Spoons and Quills – Mums that is

  • Post published:10/07/2011
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Nurseries and roadside stands are filled with tidy pots of tidy chrysanthemums, but I planted a collection of these fall bloomers in my Circle Garden this spring. The chrysanthemum family is so various in form, as well as color, that I wanted to branch out a little. My collection of six from Bluestone Perennials got whittled down to three because of rabbits! Fortunately, a reader suggested black netting which discouraged the bunnies, but ineptly placed as it was,…

Nasami Farm – Planting Season

  • Post published:09/08/2011
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Nasami Farm in Whately is a part of the New England Wildflower Society which also operates The Garden in the Woods in Framingham. Here are the greenhouses that propagate the native plants that are then sold at Nasami and The Garden in the Woods to gardeners, landscapers and towns who are working to preserve local biodiversity. I have gotten many healthy beautiful plants at Nasami and I recommend them. Barrenwort as a groundcover, pagoda dogwood as a ornamental part of…

Irene Review

  • Post published:09/05/2011
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It has been exactly a week since I wrote about our experience of Irene here. Since then towns across the region have been busy picking up the pieces. Governor Deval Patrick made his third trip to Heath (the first governor in history to pay so much attention to Heath) and on Wednesday he met with town officials. Here he is looking at a map of damaged road with Mike Smith in his Fire Chief uniform, but he is…

How I Spent My Vacation

  • Post published:08/06/2011
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Spring and summer, planting and growing seasons, are busy times for the gardener especially when you add in Tour Season. For me Tour Season was especially exciting (and exhausting) this year because our garden was on the Franklin Land Trust Farm and Garden Tour, and then the following week I was attending the Hawley Artisan and Garden Tour, and the Greenfield Garden Club Tour, both on the same day – while many people were able to add on…

David’s Perry’s Photography Lesson

  • Post published:08/04/2011
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One of the stellar events of the Garden Blogger's Seattle Fling was the workshop with David Perry, photographer extraordinaire.  We only had an hour of instruction, but I went right out to use the P setting on my little Canon Power Shot A590.  I call it my Point and Hope because it is so difficult to use in the sun - but it was raining at the Bloedel Reserve and I was ready to actually move the dial…

All About the Bridge of Flowers

  • Post published:07/20/2011
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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…

The Bridge Continues to Bloom

  • Post published:06/03/2011
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People are always asking me what is blooming on the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls.  It changes every day but here are  some current views. These azaleas are as sunny as our June days. The tornadoes that went through Springfield and beyond on Wednesday didn't do any damage up our way. Azaleas have their own season, but the annual osteospernums will bloom all summer long.  That is what makes annuals so valuable in any planting. Blue is…

George’s Garden Restored

  • Post published:05/31/2011
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Andrea Wulf's fascinating book The Founding Gardeners provides a drawing of George Washington's Mount Vernon site plan. I wrote about this book here. Sunday's Washington Post had a story about the restoration of his gardens based on a 13 month archeological dig led by Esther White. Now visitors will be able to see the garden as George himself laid it out. Every garden is ephemeral. Every garden changes over time. Finding evidence of original planting plans revealing the…