Succulent Container Gardens

  • Post published:12/10/2011
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Houseplants have never been my strong suit. I rarely get cyclamens or amaryllis to rebloom, and I even gave up my everblooming abutilon this summer. I simply could not get rid of scale. I had to put it out of its misery. And yet I have kept succulents alive and in good shape for decades. My jade tree is over 20 years old. It survived being moved to my daughters’ houses while we were in China, and it…

All’s Quiet

  • Post published:12/05/2011
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Life looks quiet here at the End of the Road, but looks are deceptive.  Yesterday I read and signed my book, The Roses at the End of the Road, at Boswell's Books in Shelburne Falls. On my way home I stopped at a friend's open house - and sold more books there! Tomorrow I will be signing books at Tower Square in Springfield, right outside the fabulous Festival of Trees exhibit. Expect some photos. And inside the house…

Bloom Day – November 2011

Between the fact that the weather has been so oddly warm, today at 7 am it is 55 degrees, and our efforts to prepare for a kitchen update, I forgot about Bloom Day - not that much is in bloom.  Still, I dashed out into the gray dawn. Certainly it is the end of rose season. Does this Thomas Affleck bloom still hanging on count? An unexpected stop at Wilder Hill Garden in September sent me home with…

Spring Surprises!

  • Post published:05/10/2011
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My orchid cactus lives in our main living space so it does not get the proper conditions to put on a real bloomin' show, but every once it a while it gives us a glamorous surprise. I was out in the garden enjoying the sun, and the breezes which meant no pesky bugs. While I was weeding the Herb Garden I saw that the chervil which self seeds several times over the summer is already up. And then…

Spring Showers

  • Post published:04/29/2011
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It is so warm and showery out today that I couldn't resist putting some of the houseplants on the piazza for a little trimming and showering. See how green the grass is?

A Surprise

  • Post published:04/27/2011
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I picked these Van Sion daffodils myself, and son Chris and Michelle brought these beautiful tulips to put on the Easter dining table, but the surprise came when I went to water the houseplants and saw that the little geranium plant I salvaged last fall had suddenly sent up a lovely blossom that was all but lost in the dead foliage of the jasmine.  A surprise is always welcome when it is so pretty and pink. Can you…

Foliage Follow-Up

I don't have any unusual foliage, but I had to participate in Foliage Follow-Up this time because of all the vigorous growth I have seen over the past month. The days are longer and the plants have woken up. My scented geraniums are full of new foliage. This pelargonium is from  a cutting I took. I think I'll move it to a regular pot  in a couple of weeks. This jade tree is over 20 years old, but…

Bloom Day March 2011

  • Post published:03/15/2011
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You must all know that the abutilon is blooming this Bloom Day, as it always is.  The only other blooms I have are  Narcissus bulbocodium conspicuus, and Baby Moon miniature daffodils from Brent and Becky's bulbs. I brought the more floriferous pot to church on Sunday and left them there in the hopes that there would still be a good amount of bloom for next Sunday. It is wonderful to have such a sign of spring to share…

I Am Fascinated

  • Post published:02/18/2011
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After Bloom Day, wanting to preserve the tulip blossoms as much as possible in order to use them Sunday at church, I moved the pot of Pieter de Leur into the sitting room which is very cool. This is where my few houseplants live all winter. The jasmine dries up slowly over the season, but when I cut it back it always revives with the arrival of warm weather. I have been fascinated watching these forced bulbs as…

Blooming on February 15

On this Bloom Day I have slightly more to show than usual.  The large tulip blossom in the photo is just about ready to fall apart, but you can see three more blossoms will carry on. These grape hyacinths are sharing a pot with the little hoop daffodil. The revelation for me is how much foliage comes along with the grape hyacinths.  I have another tiny pot of muscari on the windowsill by my bed. All the bulbs…