I've written about a number of garden books for the young over the past year. They are not how-to books although there are books that do lead a child into the garden with real instructions. My friend Kathryn Galbraith wrote Planting the Wild Garden and turned science into poetry. She reveals all the ways that Mother Nature spreads seeds over the landscape using the wind and rain, and hot sun that makes seed pods burst. The rivers and…
I just realized that I planted my succulent container on December 19 last year. This was a new project for me. I posted an update in February when the succulents looked like this. Today the succulents look like this. I love being able to put together this series. With so few words. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
I’m not saying gardeners are greedy, but it is true that it is easy to choose Christimas gifts for gardeners. When I wander through Shelburne Farm and Garden or Greenfield Farmers Coop I have all I can do hold myself in check. There are so many bright and sturdy items that will please and be useful to both novice and expert gardeners. The Shelburne Farm and Garden Center has a wonderful collection of pots. So many of…
I never have much in bloom at this time of the year. but on this Garden Bloggers Boom Day I have something to show. My big Christmas cactus sits in the corner of our bedroom and thrives with no care at all. A smaller Christmas cactus sits on the kitchen divider, the only blooming plant in public space. Lots more blooms to come on both. This little pot of cyclamen , bought last February, spent the summer forgotten…
We usually cut our Christmas tree from our own land. We are famous for having Charlie Brown trees. This tree strikes me as a hemi-demi-semi tree. The only tree we could find was this section of a tree that had been damaged by the ice storm several years ago. It only has branches on one side. I think this year, for the first time in over 30 years, we'll be shopping for our Christmas tree. For more (almost)…
We have a winner. Eileen Taylor will recieve a copy of Beautiful No Mow Yards from Timber Press and a copy of The Roses at the End of the Road from me. Congratulations, Eileen! Thank yous to all who helped me celebrate my fifth anniversary of blogging.
Today is your last chance to leave a comment here by midnight tonight and participate in the my book giveaway. You could win a copy of Beautiful No Mow Yards AND my own book The Roses at the End of the Road. I have enjoyed these past five years that has brought so many wonderful new people into my life. And useful and inspiring books like Beautiful No Mow Lawns from Timber Press. I will choose a name…
This post is a reprise from last year and has some really good ideas, so I am repeating, but I will have some new ideas next week. What gifts for the gardener are on your list? In the ‘olden days’ garden catalogs did not arrive until after the new year, the first sign that spring will eventually return. Now my mailbox is already full of garden catalogs describing all kinds of plants, books and tools, every company hoping…
Today is my fifth blogoversary. Five years ago, on the Feast of St. Nicholas, with a lot of help from my husband, I gave myself the gift of the commonweeder blog. I had no idea where it would take me or the gifts it would give me. Because of this blog I joined 60+ other fascinating garden bloggers in Buffalo and Seattle for Flings that took us to amazing gardens, meetings with creative gardeners, and gave me lively…
What has your lawn done for you lately? That is the question asked by Beautiful No-Mow Yards by Evelyn J. Hadden and published by Timber Press ($24.95). My husband would answer “Not much.” He was happy to find a strong boy to give the lawn a final mowing just before Thanksgiving. The lawn requires a fair amount of time and equipment to keep it mowed, even on the irregular schedule we manage to keep. We never fertilize or…