April 2013

Earlier this month I visited the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, in particular the Bald River Falls. Frances of Fairegarden and I walked a trail that took us up behind the falls along the Bald River, and we saw many wildflowers as we walked. The one that stole my heart is known as Hepatica acutiloba. [...]

How do you decide that spring has finally arrived? What signs tell you that the wait is over? At our old house, seeing the leafless branches of the trees on the hillside turn red from swelling buds was our certain sign that spring had arrived. It was confirmed by coltsfoot blooming and peepers peeping. While [...]

This is the second spring in our new garden. It takes time for plants to build up strength and multiply and consequently early spring/late mud season bloom here looks sparse. But each leaf is soaking up sunshine and storing food that will make next year's bloom, and the slow-to-warm spring that we have been enduring [...]

Gardening experience, for the most part, is accrued bit by bit, as decisions are made to do this chore before the other, plants die and we know why--or we don't--and mental notes are made about what is blooming when. But every so often, the gardener has an epiphany, a light bulb moment. These milestones represent [...]

I have taken contributor Brian Bixley's admonishment to heart and I'm trying to get more early blooming plants in my garden. The gardening season is typically considered the time from the last spring frost to the first autumn frost. By that measurement, I have a short season garden. The only way to get a longer [...]

There were several things I wanted to consider when choosing the paving material for the front walk. It needed to complement the style of the house, and our family's living style. Snow removal in winter and general maintenance had to be considered. And price and ease of installation would also be factors. Slate was already [...]

I enjoy displaying seasonal photos in the sidebar on my website and have been doing so for a couple of years now. It frustrated me that I couldn't easily caption them or credit the photographer. I finally decided I would do a post every month highlighting these photos. So, here we go:These daffodils are descendants [...]