My apple harvest is at high tide. The whole neighborhood has been talking about what a great apple year this is, so I am not alone. Right now I am harvesting Liberty apples. We planted this Liberty tree in 1983. I think. We chose it because of its disease resistance. We have taken very little care of it, except for some not very expert pruning. This self-fertile tree continues to bear, and the fruit is remarkably unblemished with…
Krishna is the eighth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is often shown with his flute with which he seduces milk maids, but my Krishna's flute has been lost to the ages. He is no less seductive. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson has found a use for autumn leaves in his kitchen where he has been known to boil up a broth of autumn leaves that he thinks "tastes like a season." So, think again about the autumn leaves flying through the air with dancing autumnal breezes. Autumn leaves are falling and collecting on the ground where they are now being washed by gentle autumnal rains. They are beautiful, and Magnus Nilsson has found a use for them beyond the…
“I’m a designer. I’ve always been absorbed by fashion, interior and landscape design,” Marie Stella said when she began my tour of Beaver Lodge in Ashfield. Her current and ongoing design project is the landscape surrounding her beautiful house which has been give a Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating. This is very unusual for a residence. LEED designations require that materials be as local as possible, that recycled materials be used when possible. For…
All of sudden the autumn color we hope for and wait for has appeared. Every hour it seems more brilliant. Down with invasive Burning Bush. Up with blueberries. Delicious berries and delightful autumn color. Deep autumn color on the oakleaf hydrangea is stunning and unusual. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
I was surprised to find these autumn crocus in bloom right out in front of the house next to the wisteria trunk. And under overgrown lemon balm. I keep promising to move them to a better spot, but invisible as they are in July when that move should occur it never happens. Maybe next year. Since I have not been out to weed or care for the garden in what seems like weeks, there were other surprises like…
Last week I visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to meet the noted landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburg and hear him speak about how he approached the challenge of redesigning the Monks Garden. He said that Isabella Stewart Gardener herself acknowledged that she was never satisfied with the small walled garden she called the Monks Garden. “That gave me the confidence and courage . . . to make a garden for the future of the Museum.” Certainly the…
Even in the fall my garden is full of shades of pink. Japanese anemone robustissima. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
People often ask me when do I cut back my hardy roses in the fall, do I protect them in the winter and what is the best way they can protect their own roses. I have simple answers. First, I remind people that I only grow hardy roses, that are trouble free. Of course, sometimes I only find out that I have bought non-hardy roses when they die, but that's the way it goes. I do not cut back…
On a spring walk in the Betty Maitland Memorial Forest here in Heath we admired a tall beech tree (Fagus grandiflora) that is also known as the bear tree. The trunk is scarred with bear claw damage, climbing up into the foliage with its nuts, and going down again. Beechnuts are an important food for bears and other wildlife. They are high in fat, carbohydrates and protein. It is easy to imagine bears preparing for their winter…