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.
Tulips are not currently blooming on the Bridge of Flowers, but the BOF committee has already been planning the Annual Plant Sale which will be held on Saturday, May 14, the weekend after Mother's Day. Tulips will not be for sale, but I think you can count on lots of other desirable and healthy plants that will waiting for you to make up your mind. Don't forget the date! Saturday, May 14, 2016. I really enjoy thinking about…
Every year new annuals show up in the catalogs and garden centers. These new plants may get us thinking about ways we can design our plantings, help us find flowers that will thrive in challenging situations, or help support pollinators. I will list a few of these new annual flower varieties that I found particularly appealing. The first place I check to see what is new is the All America Plant Selections website. Many of us have…
Today I have chosen to think about the beardless Siberian iris. It is such a cold, gray winter day that I needed to think about something cheerful, that presents no problems. The Siberian iris family fills the bill. When I say they present no problems I am also saying that I have good conditions for these beautiful irises. I have acid soil, and while they can take dry periods well, they welcome generous water. In Heath there was…
Sunday. It is raining! The abnormally warm temperatures are melting our one snowfall, and now it is raining. My husband cleared away the storm drain on our road and he is now investigating the liklihood of helping the drainage in the backyard. Our newly planted lasagna beds did raise the beds slightly and I think the photo gives you a hint that they are surrounded by water. The water is the deepest at the western end of the…