We haven’t entered springtime officially, but tell the weather that! This has been a most mild winter, and Ohio experienced all time high temperature records for the month of February in 2017. It accelerated a climate phenomenon which, as a gardener, I look for each year. Most everyone know of the “Indian Summer” and “January…
Garden Stories and Memories
Is It Fall Already?
Yesterday’s winds, today’s rain, and the smell that has been on the air tells me so. The asters blooming, the store displays burgeoning with mums (I bought two huge ones at Sam’s Club) also tell the undeniable story that summer has past. I still have tomatoes ripening on the vine, and they should continue to…
Found Flowers
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” ~ Henri Matisse When in California a few years ago, I had been walking in a nature preserve on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. By chance, some unknown person left this pretty handtied bouquet of flowers in the dirt path. It was so delightful,…
Garden Update And Late Starts
Every year I promise I won’t go AWOL during the main growing season of the garden. Just so I will get everything done and catch up with the past year’s neglect. but every year I manage to break those unspoken, informal vows. Usually family related, but sometime through the call of far off places I…
I knew I should have taken pictures
This spring was unusually cool and full of rain. The result was a long period of spring bloom that seemed to stay fresh and picture perfect for a protracted period. I knew I should grab a camera or at least my iPhone and take some photos. But I have this contrary quirk of wanting to…
Garden Advice: Keep A Close Watch
Gardening is a very hands-on activity. A recent event brought back some of my own memories and underlined this fact. You might have read on the blog that I have let my good friend develop a garden plot here on my property. If not, the short version is that I have a friend interested in growing…
When Is Garden Knowledge “Extensive”?
I always feel I am in the apprentice stage, but recently I came upon an experience that made me realize how much I take for granted the accumulative knowledge of almost a lifetime of gardening and study.
Looking Back: The Renter’s Garden
I’ve been thinking back over my “garden career” and waxing nostalgic. Thought of recording some of the evolution of past experiences in gardening. For me, the gardens and the entire viewpoint of it have slowly changed over time. At its peak, my obsession with gardening ruled my year… what I did, what I bought, my daily…
News In A Nutshell
The corn as it tasseled in late July We are finally getting summer season weather- at the final ending days of August . Not that I’m complaining, because I thought all those pseudo June days were simply glorious. But I’m not getting much weeding done with those new tools I bought, now that heat and…
Why Your Plants Die
Graves At Dawes Arboretum If I looked at the list in my Plant Cemetery I might be led to believe I have a black thumb instead of a green one. I’ve lost that many plants. This is not a confession to relieve my conscience, but an illustration of one of the many realities of working…