We did have a snowfall that covered the ground already this fall, but this is a March 9 photo of our road this spring. It is the merest reminder of snowfalls that we had in the past. I told one of those stories to my friends at Garden Rant last week and won a Troy Built Snowblower!My story is of an April (yes, April) blizzard in 1982 (and I think I have the year right). It was the…
A few golden trees at the edge of the field are tossing in the rainy wind today, but in general, most of the autumn color is gone from my garden. I was happy that the asters and dahlias stayed in bloom for so long. I’m happy with the rich red of my sourwood, of the sweetspire, the burgundy cotinus and the now-bare blueberries. It struck me that I have a pretty good fall garden.However, upon spending a few…
Spring and FallBy Gerard Manley Hopkinsto a young childMargaret are you grievingOver Goldengrove unleaving?Leaves, like the things of man, youWith your fresh thoughts care for,Ah! As the heart grows olderIt will come to such sights colderBy and by, nor spare a sighThough worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie:And yet you will weep and know why.Now mo matter, child, the name:Sorrow’s springs are the same.Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressedWhat heart heard of, ghost guessed:It is the blight man…
All through October the town of Salem, Massachusetts is awash in witches. They are all dressed in black with pointy hats and try to look as forbidding and dangerously magical as possible.Though the word witch has assumed the dark cloak of evil, there are white witches as well, and witches' gardens could as easily have included healing herbs as well as herbs that are a little more problematical. Of course, as with so much in life, how a…
Need I say more?
Heath woke up in the clouds this morning. There was a very Brigadoonish feeling in the misty air as I drove to the Transfer Station with my trash and recycling. The dim headlights of oncoming cars could very well have been flickering torches as the hunt went on for the the missing Harry Beaton whose flight threatened to destroy the magical village.But the only tartans are on Henry's and my flannel shirts as we prepare to tackle the…
Many of us in our area are still mourning the close of Blue Meadow Farm, a nursery that sold so many wonderful annuals and tender perennials as well as their sturdier relatives. Now they have come out with a beautiful and useful book published by Storey about overwintering all kinds of tender plants including bulbs and tubers.The book begins with a general discussion about gardening with tender perennials, both in the garden and in containers. The second section…
We went away for the weekend to join a friend in her birthday celebration. Everywhere we went we saw brilliant burning bushes, Euonymus alatus. It is easy to understand the popularity of this shrub. It is dependable and long lived, tolerant of many soils and able to grow in sun or shade, as well as having desirable fall color. However, it is an invasive plant, native to Asia, able to crowd and shade out many other plants. Because…
When I go to the Farmer's Market I see all the abundance that our rocky New England soil can produce. What is not so obvious to the public is all the abundance of our home gardens. Some of us like to concentrate on a small plot with everything we like to put in our salads, a mix of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes. Some of us are lucky enough to have the space, not to mention energy and…
My garden may be slowing down, but my schedule isn't so I crept out with my camera a day early. Here's the inventory, The autumn crocus (colchicums) are still giving pleasure. The Fairy is indomitable. And there are a couple of blossoms here and there on the other roses. Double Knockout has buds, and the hips on Rosa Rubrifolia are beautiful. The dahlias are still going strong. Funny Face is a knockout! I was able to make up…