When we think of pollinators we think of honeybees, being trucked to orchards in the spring or to pollinate vast mid-western fields in the summer. The decline of the honey bee, because of disease, mites, and the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), has been in the news for some years. The concern is that crops will be threatened by insufficient pollination and our food supply will be in danger. Knowing all this, Tom Sullivan, a former bee keeper,…
Purslane July 19, 2013Purslane is a common weed, which some find edible, and some find despicable. Charles Dudley Warner in his delightful book My Summer in a Garden has a few choice words to say about 'pusley.' Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900) spent part of his childhood in Charlemont, just down the hill from Heath. For many years he was a writer and editor with the Hartford Courant. In 1870 he published My Summer in a Garden about his travails in…
The other night the sunset set the Daylily Bank aglow. The daylilies are a joy all day long. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
Achillea millefolium is a member of the compositae or daisylike family, but the tiny five rays give the appearance of a five petaled flower. The foliage is delicately ferny. While I may not have liked Queen Anne's Lace as a child, I always liked yarrow. When I became a gardener I realized that there are many yarrows, that achillea comes in a whole palette of colors. I have grown Achillea 'Cornonation Gold' with its deep color and large…
There are different types of summer blues, from the blues that hit on hot, muggy days when the thought of weeding is not to be borne, or those that follow drenching rains that have turned the raspberries to mold. Then there are the blue flowers that are much more rare than the sunny golds that predominate in the mid to late summer garden. True blue, the color of forget-me-nots, is not a common color in the summer garden,…
Queen Anne's Lace, Daucus carota was one of the first flowers I could name. I did not know it was also called wild carrot, but that name is understandable if you pull up some of the root and inhale that carrot-y fragrance. Who was Queen Anne? Probably, she was Queen Anne (1665-1714) who ruled Great Britain for 12 years. The tiny red flower in the center of the umbel is considered to be a drop of blood when Queen Anne…
Sometimes you have to show off your pleasure and delight. Wordless Wednesday is the perfect opportunity. Grandson Rory has been visiting. He may be taller and have new skills - driving! But the general attitude doesn't change at all. Pretty nice gate, don't you think? For more (almost) Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
On this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, July 2013, most of the roses are pretty well done. That's why we have the Annual Rose Viewing on the last Sunday of June. The Fairy was just starting to bloom two weeks ago, but now she is looking great, and will remain in bloom for a good part of the summer. The Purington rambler also starts to bloom at the very end of June, but is now cascading down the Rose…
Do you cook? If you have been cooking for any time at all I think you will have discovered that herbs add a lot to everyday cuisine. If you garden as well as cook, you know that a small herb garden can save you money, look pretty, and brighten up your meals. I have always loved and grown herbs to use in the kitchen, but I also grow herbs that have had a fascinating history. The space I…
I bought the Connecticut Yankee Delphinium because it was not as tall as the dramatic and more familiar delphiums, and knew that it did not need staking. That is the attribute that famous photographer Edward Steichen was searching for when he hybridized the Connecticut Yankee. Steichen had a passion for delphiums and grew five acres of the flowers at his Reading, Connecticut home. He was so passionate that he brought them to the Museum of Modern Art in New…