Mark Your Calendars

  • Post published:10/17/2010
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October 19 CISA's own Margaret Christie will host Preserving Food: Canning, Freezing, Drying, Storage on Tuesday, October 19 from 6:30 to 8:30pm at the Greenfield Community College's Downtown Center. Register with Greenfield Community College by email or phone at 413-775-1803. October 22-23 Tower Hill Botanic Garden is proud to host the Garden Club Federation (GCF) of Massachusetts' "A New England Journey" Flower Show.  This floral homage to New England's literary and cultural traditions will be sure to generate feelings of nostalgia and regional…

The Three Sisters Sanctuary

Richard Richardson turned his grief over the passings of his brother and daughter into a magical garden that is now open to the public.  The Three Sisters Sanctuary, right next to Richardson's business Good Time Stoves in Goshen, has been in the making for 18 years. The story of the garden is now told on its own website, along with information about events like concerts and plays, and how you can hold your own event in this amazing…

Berkshire Botanical Garden – Jewel of the Berkshires

  • Post published:08/21/2010
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 The Berkshire Botanical Garden is one of the jewels of the Berkshires. This summer it is sparkling more than ever. In addition to the regular plantings of trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetables, the Garden is hosting several special exhibits this year. I was particularly taken with the display of garden sheds. Five fantasies consisting of standard pre-fab garden sheds are arranged around the Garden grounds. Naturally I was delighted with the Garden Blogger’s Retreat designed by Michael…

Could You Blog Here?

This Garden Blogger's Retreat, designed by Michael Devine, is one of the sheds in the Living Stylishly in Nature: Re-Imagining the Humble Garden Shed special exhibit at the Berkshire Botanical Garden. in Stockbridge.  Wouldn't you love to walk out your door and through your garden to this 'shed' to begin your post for the day? Can you tell that two thirds of the back wall is covered with tall mirrors? Swagged with handprinted fabric?  However, I noticed that…

New Friends and Their Blogs

  • Post published:07/21/2010
  • Post comments:7 Comments

Here is part of the crowd of 70 garden bloggers  at the Buffalo Botanical Garden. I was familiar with the blogs of some of these gardeners like Frances (lower left) of Fairegarden, and Susan (center in blue with hat) of Sustainable Gardening Blog, and Helen (in white under the camera) of Toronto Gardens.  Susan is one of the Garden Ranters; she and I worked briefly for an Australian organic gardening website Organic Gardener which made us virtual colleagues!…

Emily Dickinson at the NYBG

  • Post published:05/22/2010
  • Post comments:2 Comments

A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King, But God be with the Clown-- Who ponders this tremendous scene-- This whole Experiment in Green-- As if it were his own! Emily Dickinson Spring madness was in the air when I trekked to the New York Botanical Garden for the special exhibit Emily Dickinson’s Garden: Poetry in Flowers. Two rooms of the stunning Enid E. Haupt Conservatory were given over to interpretations of the gardens…

I Love The City!

  • Post published:05/13/2010
  • Post comments:4 Comments

While it is true that I visited New York City to explore parks like the one above,  and the New York Botanic Garden, I saw things I hadn't expected. I didn't know that the park that runs along the Hudson River with all its plantings and seating included a temple. At least it might be a temple but there is something chess - like about this arrangement as well. Odd and mysterious, although the gentlemen there eating?  meeting?…

Two Tobaccos

  • Post published:05/07/2010
  • Post comments:6 Comments

On Tuesday, my friend Le Flaneur and I went to the New York Botanic Garden in the Bronx to see the exhibit Emily Dickinson's Garden: The Poetry of Flowers. Two large rooms in the Enid Haupt Conservatory were given over to an interpretation of Emily Dickinson's garden at The Homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts, which is only about 45 miles from us in Heath. There were wonderful plantings of the flowers that grew in her garden, some of which…

Ohhhh – Look at that!

  • Post published:05/04/2010
  • Post comments:9 Comments

Ohhhhhh - Look at that! I cannot tell you how many times I uttered those words, and Le Flaneur listened patiently, turned and followed my pointing fingers at heucheras, sailboats, meat packing establishments, roof top restaurants and etc., etc., etc. We took the train into the city and set off to explore an array of Parks.  We began at Battery Park, South Ferry, where people can get ferries to Staten Island, or Ellis Island or the Statue of…

Mark Your Calendars

  • Post published:04/09/2010
  • Post comments:1 Comment

As the gardens green up and come into bloom special events are also popping up everywhere. Tower Hill Botanic Garden will have its Free Spring Open House on Sunday, April 11 from 10 to 5 pm. For the first time visitors will enter through the new Reception Gateway. Right now the famed field of 25,000 daffodils is in bloom. Read about my trip to Tower Hill last summer here. Next weekend IKEBANA--the Japanese art of floral design--will be…