Personal is as "Local" as One Can Get.
[ December 31, 2008]
Reported in the Denver Post this past November 23, a headline read "Down on the farm, a frenzy over free food". This accurately reflects what happens in bad economic times when a kind and generous farm family, the Millers, invite people to gather surplus produce, and 40,000 people show up to haul away as much as they can get...
Peace and Light.
[ December 17, 2008]
This is my wish for you this holiday season and for the coming year. The light is metaphorical, of course. It is also reality to a host of seasonal flowering plants at this time of year. The appearance of Christmas plants each year isn't always about flowers...
Homage to the Christmas Star.
[ December 10, 2008]
Note: Article was also published in the Sullivan County Democrat "Gift Guide" - December 5, 2008.
The Aztecs called poinsettias "Cuetlaxochitl", the literal meaning of which is "the flower with leather petals". From the 14th to the 16th centuries they used the sap to control fevers, and the colorful bracts (modified leaves) to make a red dye...
Around the Corner, or Not.
[ November 19, 2008 for the 26th]
The witch hazel has been flowering across the way for the past few weeks. There is still much to do in preparation for winter, as well as for next spring, if you don't want to be overwhelmed as the snow and ice melt and new green growth begins to appear. That being said, this is a continuation of my last column...
Winter May Be Just around the Corner.
[ November 5, 2008 ]
We never know exactly when winter conditions will strike. In some years the ground remains unfrozen into January. The first hard frost usually arrives in late September and it was true to form this year...
Maple Tree Fungus.
[ October 22, 2008 ]
Several years ago I noticed this kind of formation on a very large sugar maple at the corner of Jan's Bungalow Colony and Route 209 just outside of Ellenville. I watched it grow weekly...
That Other Cranberry.
[ October 8, 2008 ]
It goes by the name American Cranberrybush, American Highbush Cranberry, cherry wood, red elder, rose elder, squaw bush, witch-hobble, crampbark tree and several other nicknames from its rich, native-American past...
Let's Go Native.
[ September 24, 2008 ]
Autumn is upon us. I've stated repeatedly that fall is the very best time for planting trees and shrubs for the home landscape. What I've not said often enough is that you might consider purchasing and putting in native plants in much higher numbers than non-natives...
Unsightly, but Not Very Serious.
[ September 10, 2008 ]
Driving home from work the other afternoon, I stopped to take a picture of a tree branch that had a web spread out all over it to its very tip. The leaves that should have been there were dead and mostly gone, eaten, I surmised, by a caterpillar...
Sweet Pea.
[ August 27, 2008 ]
Reminds me of Popeye's nickname for Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, or his name for the boy found on his door step that he adopted (just a bit later), also, Swee' Pea...
Share the Wealth and Other Things, Too.
[ August 13, 2008 ]
Since it is mid-August, I expect that you have either been enjoying the fresh fruits and vegetables from your garden, or you've visited the farmers' market near you and have supplied yourself with their healthy and nutritious offerings. If you grow some produce at home and you have a surplus, remember to share it with those in need...
What's the Buzz in Horticultural Circles?
[ July 30, 2008 ]
There's always a lot going on the world of horticulture. The following is an attempt to provide an abbreviated update. So many of these are inter-related even if from different parts of the world. Why? The economy is reflected in every corner of the world community...
Garden Anxiety.
[ July 16, 2008 ]
You might be preoccupied with asking yourself, "What is going on with my vegetable garden?", "I can't be doing everything wrong. I know there are insect problems and diseases out there, but really! I pay pretty close attention and I just don't get it."...
Prepare Now for the Fall Garden.
[ July 02, 2008 ]
I know, I know, you're busy harvesting what the garden of now is offering up, early season and maybe a few mid-season vegetables. So far this might have included asparagus, rhubarb, spinach, lettuce, strawberries, peas, summer squash, beets and beans...
June Garden Calendar.
[ June 18, 2008 ]
It's mid-June, the full moon (Strawberry Moon) is tonight, and as the enlightened ones (are these advisors new to you?) tell us, tomorrow it ought to be safe to put in your tender plants: annuals to their waiting beds and special containers, and vegetables to your gardens...
Weeds. Saviors or Scourges?
[ June 04, 2008 ]
You know to what I'm referring: the wild plants, Mother Nature's most successful introductions, some of the fastest breeders on the planet, those that spread so far and wide that they take over spaces occupied by other species: weeds by any other name...
Gardening for the Gourmand.
[ May 21, 2008 ]
Here we are not two weeks behind National Herb Week. Established in 1991 by the International Herb Association, National Herb Week is designated as the week preceding Mother's Day. I felt it was time I wrote about herbs...
The Tents of Our Discontent.
[ May 07, 2008 ]
In witnessing our very early spring, I report that April 8th thru April 12th temperatures averaged almost 10 degrees F above normal, daily; April 16tth thru April 26th averaged more than 18 degrees F above normal, daily. Finally, by April 27th we've returned to seasonal temperatures with a blessing of some much needed rain the last couple of days...
Shrubs Need Rejuvenating Now and Then, Too!
[ April 23, 2008 ]
And now is a great time to give them that helping hand. Overgrown scraggly shrubs become an eyesore as well as a deficit in the landscape because their productivity is greatly reduced. It might be a high bush blueberry, a rose of Sharon, a lilac, a hydrangea, or a spirea...
Spring Q & A for Gardeners.
[ April 09, 2008 ]
The following questions are culled from many dozens that used to come into my phone line each spring. They always seem relevant at this time of year and I thought it good to revisit some of them...
Getting Close to the Ground and Loving It
[ March 26, 2008 ]
I'll bet one or more of you have longed for ways to reduce the amount of lawn around your home and maybe even replace some of it. Doing so just may increase the pleasure of your surroundings and be greener at the same time...
True or False? A Gardener’s Quiz
[ March 12, 2008 ]
There are truths and half-truths, old wives tales, superstitions, proverbs, folk tales, and even aphorisms. There are many handed down notions about gardening and related ideas. Many are valid and many are nonsense....
Looking Ahead: Preparing Your Garden [ February 29, 2008 ]
Note: This article was submitted for publication in the Sullivan County Democrat.
Whether you rent or own, there’s a pretty good chance that you devote some space to growing something. It might be a houseplant. It might be some flowers. It might even be a vegetable garden....
A Horticultural Update for 2008
[ February 27, 2008 ]
In keeping with my tradition of providing an update twice a year on things horticultural and occasionally agricultural, I decided one is due....
Houseplants Deserve a Valentine
[ February 13, 2008 ]
Loving care of your houseplants will reward you with radiant blossoms, shiny healthy foliage, and beautiful, luxuriant growth. They deserve a valentine at least once a year. More is better, here. This is a time of year when your houseplants would really appreciate a little extra attention....
Plant Lover, Imagine If You Woke Up in Chicago!
[ January 30, 2008 ]
Most people shop with their eyes. They see something they like and they purchase it. Plant lovers are no different. I submit that they should be....
"Let’s Kick It Up a Notch". [ January 16, 2008 ]
That imperative is the usual for a popular Food TV host. It’s commonly followed by “Bam!” to accompany the handful of signature spices he throws into the dish he’s preparing...
Try Planting Something Different. [ January 2, 2008 ]
Did you receive "The Kitchen Counter Herb Garden" from Hammacher Schlemmer as a gift this season? I didn’t either. How about their Upside Down Tomato Garden? No? Nor did I. How about a poinsettia...
