Smith College Chrysanthemums

  • Post published:11/05/2011
  • Post comments:2 Comments

Sometimes a chrysanthemum is just a mum, but sometimes a chrysanthemum is Art. Artistically grown chrysanthemums will be on display during Smith College’s annual Fall Chrysanthemum Show which will run November 5-20 in the Lyman Plant House. A $2 donation is suggested. On display will be the stunning chrysanthemum cascades and other skillfully pruned and supported chrysanthemums, some in pillars, and some trained to a single stem with a giant bloom. Like the spring Bulb Show the Chrysanthemum…

Lyman Plant House and Smith College

  • Post published:10/24/2011
  • Post comments:5 Comments

Last week I visited the Lyman Plant House at Smith College in preparation for a column and post about the Annual Chrysanthemum Show which begins Friday, November 5 with a talk by Smith alum and author Paula Dietz about the gardens she has visited and written about in her book, On Gardens. The Smith Botanical Garden and the Lyman Plant House are treasures for the whole community to use. The Lyman Plant House is open every day (except Thanksgiving and…

Maize Maze

  • Post published:09/17/2011
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Paul Hicks has been farming in Charlemont just about since the day he was born 54 years ago, following in his father’s and grandfather’s steps. Now grandsons Tucker and Brody (aged four and two) are out in the barn and advising their father on how to drive the oxen. Of course, the farm has changed over the years. Paul’s father Richard and his uncle Walter had dairy herds. My husband and I got to know them because they…

My First Book Signing

  • Post published:08/25/2011
  • Post comments:4 Comments

The Heath Fair gave me a unique experience this year. In addition to enjoying all the other delights and events, I got to meet and talk to other gardeners who asked me to sign my book, The Roses at the End of the Road, when they bought it.  This was a  thrill for me. The book my family and I had been working on all summer was finally in our hands - and on sale. Of course, The…

Another Heath Fair is Past

  • Post published:08/22/2011
  • Post comments:3 Comments

I spent a lot of time working, one way and another, in the Friends of the Heath Free Public Library Book tent. This book sale and raffle is our big fund raiser of the year. The Book Tent is a good place to read, and eat homemade pie a la mode, and to visit. But there is a lot to see at the Fair. Food preservation is a hot topic in the general culture these days, but canning…

Three Tours Today

  • Post published:07/09/2011
  • Post comments:1 Comment

A visitor on the Franklin Land Trust Farm and Garden Tour last weekend noted that one of the benefits of local garden tours is they allow us to see what lies hidden behind the beautiful flower beds, fields and forests: creativity, art, industry, history, and strong community. On the weekend of July 9, all of these elements will be in full view as the artisans, conservationists, and creative gardeners of Hawley, Colrain and Greenfield open their worlds to…

Wheat Conference

  • Post published:07/07/2011
  • Post comments:3 Comments

Bread is called the staff of life and bread means wheat. With our huge wheatfields in the midwest we take wheat for granted. We don't think about the possibility of the supply diminishing or about the changing nutritional value of the wheat. Eli Rogosa and the Heritage Wheat Conservancy,which she founded is collaborating with the Northeast Organic Wheat and UMass Extension to hold a Grain Conference on July 14 and 15. The first day will be held at…

What’s Behind the Lion?

  • Post published:07/01/2011
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How many times have you driven on High Street in Greenfield and wondered what lies beyond this pair of lions? I will tell you - beautiful gardens. You can see the woodland garden up the hill, but you'll have to go on the Greenfield Garden Club's Garden Tour on Saturday, July 9 from 9 am to 4 pm to see the rest including sunny perennial borders and a unique solution to a 'dead corner'. Eight other gardens are…

Rain Didn’t Deter the Crowds

  • Post published:06/27/2011
  • Post comments:5 Comments

Saturday dawned gray and misty. At 10 am those driving up to Heath for the Franklin Land Trust Farm and Garden Tour found themselves driving through thick Shangi-La fog to the mythical land of Heath with its fields and forests, blueberries, maple syrup, its country gardens, its history, and of course, its roses. The air and the grass were wet, flowers somewhat rain battered after a week of downpours, but enthusiastic gardeners came from across the state, from…

Two Bs – Admire and Work

  • Post published:05/25/2011
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The Bridge of Flowers is blooming and blooming, ready for admiration, but you can see that greens are important too. Azaleas are just beginning to blossom, and Solomon's seal is still blooming. Iris season is just beginning.  That's a dramatic combo with a yellow iris and orange  azalea. The Bridge of Flowers loves azaleas. Surely it is clear by now that the Bridge of Flowers does not depend on a single type of flower. The bulb season is…