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…
The annual Smith College Bulb Show at the Lyman Conservatory will begin with a free lecture by Lynden B. Miller (Smith '60) in the Carroll Room at the Campus Center at 7:30 pm on Friday, March 5. Miller is a noted public garden designer and will be talking about her new book Parks, Plants and People: Beautifying the Urban Landscape. She feels that "beautiful parks and gardens are essential urban oases with economic benefits and the power to…
The New York Times Magazine had a story on Sunday about Crop Mobs down in North Carolina. The idea is that volunteer 'pop up farmers' can show up at a farm to slave away for a day or afternoon, doing all that labor intensive work that small farms have so much of. I know the Greenfield Garden Club has Weed Mobs before their annual garden tour, but I wonder if any local farms need a Crop Mob? I'll…
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only…
Nancy Bond at Soliloquoy has a wonderful post about the Olympic bouquets that are given to each Olympic winner, gold, silver and bronze medal winners all. It has been difficult to get a good look at the bouquets. They do not seem to be given or received with much ceremony, which is a shame because they are lovely. Nancy tells the full story about constraints and requirements for designing these bouquets which is fascinating. It's made me think…
I am still in the middle of reading and planning season. Two very different books have sent my imagination into high gear. Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars: Grandma’s Bag of Tricks by Sharon Lovejoy ($14.95 Workman Publishing) is ostensibly for grandmas, but among the 130 activities described and illustrated with engaging photos and charming drawings, many will engage mommies and daddies as well. The opening chapter, Preparing Camp Granny, gives advice about welcoming a visiting grandchild so that…
We awoke to a silent world, muffled with another layer of snow. There is nothing more to be said.
I've been browsing through the online Creepy Crawlies exhibit of children's books from the Cotsen Children's Library at Princeton University. These books date as far back as the 1744 edition of Tom Thumb's Pretty Song Book. The Terrible Cockroach by the Russian Kornei Chukovski and illustrated by Sergeii Chekhonin, published in Leningrad 1925, tells the nonsense tale of a threatening cockroach who is so fierce that he terrifies all the animals who are out to enjoy a picnic.…
Now you know why I chose the name commonweeder. I love common weeds. Otherwise known as wild flowers. In some circles. I call this wildflower garden my flowery mead. Others may call it my lawn. Lawns have become controversial because they can take a toll on the environment. Herbicides and pesticides can runoff into streams and other waterways causing pollution and killing wildlife. Many people water their lawns when the weather is hot and dry, using that precious…