Category Gardens
A Floral Sanctuary
Now that July’s heat and humidity have arrived with a vengeance, the garden is responding vigorously (especially the weedy residents of said garden.) Most of the vegetables seem to be holding their own, but the battle to keep them from being swamped is perpetual. At times, it’s overwhelming, and I become even more grateful for […]
The Wild Garden: Even Wilder
As the summer progresses, the Wild Garden is getting even wilder. The border is advancing each year, and even our little decorative windmill can’t hold it back. The garden–or as I prefer to call it, the “Wildlife Refuge”–continues to host a Darwinian struggle between some of the toughest plants I know: comfrey, jerusalem artichoke, raspberry, […]
Baby Garden
I’ve spent my previous two posts focusing on my beloved flowers, most of which are currently living in pots. If I just pop a few happily blooming flowers into a pot, voila–I have an instant mini-garden! There are few things more gratifying than maximum beauty for minimum labor. The main garden, alas, is another affair. […]
The Unexpected Sunflower
Our local birds have tried their hands (well, beaks) at gardening once again this year. They didn’t patch a miniature row of sunflowers against the lower deck like they did last year, but the one they did plant was a real beauty. It emerged from a tiny hole and grew up against the post that […]
The Return of the Pumpkin Head
Despite being mostly neglected lately, a recent visit to Sage’s giant pumpkin patch has proven that the enormous fruits are carrying on, with or without us. They might not end up as the 400 pound leviathans of my boys’ dreams, but hey–they’re pretty darn respectable. Sage reclines on a giant pumpkin in mid-October. This […]
Kuan Yin’s Evolving Garden
My beloved stargazer lilies, the spectacular white bells of the yucca, and the fragrant Madonna lilies are all faded away now; only the statue of Kuan Yin remains constant in my circle garden. But she reminds me that each loss brings a renewal, and each faded flower drops to make way for a new blossom. […]
Broccoli Boy
Despite our freakishly warm November, winter’s slowly and steadily reaching across the weeks to strip away summer’s garments. Only the broccoli and kale remain defiantly green in our garden now. That’s just as well; Sage scorns the sweeter vegetables that I’d thought would be appealing to a seven-year-old’s palate, carrots and sweet potatoes among them, […]
Accepting My Garden
I’ve spent years trying to meet the standards set by my Amish neighbors’ gardens, so orderly and immaculate. I would start the year with excellent intentions, envisioning an equally orderly garden that would seem like a verdant quilt when I looked down on it from our deck. Each year I tried, and each year I […]
Moments of Unexpected Beauty 