When we think of pollinators we think of honeybees, being trucked to orchards in the spring or to pollinate vast mid-western fields in the summer. The decline of the honey bee, because of disease, mites, and the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), has been in the news for some years. The concern is that crops will be threatened by insufficient pollination and our food supply will be in danger. Knowing all this, Tom Sullivan, a former bee keeper,…
Achillea millefolium is a member of the compositae or daisylike family, but the tiny five rays give the appearance of a five petaled flower. The foliage is delicately ferny. While I may not have liked Queen Anne's Lace as a child, I always liked yarrow. When I became a gardener I realized that there are many yarrows, that achillea comes in a whole palette of colors. I have grown Achillea 'Cornonation Gold' with its deep color and large…
There are different types of summer blues, from the blues that hit on hot, muggy days when the thought of weeding is not to be borne, or those that follow drenching rains that have turned the raspberries to mold. Then there are the blue flowers that are much more rare than the sunny golds that predominate in the mid to late summer garden. True blue, the color of forget-me-nots, is not a common color in the summer garden,…
On this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, July 2013, most of the roses are pretty well done. That's why we have the Annual Rose Viewing on the last Sunday of June. The Fairy was just starting to bloom two weeks ago, but now she is looking great, and will remain in bloom for a good part of the summer. The Purington rambler also starts to bloom at the very end of June, but is now cascading down the Rose…
I bought the Connecticut Yankee Delphinium because it was not as tall as the dramatic and more familiar delphiums, and knew that it did not need staking. That is the attribute that famous photographer Edward Steichen was searching for when he hybridized the Connecticut Yankee. Steichen had a passion for delphiums and grew five acres of the flowers at his Reading, Connecticut home. He was so passionate that he brought them to the Museum of Modern Art in New…
Welcome to the Greenfield Garden Club Garden Tour. Welcome seems to be the theme on the Greenfield Garden Club Tour which will be held on Saturday, July 6 from 9 am to 4 pm. This beautiful garden on a challenging slope in Gill has several garden rooms, from the small sunny garden with its fountain and pool surrounded by astilbes, ornamental grasses and bright coreopsis to the woodland garden with its gravel paths and colorful mushroom ornaments. Each garden…
A sizeable work crew showed up to help prepare for the Annual Rose Viewing, but it was impossible to get a photo of them all working together. Diane directed the weeding of the Peony Bed that was in great need. Henry took direction as well as the girls. Eveyone felt the 90 degree heat. Granddaughters Caitlin and Tricia couldn't even spare time to look up from their labors. I directed the shed clean up. Lola and Bella were ready…
In order to beat the promised two (more) days of heavy rain, I dashed out to get photos for Bloom Day just as the rain began on Thursday. I've potted up many of the annuals: geraniums, fuschia, petunias, snapdragons, blue and white lobelia, and rosemary. I still have a few that have to be put in the ground. These stocks were a gift from a friend. I didn't totally realize how big the clump would get, and I certainly hadn't…
The Garden Tour Season is well begun. Next Saturday, June 15, the Whately Garden Tour sponsored by the Historical Society includes 5 five diverse Whately gardens that will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. rain or shine. There are woodland gardens, gardens that reflect other cultures, cottage gardens and gardens that welcome all kinds of wildlife. A Garden for Family and Friends Last week I visited Nicole and Joe Pietraszkiewicz who bought a newly built…
Yesterday morning I watched what I later confirmed was a cowbird being fed by another bird. I just happened to look out the front window and there was this little bird (fully fledged) standing still and looking around while another bird, a different type of bird, much the same size was running around picking up insects from the lawn and bringing them over to the cowbird. Through the window I couldn't hear the cowbird squawking, or whining piteously, but I…