A jewel of a weed
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) is one of my favorite wild plants this time of year as it has three big things going for it. First, even before it starts flowering, it is wonderful as an antipruritic for poison ivy as well as insect bites. We found an immediate use for it years ago when we were […]
Surprise tomatoes
I welcome most volunteers in the garden. Two of the best this year are a pair of tomato plants that have established themselves in a new bed I set up for saffron crocuses. I created this new space in early June after splitting up over 250 corms that needed replanting. To give the new bed […]
Weed on!
The gardens do not appreciate my absence bicycling around the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Coming back to greet them, I can see they have been well-watered by Juana but not weeded. In a little more than a week a few weeds have multiplied into a massive mat that I will spend the next few days […]
Poisonous plants
Volunteers in the garden are a mixed blessing. For every golden rod (Solidago) that finds its way into my yard, there are more than a few Japanese stilt grasses (Microstegium vimineum) and mugworts (Artemisia vulgaris) that I could do without. Recently I discovered a large patch of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) growing near the border […]
To weed or not to weed
With increasing amounts of wood sorrel (Oxalis) and purslane (Porulaca oleracea) emerging in the vegetable garden, I am torn between pulling them out to plant rotational crops or letting them be. They spread rapidly, but are delicious. They can form a thick mat choking out delicate seedlings, but they make great salad toppings. Such is […]
Seeding clover
The fenced area around the well at McKeon Farm in Ridgefield has been a bit of a wasteland for years. The Ridgefield Conservation Commission put a tarp over it last year to kill a wide variety of invasive weeds. I volunteered to seed it with white and red clover (Trifolium repens/pratense) with the hopes of […]
Before and after
Sharing a greenhouse foundation with my neighbor means sharing all the unwanted weeds that creep over from her property to mine. So this year with her permission, I decided to cut back the highly invasive porcelain berry vines (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) that have enveloped her portion of the greenhouse. Cutting them back early and covering the […]
My lawn is crappy. . .and that is just fine with me
I needed to mow our lawn this weekend as tall tufts of grass stand high over adjacent dormant patches. Unlike many aficionados of a lawn comprising a monoculture of grass that is as smooth as a championship golf green, my undulating and ankle-spraining turf has countless varieties of plants. And I intend to keep it […]
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 […]
Nature ride
I feel fortunate to live where I do in Connecticut near the New York border. If I hop on my bike, which I do often, I can find myself in bucolic North Salem, N.Y., within 10 minutes. Beyond the famous residents such as David Letterman and expansive mansions and horse farms, lies a pristine land […]