The gardening year is full of milestone—the solstices and equinoxes, the first and last frost dates, and, for some, the phases of the moon. I mark all of those, linking specific actions to them, but I also observe other, less universally applicable milestones that are equally significant to me. I note the first and last … Read more
At least once a year, usually in mid-fall, I drive through part of the New Jersey Pine Barrens on my way to Atlantic City. The barrens is a magical and ecologically unique area, the subject of history and lore. It is, allegedly, home to the New Jersey devil, a beast that is reputed to be … Read more
I was in the garden center last week, hot on the trail of colorful mums and half-price perennials when I laid eyes on something that made me forget both objects. It was a young, slender tree with some of the showiest fall foliage I have encountered—red, orange and purple, glowing in the late afternoon … Read more
I have decided not to be gloomy about mid to late fall. Yes, the leaves are coming down from the sugar maple in my front strip faster than I can get rid of them. Yes, if I think about it, I can envision all of the icy blasts, damaging storms and winter grayness that is … Read more
I once had an elderly babysitter who lived a Spartan life and indulged in only one vice—one scoop of vanilla ice cream once a week. This may have accounted for the fact that she lived in permanent disapproval mode. Once, when I was about twelve I greeted her arrival wearing what I thought was a … Read more
