I'm a person who enjoys talking about plants anytime, but sometimes I do it officially. Last weekend I spoke about Sustainable Roses at the little e. I was able to explain that you could grow roses without poisons and fungicides. Hybridizers have created many rugosas that are just naturally sustainable. Texas A&M declared a whole group of roses to be sustainable and calls them Earth Kind. Look for that label when you go rose shopping. I'll be writing…
I am often asked if I always loved roses. The answer is no. My desire for roses began when I was living and working in New York City. There amid Manhattan’s concrete towers I developed a hunger for roses. What flower is more ancient and more romantic? When my husband and I, and our three daughters (the two boys were already out of the house) moved from the noisiest apartment in Manhattan on November 28, 1979 to the…
The Bridge of Flowers opened today. There was a delay while the new irrigation system was installed. Now the beds on both sides of the path can be watered, without a water brigade. The volunteer Flower Brigade was on duty, raking and bringing the debris to the Franklin County Waste Management Dumpster. The debris will eventually come back to the Bridge as beautiful nourishing compost from Martin's Farm in Greenfield. There aren't many flowers yet, but more will…
I'm just starting to read Five Plant Gardens by Nancy J. Ondra and I find it such an encouraging book. The book is divided into two sections, one section for sunny gardens and one section for shady gardens. She begins with one color gardens like the Bright White Garden for a sunny location. She suggests 'David' phlox, 'White Swan' coneflower, 'Snow Fairy' caryopteris, lambs ears, and candytuft, but gives alternatives and a planting plan. It is her planting…
In the Pink is the theme of the annual Smith College Bulb Show. Every day from March 1 - 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. visitors can bask in the fragrance of pink hyacinths and spring as they wander through the greenhouse stuffed with thousands of bulbs: daffodils, tulips, scillas, and hyacinths as well as blushing azaleas, cyclamen and camellias. For me pink is the color of spring. Pink is also an important fashion color. Currently the…
Sastrugi is the word for the snow waves and caves. It comes from the Russian. Sometimes it makes very large, much larger than here, waves. I think it has been too cold and the snow has been too dry for that to happen with our latest snow fall. Sometimes the sastrugi takes the form of gentle ripples. For more (almost) Wordlessness this Wednesday click here
The noted essayist and poet Charles Lamb (1775-1834) said “New Year’s Day is everyman’s birthday.” As I look at the snow covered mowing near the center of Heath, I cannot help thinking that the mowing is like the first day of the year. It is perfect and flawless as the new year begins. It seems filled with opportunity and the promise of a good harvest. There may be only sunny days and gentle rains. And yet we…
Merry Christmas! This is the gift giving season. The season inevitably leads to lots of shopping. This past Monday I had a morning appointment in Northampton and I thought I would take the opportunity to shop along the way home. I didn’t have much shopping left because, of course, I had already done most of my shopping in Shelburne Falls and Greenfield. Still a few things were needed. I like lively Christmas…
My Reading Roundup Continues. Books make up a good part of my pleasure in gardening. I get information during the growing season and varied pleasures in growing season - and all the rest of the year. Clink on the link for full information about each book. The Speedy Vegetable Garden by Mark Diacono and Lia Leendertz (Timber Press) is not necessarily for impatient gardeners, but gardeners who want to extend the growing season into the depths of winter.…
It's almost 2 pm EST which means only 10 more hours to leave a comment here. You might win this beautiful book, Seeing Flowers, from Timber Press PLUS my own charming book of essays about life among the roses, Roses at the End of the Road. I'll announce the winner tomorrow morning.