Spring Enters With Excitement and Mysteries

  • Post published:04/30/2020
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This spring I am finding daffodils growing everywhere. My approach to 'Garden Design' is fairly catch as catch can. When autumn arrives I think I must add some spring bulbs! Last year I  bought several little bags at the Greenfield Farmers Coop of different varieties. I did not pay attention to bloom times, but this spring proves I got lucky. I went around the garden, which was still full of autumnal plants, if not blooms, and when I…

Fifty Years of Earth Day Celebrations

  • Post published:04/25/2020
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Fifty years ago I was cheering and celebrating the First Earth Day with hundreds of other people in the center of West Hartford, Connecticut. My five children, ages 11 to 4, were with me. I don’t know what they took in and what they made of all the excitement, but it was exciting. And I can report that Betsy, age 6 was already beginning her career as an activist. Betsy was in kindergarten at the time and she…

Snowdrops and Grape Hyacinths for Encouragement

  • Post published:04/23/2020
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The bed of grape hyacinths doubled, and now  they are growing right before my eyes. The growth was a great and lovely surprise. These snow drops lived up to their name and shone through a snowfall.  Just a small snowfall, but still. Don't ask me to discuss nomenclature of daffodils and jonquils. I am just enjoying groups of these sunny flowers that I rather carelessly planted here and there. Lucky for me they are coming into bloom at…

April – National Garden Month With a National Gardening Day

  • Post published:04/18/2020
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April is National Garden Month, and National Gardening Day is April 14. There is also a National Garden Week founded by National Garden Clubs but we will have to wait for June 7-13 to celebrate. We have lots of time and many occasions to celebrate our gardens, and get busy! There have not been too many glorious spring days, but the weather has been sufficiently cooperative that we have gotten out to do some spring cleaning. We do…

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – April 15, 2020

  • Post published:04/15/2020
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Never have I seen the garden begin to show itself in so many bits and starts. Over the past two weeks we have had warm days and cold days, and rainy days that transform the garden into a swamp. But I am so excited at what I have. I put daffodils here and there, in front of  the house and in the main garden. Through no planning of my own they have different bloom times so there are…

Seed Starting Indoors For An Early Start Outdoors

  • Post published:04/11/2020
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This is the time of year when we can’t wait to start planting seeds. Unfortunately it is not the time of year when we can put vegetable or flower seeds in the ground. Fortunately for those of us who want a jump on the season we can start seeds indoors without too much trouble or expense. It is helpful to know the date of the last frost in your area. It is also important to know the temperature…

Alphabet for Pollinators – D is for Dandelions

  • Post published:04/08/2020
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Dandelions are the first D pollinator plant I think of.  They bloom in the very early spring and my Heath lawn had lots of dandelions every spring. I  thought they very pretty and I also thought they were important for bees who needed nectar and pollen when the hives became active. It seems there are differences of opinion,  although they are not totally worthless. The Guardian International thinks dandelions are very useful to pollinators in the early spring.…

Gardening in the Time of Pandemic

  • Post published:04/03/2020
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The spring equinox, the first day of spring, arrived on March 19 this year, the earliest it has been since 1896! Clearly Madame Spring was not happy about being called to duty so early. She arrived with snow and rain and gloom. A pandemic also arrived. Spring arrived just as people were beginning to really understand what the presence of Corvid-19 means. It means “sheltering in place,” and observing ‘social distancing,” which means staying home and keeping six…

April Fool’s Day and the Flowers Are Joining the Fun

  • Post published:04/01/2020
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It's April Fool's Day and the bulbs and flowers think it is time to join the fun. These purple crocuses have been blooming for a couple of weeks. Even the six inch snowfall didn't daunt them. They came to bloom in the sun, and were still blooming when the snow melted. They needed a god drink. This single snowdrop got tired of waiting like the rest of her indolent family. I could almost hear her shout "I am…