Creating a Winter Wreath
Winter is upon us and it may seem there is little for a gardener to do.
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The Pinnacle of Creation
A lightly worn trail runs up a north slope in Hubbard Park, where Kiki and I walk most days. Near the top, in a grove of magnificent red oaks, stands a beautifully built stone bench, just the right height, that invites a sit-down to think and breathe and watch the woods below. Beside the bench, set into a boulder, is a bronze plaque dedicated to the memory of an infant named Falko, who lived only eight days in midsummer of 2020.
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Winter Mulching and Composting Will Have Happy Consequences
Although we had a little snow on the ground for much of November and December, snow has been scarce as we move towards the New Year. If this continues, does this have any consequences for our gardens?
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Winter Plantings: Paperwhites and Amaryllis
As winter drags along, I long for warm sun and green plants surrounding me outdoors. It’s much too early to start spring seeds (even indoors), but I can plant some flowers bulbs now.
Read moreIt Follows Me Through the Park
My alarm clock (the iPhone channeling Gerald McBoing-Boing) goes off at six. As I test the bedroom temperature with my nose, Linda starts singing in my ear:
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In Praise of Kale, the Misunderstood Vegetable Hero
Like Rodney Dangerfield, kale doesn’t get enough respect. I’ve been told that it only became a commonly grown vegetable in the 1970s, when salad bars ordered it to use as the bed upon which other edibles, like tomatoes, carrots and cukes, slept on in nearly ordered arrangements.
Read moreEnjoying the Light of the Season
The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark outside already.
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Brightening the Dark Days of Winter
This is the darkest time of the year: not only are the days short, clouds obscure the sun much of the time. Many of us find the gloom oppressive, especially when there is neither enough snow to ski, nor ice to skate on. And for gardeners, there is little we can (or wish to) do outside. So, what do I do?
Read moreFast-Forward 71 Years
During my first year at a boarding school where all the students worked about ten hours a week, I was assigned menial labor in the barns. Perversely, perhaps, I loved it — spreading chopped silage as it poured in overhead from a chute, shoveling manure from the gutters behind the cows, grading apples and potatoes, beating the feathers from dead, scalded chickens (not a favorite), and slopping the hogs.
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Holiday Gifts for the Gardener
CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – Ready to shop! Every time I turn on the radio or open a newspaper, there are articles about supply chain issues. Even the reliable old US Postal Service is saying deliveries may well be delayed. So, share some garden produce this year or shop at a local, family-owned business when you can.
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Being Treated as if I’m Old
Much of the travel writing to which we’re exposed reminds me of the old fable of the six blind men inspecting and describing an elephant: it reports on only a portion – and often a small one, at that – of the reality of the travel destination.
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