Mother’s Day – The Family is Coming
Mother's Day has arrived and children and grandchildren are on their way.
The Bridge of Flowers on National Public Gardens Day
In 2004, when the Bridge of Flowers was nearing its 75th anniversary, Elaine Parmett, a member of the Bridge Committee, decided to find out just who and how the Bridge of Flowers began. “I was a historian so I did research and learned it was Antoinette Burnham in 1928 who complained about the way weeds had taken over the abandoned trolley bridge. She wondered why they couldn’t have a flower garden instead. Her husband, who worked for the…
Bridge of Flowers – National Public Gardens Day Coming Up
The Bridge of Flowers is our local public garden, open and blooming every day from April 1 - October 30. Free! Universally accessible. I'll be celebrating National Public Gardens Day, May 11 this year, with a stroll over the Bridge of Flowers. What will you do? I've been almost Wordless, but for real Wordlessness this Wednesday click here
Weekend Chores – Removals, Renovations and Additions
While my husband was busy with the first lawn mowing - and fence building - I was busy with removals, renovations and additions. I have had a pink potentilla at this corner of the North Lawn bed for several years but never been happy. I was reluctant to remove it, but this spring it look nearly dead, so out it came. Removals can be difficult, but they are sometimes necessary. Neither the dead shrub nor its hole are…
Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens and Raised Beds
We finally got rain. Hallelujah! And more was promised, but it does not seem to be arriving, at least not in the amounts I was hoping for. The lesson seems to be that we need to be always prepared for flood or drought. The question is how do we do that. Rain barrels, rain gardens and raised beds can help us to moderate, though not eliminate, both of those problems. Rain barrels that collect the rain from our…
Benefit Plant Sales Galore
Benefit plant sales are a traditional spring event. Gardeners can spruce up their gardens and benefit various community organizations. Which will you choose? Or will you choose them all? Have you thought about giving your mother a gift certificate (one way or another) so she can pick out some flowers herself? This Saturday, May5 the Greenfield Library will open its plant sale at 9:30 am on the front lawn. It will close by 12:30, unless everything is gone…
Hardy Roses on Deck – Ready for Planting
My daughter's Christmas present arrived today, Folksinger and Winter Sunset are Griffith Buck hardy rose hybrids, and Mrs. Anthony Waterer is a rugosa. Daughter Kate lives in Texas, where the Antique Rose Emporium also lives. It never ceases to amaze me that roses can be propogated in one climate, but still be hardy in climates like mine. The hardiness is in the genes. I have bought roses from the Antique Rose Emporium before. These container grown roses are…
April Showers and May Basket
I awoke to a delicious soft rain - and a beautiful May Basket. Pansies, grape hyacinths and chocolate. I wonder who is celebrating May Day with me.
Two Ways to Stretch the Seasons
In March we had May weather, and now we are having March weather. We gardeners know that the weather is always unpredictable but this year Mother Nature is really keeping us on our toes. I confess. I could not resist the lure; I direct-seeded greens in my Early Garden during that March heat wave. Then what? The soil was cool enough that my seeds, radishes and lettuces, did not germinate very quickly. By the time they did the…