Spring is creeping in slowly on little cat feet. When I drove past my friend Paul's house I saw the fat pussies on his willow by the side of the road. I dashed home to see if my pussywillow was blooming. Both of us have bushes growing in a wet spot, and both produce fat soft pussies. Alas, my bush is just beginning to bloom. Why the difference? Micro-climate? Very different variety?
The Heath Elementary School joined other august institutions of learning like Yale University, Brandeis and Tufts (to name only a few) in working with the innovative Double Edge Theater in Ashfield, an international center for performance. collaboration and training. This year the production was an original adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. This all school performance that involved everyone from kindergarten munchkins and bees, to a very dramatic Wicked Witch of the West (is it possible she was…
Ellen Ann Willmott is no longer as famous as Gertrude Jekyll, yet . . . "Ellen Willmott soon made a name for herself in horticulture, and helped to finance expeditions to acquire new plants. Queen Mary, Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria visited her, and her garden became famous throughout Britain and beyond. She was one of two women awarded the RHS Medal of Honour in Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Year, 1897. The other was Gertrude Jekyll." This from…
I met Cheryl Wilfong at a recent Garden Writers (GWA) meeting in Boston. The meeting was excellent with good advice about blogging and writing given by Richard Banfield of freshtilledsoil.com. The speaker gave me more than I ever expected, but one of the reasons I attended was to meet other writers, some of whom I already knew through their blogs. Cheryl brought her book, which I bought, and information about her website, meditativegardener.com. In spite of a weekend…
In preparing for a Fashion in the Garden posting I have been reading the spring issue of Vogue magazine. Strictly business you understand. Besides, Tina Fey was on the cover. Although I wasn't looking for it, there was a little feature on page 370, The Green List, with John Patrick's (whoever he may be) five latest (fashion everywhere) faves. There is seedlibrary.org for heirloom seeds; Emiliano Godoy, an industrial designer who focuses on sustainability; Magnus Larsson, a Swedish…
My copy of Green Prints, The Weeder's Digest, arrived in the mail the other day. It is not hard to understand why the commonweeder loves the weeder's digest on many levels. Puns intended. If you haven't ever run across a copy of this charming magazine, this issue shows you all the reasons why it is so popular. Encouragement, humor, peace and a lot of fascinating characters, including the editor, Pat Stone, who gives away some information about himself. He'd…
Robert Nicholson, Manager of the Lyman Conservatory at Smith College complained about the challenges of all the cloudy weather we have been having, but, once again, he and the crew more than met the challenge of forcing 5000 bulbs to bloom all at the same time. The Conservatory is a Turkish Delight of flower and fragrance, with all the usual bulbs, but also many freesias and delicate species tulips from Turkey. On Friday evening I attended the lecture…
When I met Dan Rosenberg, founder and owner of Real Pickles at the newly renovated building on Wells Street I got a shock. Looking into the bright new kitchen I understood the reality of what raw, fermented food means. There is no stove. I have made pickles, which require no cooking, just brine, vinegar and seasoning. Then I’ve spent hours with the canning kettle to finish the preservation process. Rosenberg has built a substantial pickle business in less…
It makes sense that the cover of The Perfect Fruit: Good Breeding, Bad Seeds and the Hunt for the Elusive Pluot by Chip Brantley should be a still life of luscious fruits. The book is a history of the San Joaquin Valley in California, fruit farming, and hybridization told by a charming young man who meets any number of fascinating characters during his investigations. I learned why the plums I buy at the supermarket in the summer vary…
I didn't need all the talk about 'nature deficit' to think that children can be entertained, educated and nurtured by spending time in the garden, with and without adults. As a child I spent a fair amount of time watching the bugs on my aunt's black seeded simpson lettuce, while I daydreamed in the sun. I don't know how that affected my personality development, but I am sure it was in many good ways. Black Dog Publishing also…