I celebrated Earth Day by finally starting to plant the vegetable garden. No photos yet, but a new camera to replace the one that died is in the works. Peas! Lettuce! Broccoli! I don't start seeds indoors anymore and I'm happy to support my local garden center so in additon to sugar snap pea, lettuce and radish seeds, I also planted 6 Red Sails and 6 Packman seedlings to encourage the garden - and give me an earlier…
I've been waiting for this cyclamen to bloom for months now. It doesn't look like much and it is obvious that I have a lot to learn about getting gift plants, even those as hardy as a cyclamen, to bloom again. I do love cyclamen and when ever I fail with a potted plant I remind myself that it cost less than a bouquet of cut flowers from the florist, and gave me weeks and weks of pleasure.…
I refuse to show any more pictures of snow. I have carefully arranged this shot of fattening lilac buds to avoid any hints of the snow that still covers lots of ground. These buds on my ancient white and nameless lilacs are encouraging and I am looking forward to seeing what my newer lilacs will do this spring. I planted the pink Miss Canada about three years ago and she blooms nicely, but hasn't grown into anything substantial.…
Some people have been showing off their crocuses, but mine are still buried under snow along with the snowdrops and scillas. The only crocus I can boast of is this autumn crocus which will only have leaves until the summer. In midsummer the leaves will wither and die. This is the time they should be divided or moved, but I never remember to do this. In the fall, flowers grow right out of the ground, needed no stem,…
When Michael Pollan's book Second Nature came out in 1991 I remember spending a lot of time reading out bits to my husband with disgusted exclamations - Can you believe he says this?!Of course, all these years later, I don't remember the particulars except how my view of the suburban lawn is so different from his. Still, since all this time has gone by, I wanted to reread Second Nature, and see in what ways the world in…
The solar clothes dryer. Usually so efficient.Not today. The view from the henhouse door.Isn't it pretty? White lilacs. Not as pretty as Beauty of Moscow. No barbecues on the piazza today.Am I bitter? Who would say so?
What an election year! It is time to vote for the best in blogging and I am overwhelmed! I am new at this and I am so impressed by the thoughtful, informative and inspiring blogs that I have found in the past few months. How to choose the best? Or best photography? Or most innovative? And I am totally stumped tying to decide which of the four Garden Ranters I would most like as a neighbor. Can't we…
With all the snow and ice outside, the only gardening activity I can enjoy is reading garden books. A Child's Garden: 60 ideas to make any garden come alive for children by Molly Dannenmaier. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Luppinaci, read Frances Hodgsen Burnett's The Secret Garden to us, and I don't know if the vision of that garden has ever left me. This beautifully illustrated book has lots of ideas for garden spaces that will entrance children…
After a night and day of snow and freezing rain, we had a brief respite. Then it began to snow again. Two more inches of fine cold snow. I had to leave at dawn today for a Library and Legislators breakfast and almost didn't make it because the nighttime winds had frozen the car doors shut. Much gnashing of teeth later I got the passsenger door open, climbed over the gear shift and pretzeled myself into the car.…
We think a lot about 'critters' here at the End of the Road. We hear coyotes at night - and at noon when they respond to the noon whistle at the firehouse, bears, deer (grrrrrr) and fisher cats who once killed 60 month old chicks. Recently, there have been owls. Different owls watching over different houses, even an owl sitting on the recycle metal bin at the Transfer Station. Last week I woke in the night and looked…