Julie Moir Messervy, the well-known landscape designer and author of books like The Inward Garden, Outside the Not So Big House, and most recently, Home Outside, is coming to town. Messervy will be the keynote speaker the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Spring Symposium, Feeding Soil, Self and Soul, on March 21. Messervy knows that our homes are probably the most important spaces in our lives. We celebrate at home and refresh ourselves at home. We…
We left the snowy fields of Heath in a hurry on Thursday and made our way to our daughter Betsy's house. She and her broken ankle were on her couch where she had been rearranging her life for the previous 2 days. Plans were made to get her to the hospital at dawn on Friday morning.While she was in surgery we took a walk through the Brigham and Women's Hospital neighborhood where we saw a very neat park,…
Lynne has won our Johnny's Selected Seed Giveaway! Congratulations! Once I have her street/mailing address I'll pass that on to Johnny's and they will send the $25 gift certificate directly to her. She is sure to have a great garden season.So thank you all for playing, and happy gardening.
Lynne is our winner of the Johnny's Selected Seed Give Away! With her $25 gift certificate she can buy anthing in the Johnny's catalog. She is sure to have a great growing season. Congratulations, Lynne. When I receive your street/mailing address I will pass that along to Johnny's and they'll send you the gift certificate. Thank you all, and happy gardening to all.
This is the time of year when our gardens are at their best – growing, blooming and ready for harvest in our mind’s eye. These visions are inspired by the catlogs mounting on the kitchen and coffee tables. Their bright pictures and lush prose encourage us to think that we will have the best garden ever this year! There are organizations that work to make those best gardens possible by testing plant varieties to let us…
Driving through the wet snow and slush to the Smith College Lyman Plant House was no fun, but the trip is always worth it, even when the Bulb Shows and Chrysanthemum Shows are a happy memory.Before I even got to the famous bulb display I passed orchids in bloom like this moth orchid, Phaleanopsis. There were big orchids like this Cattylea. Tiny orchids. Cascading orchids. Birds of Paradise were in bloom in a Tropical Room with a doorway…
In 1974-75 I was a new gardener living in Maine. I joined the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) where I met wonderful experienced and inspiring gardeners. I also learned about Johnny's Selected Seeds, a new Maine seed company founded by Rob Johnston, Jr. I was living in North Berwick, but we drove up north to see Johnny's seed fields and were totally inspired by the health of the plants, the energy of the crew and the…
In 1974-75 I was a new gardener living in Maine. I joined the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) where I met wonderful experienced and inspiring gardeners. I also learned about Johnny's Selected Seeds, a new Maine seed company founded by Rob Johnston, Jr. I was living in North Berwick, but we drove up north to see Johnny's seed fields and were totally inspired by the health of the plants, the energy of the crew and the…
With chatter about the bad economic conditions continuing unabated, many people are thinking about the ways a vegetable garden can save them money. I’m always a little leery about this motivation, especially the first year of a garden’s life when there may be necessary capital expenses for tools and soil improvement, but I would never discourage anyone from planting a vegetablegarden and discovering the unexpected pleasures there. I do have some advice for those who…
"If we are to describe the gardener's March according to truth and old tradition we must carefully take note of two things: (a) what the gardener is supposed to do and wishes to do, and (b) what in fact he does, not being able to do more!"So spake Karel Capek in his delightful book The Gardener's Year published in 1931. No less true today.Seduced by the brilliant sun and the mild temperatures we've had for the past few…