Is it too early to talk about new flowers for 2014? NO! By tomorrow afternoon Punxatawny Phil will have told us whether we can count on an early spring. I have heard a rumor that he may very well do so. Maybe. I already know that it is still light at 5:30 in the evening. Spring seems like a real possibility and it is time to pay serious attention to the plant catalogs piling up since before…
Before I end my discussion about garden planning, I want to add a few words about the view from the house, or more specifically, the view from a window. We spend time in the garden working, and time socializing in the garden, but we can also enjoy the garden when we are inside the house. Do you have a kitchen or dining table by a window that looks into the…
Garden Planning takes a new direction after you have decided how much time you have, what activities you want to enjoy in the garden, and what the garden needs in terms of soil improvement. You will also have decided whether you want a strictly ornamental garden, or if you want to include edibles. In urban and suburban settings the first consideration is the front yard. Most front…
One of the benefits of membership in the American Horticultural Society is the arrival of The American Gardener every other month. This month the cover photo was of an Eryngium or sea holly, and the amazing news that this is a relative of parsley. This isn't exactly one of the weird and wonderful facts I love to collect, but I certainly found it unexpected. The delightful and informative article by Barbara Perry Lawton catalogs a number of…
My Heath Calendar cannot begin with flowers. The only flowers at the End of the Road are a few Christmas cactus blooms and a wonderful pink cyclamen. February is still cold and snowy. This 'possum found shelter and a snack in the compost bin next to the hen house. March and still no blooms in Heath. Still the Talcott Greenhouse at Mt. Holyoke College and the Lyman Plant House at Smith College are full of bloom and hope…
Slow but sure is the gardener's motto when plants first go in. This is the beginning of the Daylily Bank in the Spring of 2009. We decided on this solution to a bank that was hard to mow. At my time of life five years pass in the blink of an eye. This succeeded beyond my dreams, with daylilies added row by row for four years. For more (almost) Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
It is not too late to order the 2014 UMass Garden Calendar. This is always beautiful, and this year the monthly photographs feature a floral happy dozen from potted tulips to Linda Campbell rugosa blossoms to a glorious sunflower. But the calendar is not only beautiful it contains a wealth of gardening advice and information for those of us in the norhteast. This year there is a thorough explanation of the USDA climate zones. I always forget…
Chrysanthemums are an iconic autumn flower. Pots of blooming mums are sold at every garden center, supermarket, and roadside stand by the end of August. Their rich colors of garnet, purple, bronze and brilliant yellow or pale cream have tempted me many times. I buy them, but am mildly disappointed that even after I put them in the ground they maintain a strict military stance, never softening into a graceful slouch. Neither have I been able to overwinter…
The first of the month record is late - as usual - but things have been so busy here at the end of the road, with Halloween parties and the beginning of Christmas baking. Fruitcakes! For the record, the first of the month felt like a tropical monsoon, with temperatures in the 70s, wind and lashing rain. The rain began during the night and by the time the wind died down and the rain stopped at noon, we…
We had our first real heavy frost, but the sheffies are undaunted. Neither are these pink mums. No real surprise - Sheffield daisies are just another mum. It is lovely to see them on this cold morning, with the sun beginning to shine brightly. I am thinking that it may be mild enough to work outside for a few more hours today. The garlic is planted, and many beds have been cleaned up - but not all. …