Starting With Eggshells

Not long ago the mailman dropped off the wonderful snowdrop catalog that my friend, Hitch Lyman, puts out every year.  As you might expect, Hitch always waxes poetic, practical and whimsical about his line-up of unusual snowdrops, but he also has a long history of including inspiring quotes on the back cover.  This year’s quote … Read more

Sowing Seeds in Autumn

While we are all getting cozy in our homes, drinking hot toddies and planning for the upcoming winter holidays, what are our annual, perennial and biennial plants doing?  Looking out at the garden or container array,  you might be tempted to say “dying”, and you would be right, but there is actually a lot more … Read more

Hand Painted Flowers

This winter, my advice to gardeners, would-be gardeners and those who simply want an amusing plant or two is “order early”.  Last fall, bulb and plant vendors were among the few merchants doing land office business, selling out in record time.  With at least a couple more cold, dark, alarming months ahead of us, the … Read more

When the Going Gets Tough

Coronavirus has turned the world upside down.  This is not the first time that the world has turned upside down, but it is the first time in just over a century that a contagious disease has threatened so many people.  Gardening might seem frivolous in the context of a global pandemic, but in reality it … Read more