Saving sunflowers
For the past few years, I have planted rows of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) in the front yard near the fence. Sitting in the far north portion of my property, they don’t shade the vegetables that sit below them. Starting from seed, they pop from the soil in an unassuming fashion before becoming solar sentinels with […]
Powerless to recover
(This was written yesterday, power was finally restored today.) Without electricity for the sixth day, I am starting to truly appreciate how much work it takes to live without modern conveniences. Upon waking, I become a Sherpa or well-fed Gunga Din as I gather water from the cisterns to flush toilets, fill wash bowls and […]
Making hay
When you live in the suburbs, it’s easy to forget the purpose of grassy fields. It’s not to hold the soil of fallow ground, but to harvest for fodder or bedding. I was surprised a few days ago as one of my favorite fields had been mowed and the cut grass was in the process […]
Pollinator pathways
I have been spending a lot of time at Ann’s Place over the last week as the weeds are starting their summer march toward domination. If I (and my trusty team of volunteers) don’t make a solid stand now, it is likely that we will lose the war of keeping these invaders in check. Ironically, […]
Virtual Horticultural Therapy: Summer stroll sans supper
For the last decade, Ann’s Place has celebrated the summer solstice with a tour of the gardens, seasonal readings and a locally sourced supper or afternoon tea. Unfortunately, this has not been possible this year. This was a double disappointment for me as I had planned to open my gardens to the Ann’s Place clients […]
Calming waters
During the growing season, when I used to work as a high-tech analyst, I would look at and water my garden when I arrived home even before I saw my family. I found that 15 minutes of examining the tomato plants, pulling a few weeds and ensuring nothing was wilted made me a better person. […]
A Summer’s start
It is the first day this year that we can have an al fresco breakfast. Such lunches and dinners have been commonplace in the last few weeks. The mornings, however, have been too cold, too wet, too cloudy or have exhibited other characteristics that discouraged Juana and I from taking our morning coffee outside. But […]
Dandelion muffins with lilac jam
The unofficial start of Summer, Memorial Day, signals that Winter is behind us and the garden is exploding with growth. But for every lovely flower and plant that emerges, 10 times that number or more of weeds pop up. Plantains (Musa × paradisiaca), chickweed (Stellaria media) and crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) are early visitors to gardens. […]
Summer weeds
Earlier in the week I was looking to take a day off from my gardening chores. It had become increasingly hot and I needed a break. I went outside to retrieve the morning paper and via a light, cooling wind I heard the weeds approving of my decision, encouraging me to take the rest of […]
Early blossoms
As our home in Connecticut is threatened with a potentially nasty winter storm later this week, Juana and I are relaxing in the relative warmth of Gainesville, Florida. Late in life snowbirds, we have taken to spending much of the winter months in the tropical Florida Keys. We visit the homes of family members on […]