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…
Some people have snowdrops. Here in Heath we have new snow on March 15. The only thing blooming is the ever faithful abutilon. See postings for January and February Bloom Days
Water, water everywhere at the New England Flower Show. There were still ponds, splashing waterfalls, jetting fountains, dripping pillars and balls. It seems we must all have water in our gardens.Actually I remember reading Beverley Nichols over 20 years ago and he said that water was absolutely essential in any garden. I was a new gardener at the time and I couldn't imagine how you could ever manage this and I thought it was a ridiculous requirement. No…
This is how things looked on the hill on Tuesday. We still had three feet of snow and everything was covered in ice. But I left and slid down the hill to Northampton. This is what I saw at the annual Smith College Spring Bulb Show. The sun shone through the glass house. The air was cool, but damp and fragrant. It might as well have been spring.After spending delicious time in the two bulb show room, I…
Eleven year old Rory came to visit last week. All the grandchildren had school vacation and we nabbed one for some fun in the snow.However, it was so cold that we enjoyed a lot of indoor activities as well. He needed to study up on light opera in preparation for finishing his requirements to become a Boy Scout in May so we listened to The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan's tale of a slave to duty who,…
Since I took this photo of Krishna, chest deep in snow, early in the week we have had more snow. More wind. And more snow. Krishna is now neck deep in the white stuff, and snow shoes are required to get out to the hen house. However, the sun is bright. The days are a bit longer. Our bedroom is bright by 6:45 am and getting up is easier and easier. The weather man even forcasts temperatures of…
It snowed and iced last week and the radio today promises another bad storm tomorow. It has been a very very long winter so I was more than usually eager to find flowers and dream of spring.The Amherst Orchid Society provided the perfect antidote, an exhibition and sale of hundreds of fabulous orchids from the big corsage type cattleyas, all ruffle and frou frou to airy dendrobiums to the elegant phalaenopsis, which is my favorite, and not just…
The lunar eclipse was very clear up here on our Massachusetts hill. We have perfect conditions for star - and moon - gazing because there is no light pollution. The skies are dark, but brilliant with a splash of the Milky Way and the host of heroes and gods from the Greek and Roman mythologies including Selene, the goddess of the moon whose chariot is pulled by two white cows whose horns are symbols of the crescent moon.Of…
William Cullina, director of horticultural research at New England Wildflower Society's Garden in the Woods in Framingham has just come out with the third book in his Native trilogy. This is an excellent reference book, but one that is so charming that it make frequent dips into it irresistible. The helpful and copious color photographs, many taken by Cullina himself, are easy to use and easy on the eye. From Emerald Carpet to Amber Wave: Serene and Sensuous…
Two days late and a photo short, but my abutilon or parlor maple is the only things blooming in the house at this point. I'm using last month's photo, but there is no substantial difference. That is one of the benefits of the abutilon; it is always in bloom. I have enjoyed the health and vigor of this plant which is undeterred by nights that routinely dip below 50 degrees. We live on a windy New England hill…