“I don’t know what that gunk is in the jar, but can’t we get it off the kitchen table?”–This from my husband a few days ago. “No! That’s my soil test!” The soil at our new house seemed sticky to me, and fearing that I would be dealing with clay for the next several years, I did a simple do-it-yourself test to determine… Read more →
On this trip around the neighborhood, I check in on conifers. Upstaged by the flamboyant flowers of high spring—azaleas and rhododendrons, peonies, irises, and poppies—conifers are often overlooked this time of year, which is a shame. Although they don’t make a big spectacle, conifers are undergoing changes now, too. I love the contrast between the dark green old needles and… Read more →
On my many walks around the neighborhood, I see a lot of personalities expressed through front yards. Many front yard landscapes leave me with a distinct impression of the sort of people who may live inside. Do you interpret them the same way I do? Front yard fruit and vegetable gardens sometimes make the news when city officials want to see them moved… Read more →
In the words of Bruce Springsteen, and later, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band: “Mama always told me not to look in the eyes of the sun. But Mama, that’s where the fun is…” This is the second installment on how shooting into the sun can bring some dramatic results to your garden photography. The previous post covered foliage effects; this one… Read more →
In much of the country, April is a frenzy of blossoms–cherries and magnolias, crabapples, lilacs, and tulips. The landscape is flooded with new flowers, and they receive all the glory. Another, more subtle season also unfolds now, however. It is the season of tiny new leaves. Out they come in shades of bronze, silver, mustard, toffee, and lime green: maples… Read more →
Spring, summer, fall, and winter. That covers it, right? Not by a long shot. The more I have gardened, and observed, and become attuned to nature’s rhythms, the less satisfied I have become with our clumsy, generalized words for the seasons. Four measly divisions?! It’s like trying to describe all the colors in the rainbow using only the terms red,… Read more →
Magnolia lovers are the kind of people whose glasses are always half full. Even though frost may turn the pink and white blossoms to brown mush every few years, people that love magnolias continue to plant them and adore them. Their displays are so over-the-top that it is easy to forget about the dud years. Here–in order of bloom–are eight of… Read more →
March and April bring fresh new foliage back into our lives. I love to capture this special time of year in photos, so that I can better recall at any time of year the brilliance and translucency of those young spring leaves. But sometimes, when going through the day’s photos, I have found that they don’t capture the spirit of what I saw… Read more →
Who doesn’t like bulbs? And you can always find a space for them… tucking them under shrubs, or in between perennials, or in a planter by the door. In late winter and early spring they shine, playing a big part in the early-season show. Here are a few of my favorites, in order of bloom. Some of them are off the beaten… Read more →
Not only do plants flower in a certain order, but they leaf out in a certain order, too, and some start to leaf even while frost is still a threat. Winter flowers like hellebores, crocuses, and daffodils hog the limelight in March, but our color-starved eyes are also glad to see new foliage. Look for the following early leafers to brighten up the… Read more →
