N is for Nasami Farm, the propagating arm of the New England Wildflower Society which was founded in 1900 and is oldest plant conservation society in the U.S. I have shopped for many plants at Nasami Farm, last year purchasing several water tolerant if not water loving plants. I planted Buttonbush in the wettest part of our new garden because it can often be growing in a river, not just on its bank. I also bought winterberries, viburnams,…
M is for Mirrors in the garden. A tour of Buffalo gardens a few years ago were filled with ideas that were new to me. This mirror was one of several mirrors in the garden with lush plantings that were carefully pruned to keep the mirror mysteriously visible. I was particularly taken with the function of this mirror in the garden, set as it was in back of a tiki lamp, acting to reflect firelight at an evening…
Why do we need compost farms? On October 1, 2014 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection made a requirement that all businesses or institutions that created more than one ton of organic waste a week find a source to accept and recycle that waste. This rule affected schools, colleges, hospitals, prisons, restaurants and more. Although compost farms already existed the rule created a need for even more places that would accept and use these organics. Massachusetts has…
C is for Clethra alnifolia, otherwise known as sweet pepperbush. It was one of the first plants I put in my new, and very wet, garden last summer. It has everything I need: is very hardy, likes some shade, tolerates clay soil, likes a wet so much that it can be used in a rain garden where there is occasional flooding. Clethra is also the right size for my garden. It will grow between 4 to 6 feet…
How much do you spend on parsley over the year? Or fresh basil or cilantro? The $1.99 supermarket bundles don’t cost that much but it all adds up over time. If you want to save money, have fun, and very little work, an herb garden is the answer. Lots of books about herb gardens have beautiful photographs of herbs set out in geometric parterres bordered with box or some such, but that elegance takes work to maintain. My…
B is for Buttonbush, more properly known as Cephalanthus occidentalis. I was thrilled to find this native woody shrub which will grow to about eight to ten feet because it is not only wet tolerant, it has been known to live on river banks where the water often rises enough so that the buttonbush is actually growing in the water. My garden is periodically inundated for days at a time after rain. However, I am trying to…
Spring has come early, and so has the opening of the Bridge of Flowers. Tiny iris cristata and crocuses are blooming - with more blossoms to come very soon. There was great excitement at our beautiful new Garden House yesterday when Nancy Katz and Mark Liebowitz installed the beautiful stained glass window they designed and created. It is not terribly visible during the day from outside, but in the evenings it will be illuminated from inside. The Garden…
I felt we were ready for the first day of spring when I saw all the pansies from Andrews Greenhouse at the Western Mass Master Gardeners Spring Symposium on Saturday. Lots of vendors selling books and tools and plants! And best of all presenters teaching us all the things we wanted and needed to know about gardening. Keynote speaker Karen Bussolini explained why native plants are so necessary to attracting bugs, and pollinators and birds to our gardens.…
The cheering Mt Holyoke Spring Flower Show continues. The Talcott Greenhouse is open every day from 10 am to 4 pm. This is a correction from my Between the Rows column in The Recorder. The show is a delight. Be sure to visit before 4 pm on Sunday, March 20. Remember open hours are 10 am - 4 pm.
I got a surprise when I dug around in my pantry - and found this sprouting red onion, reaching for spring in the dark. I hope it is a good omen, but today the temperature did not get above freezing and the breeze was bitter. Too much false spring this year. I am eager for true spring, the season for planting onion sets.