Monday on Tuesday

  • Post published:06/09/2009
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It has been a busy busy week - and not only in my garden.  Let me begin with last Tuesday. Pastor Cara Hochhalter of the Charlemont Federated Church with several helpers, husband Jeff, and Deacon Erwin Reynolds behind her, turned a piece of church lawn into a winter squash patch. You'll notice that we are using the lasagna garden method.  The squash will be harvested in the fall for the church's food distribution program.  The Federated Church is…

Monday Muse

  • Post published:06/01/2009
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Midsummer Morning    One big white peony enough       for a bouquet.                by Carol Purington My tree peony blossom is pink, but it is big enough for a bouquet.  Carol's haiku are so evocative that I must include another on this Muse Day Monday. End of the row    The child's strawberry basket         still empty. This haiku seems to me a perfect depiction of a child's innocent greediness and the sweetness of summer. Thank you Carolyn…

Is There a Giant Pumpkin in Your Future?

  • Post published:05/24/2009
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         Who would not want to belong to a group of people who not only grow giant pumpkins, but like to smash them, wear orange tuxedos, sail in pumpkin regattas, tour pumpkin patches and compete at fairs for the honor of growing the biggest pumpkin?             Recently I attended a meeting of the Franklin County Giant Pumpkin Growers Association who haven’t yet, done all of these things, but they are in touch with other growers across the country…

A Cry for Help

My  friend Peter who reads this blog, and others, responded to the review of Covering Ground by Barbara Ellis with the following post and request.  "I need some gardeners' advice. The two photos show the side area of our house. It was cleared and a lawn (of sorts) planted before we bought the place. We do not use the area, and our dogs don't go down there either. Its value is in providing a respite with open space…

National Public Garden Day – May 8

  • Post published:05/08/2009
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I never knew there was an American Public Gardens Association, or a National Public Gardens Day, but I certainly appreciate and applaud the many public gardens, large and small,  in my area for the information and inspiration I gain from each one of them. The term public garden seems to cover  many types of garden, so I'd like to mention a few that I have enjoyed. Closest to home is The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls which…

Seeds of Solidarity

  • Post published:05/06/2009
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“Grow Food Everywhere!” is Ricky Baruc’s enthusiastic motto. It doesn’t matter if the soil is bad, or if you have a bad back. At Seeds of Solidarity Farm in Orange Baruc and his wife Deb Habib have proved that food can be grown anywhere, by anyone. He said his secret is cardboard and worms. I will add he gets some aid from the beautiful Diemand Farm compost. His technique is simple. He clears the garden spot then lays…

Never Give Up

  • Post published:04/07/2009
  • Post comments:2 Comments

Today I have a guest posting from my friend Peter Beck, who is less than devoted to making a complex garden, but who appreciates and encourages gardeners enthusiastically. Six years ago neighbors Mary Kay and Earl Pope, tired of their annual carting of several enormous and weighty agapanthus indoors, gave three plants to us. The plants were indeed enormous and weighty, and they only grew larger and heavier. Eventually we transplanted the agapanthus into five pots. The size…

Promise of Gold

  • Post published:04/04/2009
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Driving around Heath the horrendous damage caused to trees by the historic December ice storm is revealed. The labor it will take to clean up peoples' gardens is breathtaking. One neighbor has beautiful old trees surrounding his house and the devastation is astounding. But his witch hazel, Hamamelis 'Arnold's Promise', is blooming, a glorious harbinger of better days to come. Witch hazel is consisdered a winter blooming shrub, flowering as it does so early in the spring. Even…

Columbus Day Weekend

  • Post published:10/13/2008
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All the festive events for the holiday weekend actually began on October 8th when friends gathered with Elsa Bakalar, our most famous and generous local gardener, to celebrate her 90th birthday. It's been a difficult year for Elsa with two broken hips and other injuries, but she was as ready for her party as any of us. Judy (left) worked with Elsa for many years in Elsa's house and gardens and Marie (center) has known Elsa since she…

Lantern Festival in Montreal

  • Post published:10/10/2008
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In China the Lantern Festival begins on the 15th day of the first lunar month, or about the end of Spring Festival which is also known as the Chinese New Year. It is easy to understand how lanterns might be a part of a celebration welcoming the lengthening days.However, there is also a Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also sometimes called a Lantern Festival. In Montreal September and October are the months when over 1000 elaborate lanterns made in…