On this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day I am celebrating blooms in two gardens, although I dearly hope it will not be too long before I am once again tending a single, small garden. In Greenfield the hydrangeas in the Shrub and Rose border are beginning to bloom even though they were planted only a month ago. Angel Blush is joined by Limelight and Firelight. These hydrangeas will form a beautiful privacy fence. Buttonbush was only planted two weeks…
One traditional roadside attraction is summer is chicory (Cichorium intybus) with sky blue flowers, sharing space here with the common orange daylily. Stunning combo. Of course, chicory is a pretty stunning roadside attraction all by itself. Mother Nature is no slouch when she plants a garden for the public.
As I begin planting new gardens in Greenfield, I have been reminiscing about the adventures we’ve had with gardens at the End of the Road. When we moved here in November of 1979 I must confess to having very little garden experience. In 1972-3 I had a very tiny vegetable garden at my Grinnell Street House. Then we moved to North Berwick, Maine and in the spring of 1975 I planted a large vegetable garden there. I…
The Daylily Bank in Heath is coming into bloom. This solution to eliminating lawn mowing on the steep bank has been very successful. It was planted over the course of three years with daylilies mostly in shades of yellow and pink. The proper name for daylilies is Hemerocallis or 'Beautiful for a day.' I think this sunny yellow daylily is as beautiful as the day. I have taken a couple of daylilies down to the new house in…
I’ve learned a lot about weeds over the decades, but I was never given the ominous warning “one year of seed, seven years of weed” until last year. I think every novice gardener should be given a t-shirt with this bit of wisdom. On the other hand that bit of wisdom might be too discouraging for a beginner. The truth is that if you are a gardener, you will have weeds. All kinds of weeds, and all are…
Mount Blanc rugosa The Last Rose Viewing has come and gone, but it was an unforgettable day - Rain! I always said 'It never rains on the Rose Viewing' but that record was broken on Sunday when there was mist - and then real rain. But hardy souls turned up anyway dressed in slickers and boots, umbrellas at the ready. Rose Viewing attendees It was not only raining, it was cold. Those little girls were not happy. This…
Carload of plants including divisions from Heath Garden to Greenfield Now that I have planted Greenfield hellstrip I can make the official announcement: we are the proud owners of a small house with a small yard in Greenfield. The house has garden space on the south side and a rectangular back yard, but there is only a small front yard plus a hellstrip, which a polite person might call a curbside garden. Once it is planted. The house…
This year the Annual Rose Viewing will be the Last Rose Viewing - at the End of Knott Road in Heath. The Rachel Rose, named for one of Heath's grand dames, will be holding court with other notables like The Queen of Denmark and Madame Plantier. Mount Blanc rugosa The rugosas are among the first roses to bloom in June. Fragrant Mount Blanc is one of my favorites. Thomas Affleck rose Thomas Affleck does not have the promised…
The Amherst Historical Society is helping the Garden Club of Amherst celebrate their 100th anniversary - in its own way. The Amherst Historical Society will hold its Annual Garden Tour June 27 from 10:00-4:00. Tickets are available at A.J. Hastings, Andrews Greenhouse, Amherst Books and Hadley Garden Center. For more information click here. 100 YEARS! In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the Garden Club of Amherst is holding a lecture by Roger Swain, the former host of PBS Victory Garden, Sunday June…
Ruah Donnelly’s house overlooks a wooded ravine, a tapestry of shades of green and shifting light. There is not a flower in sight. Donnelly says that over her years as a gardener she has experienced a growing struggle between wanting art in the garden and wanting to conserve the landscape. While she thinks conservation is winning the battle, any visitor to this garden and landscape will see no struggle, only beauty. Donnelly’s garden is only one of the…