Design Lessons from Mother Nature
Looking at the kinds of adaptations plants evolved to survive in different environments gives us clues for choosing plants that will thrive in our gardens. It's what I call The Darwinian Garden.
Karen Bussolini Interview – Growing Greener
Listen to Thomas Christopher's interview with Karen Bussolini on his Growing Greener podcast. Garden coaching, garden photography, garden making, it's all there.
Learn How to Make a Plant Love You
Soon after settling in beside the wood stove with Summer Rayne Oakes' How To Make a Plant Love You and a comforting cup of tea one recent cold Saturday, I had to lay that book right down again - and turn to plants.
Bored to Death
Emerald ash borers (EAB) are bright metallic green wood boring beetles. They play a role in decomposition of dead and dying trees in their Asian home habitats, but quickly devastate even healthy ash trees in ours.
Connecticut Flower & Garden Show – Better Than Ever
February's Connecticut Flower & Garden Show comes at just the right time for plant-lovers eager for spring. The speakers and landscape displays get better every year. Highlights from the 2020 show.
Walking and Gawking at Gardens in Florida
What a difference being outdoors in a warm, green plant-filled environment makes to a winter-weary spirit! Walking and gawking at the tropical (and subtropical) abundance in the funky, small-scale neighborhood of Pass-a-Grille Beach, squished between Boca Ciega Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, in St. Petersburg, Florida is a treat. In this climate, things just grow and every yard is a garden.
Eat a (Least Toxic) Rainbow
We're often advised to "eat a rainbow" of colored fruits and vegetables for their fiber and healthful phytochemicals (biologically active chemical compounds produced by plants). But when deciding to purchase organic produce or conventionally grown, how do you know which crops are most or least contaminated with pesticides? The Environmental Working Group issues an annual report - The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15.
Carpenter Bees at Work in Home and Garden
Bees are smart. They recognize high quality food and habitat. The buzz has gone out that my house is a happening place for carpenter bees. I don't want to kill or drive carpenter bees away, I just don't want them messing with my house. Looking into their habits and life cycle gives clues to peaceful coexistence with carpenter bees.
Ecologically Important Pest Dilemma
I love watching songbirds gobble down bugs and berries on the staghorn sumacs planted outside my front window and listening to owls whoo-ing nearby at night. But some wildlife - voles - have worn out their welcome by eating plants and tunneling through gardens. How do I establish self-sustaining wildlife-friendly plant communities when the wildlife keeps eating my plants? Voles and mice play an important role in ecosystems - but I want them out of my garden.
Plant Blue Asters that Last All Fall
Fall is aster time, and asters are one of the most important pollinator food sources. Nancy DuBrule-Clemente tells how to plant a succession of blue asters that will bloom in your garden from late summer right into November.
