O is for Organizations on the A to Z Challenge

  • Post published:04/17/2013
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O is for Organizations. We gardeners have all sorts of enthusiasms, about plants, about conservations, and about education. There are many Organizations that support those enthusiasms. I belong to the Massaachusetts Horticultural Society which is headquartered in Wellesley. There Mass Hort has a library, classrooms, and wonderful gardens from the Italianate Garden to the delightful Weezies Garden for Children. Founded in 1829 this organization isty is "dedicated to encouraging the science and practice of horticulture and developing the…

Houston Gardens in March 2011

  • Post published:03/26/2013
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Two years ago this week we left the cold and muddy landscape of Heath to visit Houston and our daughter Kate and  her family. Because the landscape of Heath is currently cold and snowy I needed to revisit those sunny Houston days. One day we drove out to Cindy's Corner of Katy to visit her beautiful garden. Flowers everywhere. Cindy's corner  garden is not large, but it is colorful and filled with every kind of flowers. Roses too. So…

Time to Order New Roses – Looking for Hardiness and Fragrance

  • Post published:02/11/2013
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It is time to order new roses, even if I have to look at a wintry landscape for some weeks yet. I looked through the catalogs and agonized but I finally made my decision. I am ordering two roses from the Antique Rose Emporium (ARE) because they send large container grown roses. This makes the shipping costs more expensive but the healthy bushes are such a nice size that the extra cost is worth it to me. Basyes Purple, a…

Happy Birthday Gertrude Jekyll

  • Post published:11/29/2012
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Gertrudy Jekyll (1843-1932) was one of the great British gardeners. It is her gardens and writings that essentially define the British perennial garden to this day.  This is the 169th anniversary of her birth in in London. Though she did travel throughout England, Europe and even the United States she spent most of her life in Surrey, England. There she built her final house and garden, Munstead Wood, with Edward Luytens, the well known architect.Most of the photographs show…

Taking Stock of Experiments and Projects

  • Post published:11/11/2012
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Every spring we begin the gardening season with new energy and new plans. After a winter of reading and thinking we stride out into the spring sun to build and dig, to add and subtract with confidence and high hopes. In the fall, while we are hoping we still have time to plant some bulbs (we do) it is time to review and see how our projects and experiments turned out. Our big project this year was really…

Year of the Rose Draws to a Close

  • Post published:10/23/2012
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  The Year of the Rose for 2012 as designated by the International Herb Society is drawing to a close. Thomas Affleck is the only rose in my garden that is still waving the banner. It has been a difficult year for the garden. Because of a mild relatively snowless winter, we came into spring with a drought situation. That drought hit in full force during the summer and since I get my water from a well I…

Barren Branches – and Yet . . .

  • Post published:10/18/2012
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The  barren branches of the old yellow birch in my field retain a certain majesty this frosty morning. But the Thomas Affleck shrub rose that grows at the end of the entry walk is resisting the closing of the bloom season. The days have been chilly and windy, tearing dying leaves off many trees, but Thomas just laughs and says, "Look at me!" I bought this rose from the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas and it has been hardier and…

We’re Not Giving Up the Fight Yet

  • Post published:10/09/2012
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We haven't given up the fight yet. We still have blooms.  Achillea 'Paprika' is actually a little more orange/red that the photo would have you believe. Either poorly named, or mislabeled. These stand in for all the pots still blooming, Million Bells, hydrangea, fuschia. Even if the skies are often grey, the morning glories never fail to remind us that there is glory every day. No. Cold weather hasn't got us yet! For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click…

Kindle Edition of The Roses at the End of the Road Now Available

  • Post published:10/01/2012
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We continue to move into the 21st Century. The Kindle edition of The Roses at the End of the Road is now available at Amazon.com. I even have a new description. "By the time Pat and Henry Leuchtman unloaded the third U-Haul truck at their new old farmhouse at the end of a dirt road, Henry declared that this was it. He was never moving again. He had reached the end of his road. These lively essays chronicle the…

Winter Sunset – a Griffith Buck Rose

  • Post published:08/29/2012
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This blooming Griffith Buck rose named Winter Sunset might be warning me that winter is not that far off. 50 degrees this morning when I woke up, and tonight is promised to be even cooler. For more (almost) Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.