Quietness is a Griffith Buck rose I saw last fall at the New York Botanical Garden. I knew I had to have it. I ordered it from Chamblee Roses, planted it this spring, and it is just starting to bloom. The pale color and beautiful shape are perfectly serene. I will be serene because Buck roses are very hardy. Other Buck roses in my garden are Applejack, Hawk eye Belle, Prairie Harvest and Carefree Beauty. I planted Buck's…
Not only the beans, but some of the first leaves of squash plants had been eaten. This is clearly bug damage, but what bug? I replanted the beans twice, hoping that whatever it was would have come and gone. Then I was talking to a friend and he suggested earwigs. Earwigs come out at night so of course, I would not see them during the day. Putting lime around the most desirable plants was one solution, but…
Daylily season is upon us. Even those who can't name many flowers recognize dayliles, those growing in glorious organce by the road side, and those in shades of cream and pink, coral, gold and deep reds and burgundies in cultivated gardens. Some daylilies have the classic simple trumpet shape and some are ruffled. Because daylilies are so hardy as well and beautiful in their variety, many small growers sell them in full bloom, dug out of the garden…
All week we had been waiting for our daughter Kate and her family to arrive. We knew they had been at her husband's family reunion at a state park in NY, celebrating his parents 80th and 90th birthday - and their 60th wedding anniversary. I expected them to arrive mid-week, but there was no word. We called Kate's cell phone. We sent emails. We sent Facebook messages. No word. No word. No word. Had they been carjacked? We…
Who would not like to live on Pudding Hollow Road? It is clearly a road steeped in the history of Hawley, a town settled in 1760, and a unique pudding contest which took place in the late 1770s. Farms and food have always been important parts of Hawley’s history and culture so I could not resist the opportunity to visit the newest farm and an old established garden, both on Pudding Hollow Road, and both a part of…
Today the chicks are one month old! We celebrated by moving half of them down to their new home in The Dell with Sheila. She rebuilt their chicken house to make it snug and safe. Three strong women, Sheila, her daughter Katelynn, and I squeezed into our henhouse to separate out the Buff Orpingtons, New Hampshire Reds, Silver Laced Wyandottes and Black Stars from the Barred Rocks, Dominiques and Araucanas. Sheila lost count as Katelynn handed them off…
Rosa Mundi is an ancient striped gallica rose - rosa gallica versicolor. A good friend gave me this rose many years ago and has proved its hardiness by surviving this long. It has not increased in size, but it returns to bloom every June. It is listed as hardy to Zone 4, so why hasn't it thrived? If I am honest I must assess the planting site. Although it is said to be tolerant of some shade, I…
Yesterday the Toronto gardeners and sisters Helen and Sarah Battersby, reminded me that hydrangeas like a lot of water. "Hydra" is right there in its name so it shouldn't be too hard to remember. Fortunately, my 'Mothlight' hydrangea purchased a number of years ago from Nasami Farm (before it belonged to the New England Wildflower Society ) was planted where I do some watering. The bush itself got much bigger than I expected! I bought 'Mothlight' because I…
It takes more than plants to make a garden. First, it takes time. Deirdre Bonifaz and her husband Cristobal moved to Conway in 1985. For Deirdre it was a return to a part of the world she knew as a youngster. In the 1950s her father had moved the family from New York to a West Whately farm, to be closer to the soil and the essentials of life. ‘He was a man ahead of his time,” Deirdre…
The sky was gray and a few guests came early to the Rose Viewing, hoping to beat the rain, but blue skies arrived, as well as muggy temperatures, and more guests. It is always a pleasure to show people around the garden myself, but visitors can also go around with a rose list and map that my husband makes. Since I look on the Rose Viewing as a quasi-educational event I am always pleased to see people making…