My Swedish grandfather said he could never get horseradish to grow. His troubles made me think horseradish must be a difficult crop. Not so. His failure was just one of those garden mysteries. Some people seem to have a chemical antipathy towards a particular plant, failing with that one while having success everywhere else in the garden. Our first spring in Heath I sent out my seed order and included an order for three horseradish roots. Then, with…
People are always asking me what is blooming on the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. It changes every day but here are some current views. These azaleas are as sunny as our June days. The tornadoes that went through Springfield and beyond on Wednesday didn't do any damage up our way. Azaleas have their own season, but the annual osteospernums will bloom all summer long. That is what makes annuals so valuable in any planting. Blue is…
The first excitement last night was dodging the raindrops to harvest enough "Tango" lettuce from the Front Garden to make up our dinner salad. The first garden salad of the year. They are not very big, but I had to thin out those two French Breakfast radishes as well. A single spicy bite. The second excitement was watching the sky - and the TV reporting on the tornado that tore through Springfield, less than 50 miles (as the…
June is the most important month in my garden, especially this year. The last Sunday in June is traditionally The Annual Rose Viewing, my version of Garden Open Today. I send out an open invitation to anyone who wants to stop and smell the roses, visit with friends and have a glass of lemonade and some cookies in the comfort of the Cottage Ornee. This year is different. This year our garden is part of the Franklin…