Getting off the plane from Phoenix on Friday morning it seemed as if we entered a different world. The morning was cool and wet rather than the hot and dry weather we had become used to over the prior week. But the most remarkable thing about our return was the transformation of the landscape. Prior […]
Two cultures
Being on a north-facing cliff, I have always recognized that our gardens reside in a unique micro-climate. Everything emerges late compared to gardens in town or even a few hundred yards up the block, which is more southerly facing. But our recent visit to the Ramsey Canyon in Arizona has really shown us the incredible […]
Climbing canyons
It is interesting to get differing opinions about topography. When Juana and I decided to take a guided tour up Ramsey Canyon a few days ago, we were told that the first part was flat and the portion leading to the overlook was a little steep with switchbacks. Now where we come from, flat implies […]
Prickly flowers
New England has a profusion of flowers that start to emerge in the Spring. In the Southwest, the number of flowering plants is no different though the form is. When we think of difficult or thorny flowers in the North, roses come to mind. Their beauty is counterbalanced by the care with which they must […]
Starting seedlings
April is the month when you are unsure about how and when you will start your seedlings. The desire to get an early jump on the year is governed by the weather and the temperature of the soil. Often I start a few flats of greens in March with the hope of transplanting them into […]
Spring snow
When the rhyme, “April showers bring May flowers,” comes to mind, I’m sure that snow showers were not considered when it was written. But that is what happens all too often in New England at the beginning of the month. This has been a vacillating season with snow coming and going all too often. Last […]
A squirrel, fox and groundhog
Spring may be tardy this year with over a foot of snow still coating the ground. Prior to the early March storms, we were hoping for early flowering bulbs making their way through the frozen soil. That is unlikely for at least a few weeks as the piles of shoveled snow have melted and then […]
Tropical winds
Bicycling is one of my favorite outdoor activities. Once the temperatures go north of 50 degrees, I will bare my pale old-man legs and peddle throughout the area. Now that I am much further south than is typical and the temperatures are rarely below 70 I have few excuses not to be on my wheels. […]
Sunny volunteers
While many of us look to put together highly planned gardens with everything in just the right spot, sometimes random plantings can be the most rewarding particularly when they find themselves in inhospitable places. I was biking the other morning and was nearing a new Publix that is going up in Islamorada. There used to […]
Re-greening of the Keys
>For the second consecutive winter, we have migrated to the Florida Keys to better survive the nasty weather you often find in New England this time of year. This winter, however, we were unsure if our roost would be ready as Hurricane Irma’s aftermath rendered many homes and businesses in the Keys ruined. Luckily our […]