Last September I visited Quonquont Farm in Whately with other members of the Greenfield Garden Club. I had no idea what to expect. The apple orchard and blueberry fields were unexpected delights, but I learned there was a lot more to Quonquont than apples and blueberries. Quonquont Farm has been in business, one way or another since 1759 when a roadside tavern was built. Later a tannery was set up. By 1860 it was a farm we would…
I begin my Alphabet for Pollinatores with A is for Aquilegia canadensis, or columbine as it is commonly known. Hummingbirds are attracted to Aquilegia . They can hover while they sip nectar from the flowers. This columbine was in my Heath garden, but it is the native red columbine that really attracts hummingbirds and other birds including American Goldfinch Indigo Bunting Insectivorous Birds Purple Finch Of course there are other A plants that attract pollinators: Alyssum is a…
When do spring bloomers begin? Punxitawny Phil did not see his shadow this morning. Hooray! An early spring is on its way, and I am looking forward to more bright sun and the beginnings of spring blooming perennials. I’ve enjoyed brilliant sunlight shining on my yellow twig dogwood, but I know there will be more snow, more cold and more days before I can think about getting down on my knees in the garden. Because I am always…
The New Year is well begun. New plants will be available at every nursery this spring. The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) chooses and honors one plant every year. This year they chose the ‘Sun King’ Aralia as its Plant of the Year. Another name for Aralia is spikenard, or nard suggesting a long and ancient history. When ground up its roots can produce a fragrant and beneficial oil. Centuries ago the Egyptians stored the fragrant oil, the Hebrews…
Every year new flowers show up in the catalogs and garden centers. These new plants may get us thinking about ways we can design our plantings, help us find flowers that will thrive in challenging situations, or help support pollinators. I will list a few of these new annual flower varieties that I found particularly appealing. The first place I check to see what is new is the All America Plant Selections website. Many of us have noticed…
My New Year's Resolution is to keep a better record of the weather, and the changes in the garden over 2020. We enter the year with a snow covered garden. By January 12, 2020 the back and front gardens are melting, melting, melting. Of course, snow will melt, but we did not expect so much melting this quickly by January 17, 2020 Note the flooding on the north side of the garden. Although there had been more snow,…
Houseplants have never been a big part of my life. When I moved to a big old house on Grinnell Street with my five children in 1971 I had never grown houseplants. I had hardly grown any plants at all. However you may remember that in 1971 organic gardening and the value of gardening was all the rage. I was ready to join the crowd. The house had a large sunny living room. I had not brought a…
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy One of the best books in my collection is Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Douglas W. Tallamy (Timber Press $27.95). Dr. Tallamy, a professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, explains the importance of native plants in even in a small suburban garden. In an area that is as open and wooded as ours we…
I love watching the birds in my garden. Which is not to say that I know them by name or type. When I look at the birds outside my window I see big birds and little birds. I see blue jays and robins, just about the only birds I can identify. I can also identify hummingbirds because the only hummingbird I am likely to see is the ruby throated hummingbird. I can hear the woodpeckers. I enjoy having…
On the first day of January 2020 there is a view of foot or more of snow all around the house Frigid. Temperatures slowly rose to 60 degrees. Snow melting and leaving a flood on the north side of the garden all the way to the house. There is still a little snow in front of the house because this is a very shady area. But even here the warm temperatures melted much of the snow. The weather…