CAROLINA SILVERBELL An old Greek proverb says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” With the heavy, rocky soil the way it is around here, many old men would be hard pressed to dig a hole big enough to plant a tree. However, … Read more
BIRD’S-FOOT TREFOIL For as long as I can remember, a small yellow-flowered plant has bloomed reliably every year on the edges of highways near our summer cottage in Central New York State. I have discovered it closer to home as well, and I suspect that if I were to walk along country roads in … Read more
SOUL MATE Last night I confessed to my husband that I had met my soul mate–at a garden center in Clifton, New Jersey. The moment I laid eyes on this gorgeous individual, some kind of connection happened and I couldn’t make it go away. After that momentous initial encounter, I tried to avoid further … Read more
MYSTERY PLANT When my daughter, Kate, was little, she used to bring me bouquets of fallen leaves that she gathered on her way home from school. Now, as a college student with a summer job in the City, she sometimes brings home interesting plants that she finds at the Union Square Greenmarket. Yesterday she … Read more
RAINY DAYS I grew up in a western New York town located about ten miles from an agricultural area known locally as “The Muck”. The Muck had been created from drained swampland in the first third of the twentieth century and was famous for its soil fertility. Onions were the biggest crop and millions … Read more
