Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening by Jodi Torpey

  • Post published:02/20/2016
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What excites you in the vegetable garden? For some gardeners it is competition and the desire to grow the biggest, most beautiful beet or squash or cabbage. Jodi Torpey’s book Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening: The secrets to Growing the Biggest and Best Prizewinning Produce (Storey Publishing $16.95) will help all those competitive gardeners out there, while some gardeners might think it is time to take up the challenge and enter their vegetables at the Franklin County Fair this…

Summer Blooming Bulbs and Tubers

  • Post published:02/13/2016
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I missed my chance to plant spring blooming bulbs in the fall, but I am ready for those summer blooming bulbs. Last spring my husband and I travelled down to Texas to be present when our grandson Anthony was presented with his Boy Scout Eagle Award. There was an impressive ceremony and we were so proud of this whole Eagle family who had jointly done so much for the community. Besides our family celebration, daughter Kate and I…

Special Events Coming Soon

  • Post published:02/11/2016
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The ground is covered with snow, but we gardeners can feel our hearts beating faster as we sense spring and the special events that will remind us of the delights and work waiting for us. Here are the dates for some enjoyable and instructional special events. February 17, Wednesday 7 pm - The first event is my own talk on The Making of a New Garden at the Shelburne Grange, Fellowship Hall, 17 Little Mohawk Rd, Shelburne. I'll…

Augustine Henry – Plant Hunter

  • Post published:02/06/2016
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With all the attention being given to the importance of native plants in our domestic landscape, one can only wonder where all the non-natives, otherwise known as exotics, came from. If you look at plant names, sometimes including the full scientific name, you will get a hint. Many of the plants discovered in countries like China will have the name of the plant hunter included. Those who are familiar with Kerria with its sprays of golden pompoms may…

Ernest Henry Wilson – Chinese Wilson – Plant Hunter

  • Post published:02/04/2016
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  Ernest Henry Wilson (1876-1930) later known as Chinese Wilson, was British and as a young man he worked in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. In 1898 James Veitch of the Veitch and Sons nursery asked Kew for a likely young man to send to China to find and bring back plants for the nursery. Wilson was recommended and chosen. For his first trip to China his assignment was to find and bring home seeds of the…

Groundhog Day, Candlemas or Cross Quarter Day

  • Post published:02/02/2016
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February 2 is best known in the U.S. as Groundhog Day, the day Punxatawny Phil comes out of his burrow to see if he has a shadow and let us know if spring will be early. No shadow today! An early spring!  Of course, here in western Massachusetts we haven't had much of a winter.  I have been worring that  winter will arrive in April but I will trust in Punxatawny Phil. Candlemas is also a Christian holiday…

Plentiful Primroses

  • Post published:01/30/2016
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  Earlier this week I entered Foster’s Market and the first thing I saw was a bank of primroses. I could not have been happier. Many years ago I bought a pot of Foster’s primroses and after the blossoms had gone by I saved the plant until spring tip toed in. I planted it at the edge of a wooded spot in our Heath backyard. I didn’t do much in the way of preparation, just digging with a…

Tulips on the Bridge of Flowers

  • Post published:01/27/2016
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Tulips are not currently blooming on the Bridge of Flowers, but the BOF committee has already been planning the Annual Plant Sale which will be held on Saturday, May 14, the weekend after Mother's Day. Tulips will not be for sale, but I think you can count on lots of other desirable and healthy plants that will waiting for you to make up your mind. Don't forget the date! Saturday, May 14, 2016.  I really enjoy thinking about…

Zinnias in Space

  • Post published:01/25/2016
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While browsing the web for information about plant hunter Augustine Henry I found a Daily Telegraph story about zinnias in space - space horticulture!  Major Tim Peake, the UK's first astronaut has coaxed a zinnia into bloom in a micro-gravity environment. The seeds were planted by NASA's Scott Kelly as part of VEG-O1 to see what plants might grow in this environment.  Lettuce was planted - harvested and eaten by the crew of the International Space Station earlier this…

Perennials For Pollinators

  • Post published:01/22/2016
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The first surprising thing I learned about perennials was that they do not bloom all summer. Some may bloom for as long as four weeks, and others may send up a second flush of bloom if you remember to cut them back after the first flush. This means that to keep a swath of perennial blooms for the whole garden season you will have to choose a variety of perennials that  will make timely appearances all season long.…