Lots of garden talks coming up in 2022, both virtual (although virtual it's pretty real to me!) and in person. I'll be speaking to garden clubs, a flower show, the Herb Society and an art museum in Michigan. Visit Upcoming Talks for the schedule. Come feast your eyes and learn about gardens in winter, pollinators, [...]
Savoring the pleasures of home was rewarding, but I miss seeing new places and having adventures with far-flung friends. I was mindful that, with winter's approach and Covid still with us, life was about to get even more circumscribed. So I hatched a plan with two Philadelphia-area friends to meet partway between there and northwest [...]
Cleaning up garden beds for me is a long slow process. First I remove seedheads of plants I don't want to reproduce. Annual weeds - cut them off (don't pull!) and get those seeds out. It's still an uphill battle with Canada goldenrod and to some degree with white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima, formerly Eupatorium rugosum). [...]
Many of us had childhood experiences that launched a lifelong journey immersed in nature and gardens. Reading Page Dickey's Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again brought back memories of my own beginnings. We both began just being with older relatives in their gardens, resting or reading on thick pungent pine needle carpets, frequent walks [...]
When an accomplished friend and kindred spirit comes out with a wonderful book, it's time to celebrate. I welcome this opportunity to recommend The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants & Skills for the Modern World written by my knowledgeable, passionate and generous friend (and accomplished cook) John Forti. Forti wears a lot of hats - he's [...]
Ah, August. That bounteous time of year again. Time to think ahead to darker days. These days I tread a thin path through the dining room, so I don't catch my hair in huge hanks of anise hyssop, mint and lemon verbena hanging from the rafters to dry. Because it's been so humid, I clip [...]
Please join me at Long Hill, a historic garden in Beverly, MA, on Boston's North Shore - live and in person for the first time since March 2019. On August 27 at 6:00 p.m. I will show photos of gorgeous gardens and give tips on Designing With Plenty for Pollinators. The event will be held [...]
Inspired by my friend Betsy Williams' intriguing lovage soup and lovage-lemon pesto, I decided to get better acquainted with this leafy perennial herb. Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is widely cultivated throughout Europe and parts of Asia, but it's not so common in these parts. Fortunately, Gilbertie's Herbs grows it (organically), so I was able to purchase [...]
Living in one place for a long time, I've begun to develop my own phenology (not phrenology; the bumps on my head are from looking at plants without watching where I'm going). Definition: the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life. The USA National Phenology [...]
A venerable oak presided on the far side of a hump of land behind the house where I grew up. Deeply rooted, steady, its head was in the clouds and arms open wide to embrace whatever came its way. It seemed to stand guard over some wonderful secret, and it dropped the biggest acorns I'd [...]