Climate Gardening, Carol at May Dreams Gardens and all the Ranters at Garden Rant. I was lucky to meet such stars early on because they have taught me so much and continue to inspiremme.  I even got to meet them all at…

Heath Fair 2011

  • Post published:09/03/2011
  • Post comments:0 Comments

We moved to Heath in the fall of 1979 and attended our first Heath Fair in 1980. However, we had heard about the Fair years before when we were living on Grinnell Street in Greenfield. Deb Porter of Heath was visiting her friend (and my temporary boarder) Wendy Roberts in my kitchen, but she had to cut the visit short that day in order to race back to Heath and bake pies for the Fair. Deb still works…

Do You Feed the Deer?

  • Post published:08/20/2011
  • Post comments:4 Comments

It’s been a rough year for the vegetable garden at the End of the Road. There was lots of rain in the spring which was great for all the gardens. Then rain became scarce and if I have learned anything in my years of gardening it is that vegetable gardens need regular watering to thrive and be productive. However, a new problem this year was bunnies! We haven’t had problems with rabbits in the past, but this year…