Sometimes I get lucky. I moved this rosy achillea to the Herb Bed in front of the house last year. It is blooming right next to a large clump of golden marjoram and makes a beautiful little plantscape. Have you had any lucky juxtapositions?
Bread is called the staff of life and bread means wheat. With our huge wheatfields in the midwest we take wheat for granted. We don't think about the possibility of the supply diminishing or about the changing nutritional value of the wheat. Eli Rogosa and the Heritage Wheat Conservancy,which she founded is collaborating with the Northeast Organic Wheat and UMass Extension to hold a Grain Conference on July 14 and 15. The first day will be held at…
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Edward Steichen (1879-1973) was one of our most famous photographers: especially known for his black and white photographs of famous people. I was amazed to learn that this man who I imagined dreaming in black and white had a passion for blue - a passion for delphiniums. He cultivated acres of delphiniums at his Connecticut home. In 1936 when he was Director of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, then housed in a…
Yesterday we went to Tyngsboro to celebrate the Fourth of July with friends, but most especially to celebrate our daughter's 50th birthday with her family. This is our third child to celebrate a 50th, the last two girls are not far behind. The birthday cake provided by Diane's best friend showed a hill with Diane on the downside. Diane laughed and asked me if I remembered the cake she had made for me on my 30th birthday? It…
Topiary as an art dates back to ancient Roman days. Over the centuries it has been used as symmetrical or whimsical ornament in the garden, as gardeners snipped and clipped various sorts of plants from large evergreens to small herbs into geometric or animal shapes. Pearl Fryar of Bishopville, South Carolina, creates his sculptural topiary by clipping with a power hedge clippers. For the most part his designs do not resemble those classic designs of old. He feels…
How many times have you driven on High Street in Greenfield and wondered what lies beyond this pair of lions? I will tell you - beautiful gardens. You can see the woodland garden up the hill, but you'll have to go on the Greenfield Garden Club's Garden Tour on Saturday, July 9 from 9 am to 4 pm to see the rest including sunny perennial borders and a unique solution to a 'dead corner'. Eight other gardens are…
The Western New England Iris Society will hold its annual Japanese Iris exhibit at the Buckland-Shelburne Community Hall in Shelburne Falls on Saturday, July 2. There will be an opportunity to buy iris plants, as well as admire the best local iris varieties and learn about growing irises. Deborah Wheeler and her son Andrew of Foxbrook Irises will be on hand to answer questions.
The weekend of July 9 is going to be busy. A festival of garden and artisan tours will be on offer. The Hawley Artisan's & Garden Tour, sponsored by the Sons and Daughters of Hawley is billed as "A Collage of Art and Gardens." One of my favorite gardens is Jerry Sternstein's vegetable garden that is much more lush than mine - and has a fabulous view. Other Hawley gardens have perennial borders and blooming shrubs, but many…
To me the Franklin Land Trust Farm and Garden Tour this weekend was really an extended Rose Viewing. Hundreds of people visited the garden, and many of visitors had the same questions. Some asked "What is that plant on the Rose Walk?" Well, it's a rose. I understand why some people were confused. The foliage is very unusual, and the tiny flowers don't look much like Roses, but it is indeed an ancient rose. When I bought it…