Annuals for a Long Bloom Season

  • Post published:05/19/2014
  • Post comments:2 Comments

The Bridge of Flowers taught me that annuals are the easiest and most dependable way of insuring a flowery garden all season long. This spring I am concentrating on adding annuals that will be in full bloom for the Annual Rose Viewing. Of course, I do have perennials in bloom at that time, but this year I am determined to have a very flowery garden at the end of June, and then for the rest of the summer.…

Spring Garden Chores – At Last for the Monday Record

  • Post published:04/07/2014
  • Post comments:7 Comments

Finally, I have been able to start my spring garden chores. The temperature got up to 50 degrees yesterday and there was some sun. I raked the front lawn and beds, including the Daylily Bank. I can never decide whether it is good or bad to cut down daylily foliage in  the fall, but whatever I thought, I didn't do it last year.  Fortunately, a steel rake is all it takes to pull out most of the dead…

Snowdrop Mystery

  • Post published:02/18/2013
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                                I have never forced snowdrops before, so I decided to experiment. Early in November I got my late order of bulbs from Brent and Becky's Bulbs.  Some of them went in the  ground, but I potted up some tulips, my paper whites, and a few of the snowdrops. I left them all out  in the unheated Great Room. All of the indoor…

Hydrangea in Winter

  • Post published:01/07/2013
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  Very pretty hydrangea blossom. But I don't think it will count on Bloom Day.  

Celebration Season – Eat Your Heart Out

  • Post published:12/31/2012
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Celebration Season this year has been quite lengthy. We had one rowdy family Christmas on December 22, but then a quiet adult Christmas  on December 25 with only one child and his lady, and a dear friend who always joins us for Christmas dinner. On December 29 the Heath Gourmet Club celebrated Christmas with a theme of Looks Like a Wreath to Me! Nearly every course was wreath-like. My savarin pans came in handy for the main course which was…

Walking in the Woods Towards a Christmas Wreath

  • Post published:12/03/2012
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On Saturday my husband and I walked up what we call The Lane, the remnants of the old road that once led all the way to the next town of Rowe. We walked up the hill between two fields and into the woods.  We have done some logging in the woods, but when we walk there these days the extensive number of trees and limbs that have been toppled and broken are due to the big ice storm in…

What Comes After Thanksgiving? The First Snow

Thanksgiving Day dawned mild and sunny.  There was little left to do in the morning at daughter Betsy's house so there was time for a stroll and for The Major and grandson Rory to have a tete a tete. Things got a lot busier at daughter Diane's house, especially in the Thanksgiving kitchen. Cooks and kibbitzers gathered near the stove to be there when the turkey came out of the oven. It is impossible to get everyone in the…

Flax for Textiles, Oil, Nutrition and Paper

  • Post published:07/30/2012
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Rory had to go home to reorganize for Boy Scout camp, but not before he caught this snake in the garden. He has such sharp eyes. I've seen a lot of snakes this summer, but none as pretty as this one. We keep Rory pretty busy with travels and projects - and chores. He began the garlic harvest and I finished today. Time with Granny and The Major is never complete without a couple of stints in the…

It’s Summer – Viewing, Touring and Paddling

  • Post published:07/02/2012
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It's summer and I've been out viewing plants and gardens and then relaxing at a local pond. Summer doesn't get any more perfect than this. I went to the Annual Japanese Iris Show in Shelburne Falls and got to see the best and most beautiful examples of Japanese Iris grown in the area. Japanese iris are the last iris to bloom in our area. After seeing this display of irises, I had to run over to Fox Brook…

Rugosas – Blooming Early and Beautifully

  • Post published:06/11/2012
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The hardy rugosas are so cheering, blooming early and beautifully as they do. Belle Poitvine suffered a lot of winter damage as did several of the other rugosas. I don't think it was simply the weather which was very mild, but the age of the shrub. Like any living creature a rugosa has a life span, but it also has babies. More on that later. Like Belle Poitvine, Blanc Double de Coubert, is only about two feet tall…