RETURNING LIGHT As a gardener my life has always been defined by the seasons. Every year at this time I feel hope rise as I count down the days to the Winter Solstice. Of course, December twenty-second has only a tiny amount more daylight than December twenty-first, but I know that every day afterwards … Read more
BEAUTYBERRY My daughter had a teacher once who was in love with the color purple. She wore purple clothes, decorated her classroom with purple objects and gave out “purple owl” stickers to students who excelled in any way. As far as I know, her prose was never purple, but sometimes her ink was. I … Read more
THE BIG PICTURE Yesterday was a beautiful day to be outside and I was lucky enough to spend most of it gardening. I weeded, thinned out plants, installed at least one hundred spring-flowering bulbs, hacked back some wayward ornamental grasses and staked a few sagging, end-of-the- season mums. I checked on a honeysuckle that … Read more
HIBISCUS “Help me!” said my husband’s friend. “My hibiscus is on life support!” It always makes me feel sad to hear tales of horticultural woe from people who love their plants, want to do right by them, but can’t seem to stop them from terminal decline. The hibiscus problem is a perfect case … Read more
