The Queen of the Prairie looks more like the Queen of the River in this photo. She is attended by hundreds of handmaids and courtiers. As a member of the Bridge of Flowers committee many people ask me about when it is open and when is the 'best' bloom time. Those questions are easy to answer. The Bridge of Flowers is open every day, all day from April 1 to October 30. There is no 'best' season. The…
Greenfield Garden Club members opened their gardens to the public in a fund-raising tour on July 9. Water seemed to be everywhere in those gardens, fountains, pools and streams. One of the most important water features was in Marcia Stone and Norm Hirschfeld's garden - a rain barrel. They plan to add more. The rain off their garage roof fills the 55 gallon drum almost instantly. The Greenfield Garden Club raises money to fund many school projects.
When I went to the Hawley Artisans and Garden tour a beautiful exhibit of quilts , old and new, was on display in the East Hawley Meetinghouse. Flowers are a common motif on quilts. These embroidered squares reminded me of the embroidery my mother and her sisters did when I was a young child. Even I learned to embroider. None of us made embroidered quilts, though. This charming quilt by Connie Harris shows the kind of world we…
The Western New England Iris Society will hold its annual Japanese Iris exhibit at the Buckland-Shelburne Community Hall in Shelburne Falls on Saturday, July 2. There will be an opportunity to buy iris plants, as well as admire the best local iris varieties and learn about growing irises. Deborah Wheeler and her son Andrew of Foxbrook Irises will be on hand to answer questions.
The weekend of July 9 is going to be busy. A festival of garden and artisan tours will be on offer. The Hawley Artisan's & Garden Tour, sponsored by the Sons and Daughters of Hawley is billed as "A Collage of Art and Gardens." One of my favorite gardens is Jerry Sternstein's vegetable garden that is much more lush than mine - and has a fabulous view. Other Hawley gardens have perennial borders and blooming shrubs, but many…
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…
What is a garden for? It depends on the garden, of course.Vegetable gardens are for feeding us. Herb gardens are for bringing us extra savor and health. Meditation gardens are to give us moments of serenity. Ornamental gardens are to give us pleasure. But all gardens can be shared --- doubling their pleasure and utility, of whatever sort. Sometimes sharing our gardens can also support a noble project. That is what will be happening in Heath and…
The old joke goes that if you don’t lock your car doors in August you’ll return and find the back seat filled with zucchini. You might be happy about this if you don’t have a vegetable garden, after all zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can be used in a number of delicious ways, is nutritious supplying protein, vitamins A and C and numerous other good elements but no cholesterol, and contains only 20 calories per one cup…
The Bridge of Flowers is a blooming wonder. Starting in April and through October it is in flower from the bright crocus and daffodils of early spring, through rose season and then dahlia season. I could not possibly give you a list of all the flowers that take their turn on the Bridge, bulbs, annuals, perennials, blooming shrubs and trees, all making life in Shelburne Falls a delight and attracting over 35,000 visitors from across the country and…
We live in a fortunate part of the world. Recently my husband and I were counting our local blessings: good neighbors, relatively benign bureaucracies, easy traffic, and beautiful landscapes with hills and streams, woodlands and meadows. Those landscapes have changed in a major but subtle way over the 30 years since we moved to Heath. The dairy farms that were here in Heath have all disappeared as have many dairy operations in other towns. A few farm stands…