The Insect Apocalypse Is Here

  • Post published:12/03/2018
  • Post comments:9 Comments

The New York Times Magazine (12-2-2018) article The Insect Apocalypse is Here by Brooke Jarvis reveals to people like me, who rarely pay attention to most insects, that the population of bugs in the world is declining. Some of  us can remember years when driving through the summer nights required hours of cleaning the car windows, removing all the dead bugs. No more. We suddenly realize that particular chore has not been necessary for years. Why not? Some answers…

UMass and Landscape Design

  • Post published:11/10/2018
  • Post comments:4 Comments

Professor Steve Schreiber, Jane Thurber, Lecturer, and Michael Davidsohn, Senior Lecturer, from the University of Massachusetts Architecture and Landscape Design Programs gave me a lesson in design.

Fall Clean Up and Cold Compost

  • Post published:10/27/2017
  • Post comments:4 Comments

Leaves are falling, some flower stalks have turned brown and brittle; it’s time for the fall clean up. I have been cutting back iris and daylily foliage which was looking less and less attractive every day. Cutting back is one way to make the garden look neater and a bit more serene. It is also a way to see clearly which clumps will be ready for dividing in the spring. Where can these divisions make the most impact?…

Ben Grosscup and Soil Restoration

  • Post published:10/20/2017
  • Post comments:4 Comments

Soil Restoration is important. I don't always understand the science behind good garden practices, but an afternoon with Ben Grosscup helped me think about my soil in new ways. Grosscup began working with the Northeastern Organic Farming Association NOFA) right out of college. He was part of the efforts to organize putting bans on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and efforts to label foods if they did include GMO’s. He organized educational events and seminars for farmers and others…

End of August Views

  • Post published:08/30/2017
  • Post comments:3 Comments

The end of August view from the upstairs window shows not only a full garden, but my most recent project of a wine bottle hose guard on the left. Also in the center of that bed is a beautiful glass "flower" given to us by the sister of a dear friend. You can't see it very well here, but as soon as I see the sun shining on it I'll give a better photo. I wanted to get…

Visiting Neighborhood Edible Gardens

  • Post published:08/19/2017
  • Post comments:0 Comments

The edible garden tour arranged by Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener of TempleIsrael took us to several gardens within walking distance of my house. The first garden we visited is a very pretty small garden created by Lisa Ranghelli and Bram Moreinis. This was their first garden and they showed their wisdom by saying they thought it best to start small. We admired the design, the assortment of vegetables and the exclamation points of marigolds. But we also noticed a…

Tranquility in the Shade

  • Post published:07/18/2017
  • Post comments:5 Comments

The Master Gardeners organized a wonderful garden tour to Philadelphia and environs.  Both Chanticleer and the Mt.CubaCenter gave us the shade of a woodland and I am so glad both were included. The first garden we went to was Chanticleer. Once the Rosengarten estate, it opened as a public garden in 1993. I had expected lush, but neat beds of exotic flowers, but what I found at Chanticleer was a peaceful garden with large potted plants in the…

World Water Day – March 22, 2017

  • Post published:03/22/2017
  • Post comments:2 Comments

On this World Water Day I want to share some of my water photos. This group of gardeners has been visiting Minneapolis area gardens on a hot summer day. It was bliss to sit in the shade and enjoy the lake breeze and serenity. We can't all have a lake in our garden, but we can arrange to have fountains like this patio fountain in Minneapolis. This might have been my favorite Minneapolis water fountain - located at…

Late Bloomer by Jan Coppola Bills

  • Post published:12/03/2016
  • Post comments:2 Comments

Several years ago a friend asked me to give her advice about her garden which she said was out of control and too much work. When I visited I could see an immediate problem; her paths were too narrow. Wider paths would make it possible to walk through the garden side by side with a friend, and even provide better working space when it was time to weed or divide the collection of lovely perennials that comprised her…

Bugs and Butterflies in My Garden

  • Post published:07/23/2016
  • Post comments:3 Comments

“Chances are, you have never thought of your garden — indeed, of all of the space on your property — as a wildlife preserve that represents the last chance we have for sustaining plants and animals that were once common throughout the U.S.” Douglas Tallamy. Most of us welcome birds and butterflies to our gardens, but don’t spend much time thinking about bugs, except for pesky mosquitoes and Japanese beetles. Yet, even bugs, and there are hundreds of species…