Banner Year

Spring comes every year and, in general, the average garden looks its best in the months of April, May and June. Green returns to the landscape, plants leap out of the earth, and the weeds haven’t had a chance to grow to the epic sizes they sometimes reach in the summer. Gardeners are also fresh … Read more

A Year in the Garden

Mothers and gardeners have something in common—their work is never done.  Still, as the old year passes away and the New Year waits in the wings, it is a good time to look back at the growing season.  Since I am an optimist—as all gardeners should be—I count the successes and not the failures.  Failures … Read more

Weedsong

Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is one of my favorite garden destinations.  For the price of admission, you can spend a day wallowing in world class horticultural splendor and, unless you venture into the less cultivated areas, you will never see weeds.  The beds are meticulously tended and if any weed dares to raise … Read more

Book Review: My Summer in a Garden by Charles Dudley Warner

Pity poor Charles Dudley Warner.  Born in 1829, he was a lawyer, newspaper editor/ publisher, prolific writer, confidant of numerous famous people and dedicated amateur gardener.  Despite that impressive resume, he is best remembered; when he is remembered at all, as a close friend of Mark Twain.  So close, in fact, that a phrase coined … Read more

Hot Gardening

Some days you feel as creative as a lump of wet clay. Other days, the creative juices flow. For unaccountable reasons, mine have been flowing, though the days have been hot and sticky. The present creative burst is a good thing, because my garden is in need of a considerable amount of attention. I have … Read more