Ask the Green Thumb Garden Tutorial Series: Latest Short video answering a common gardening questions posted by readers in the Boston/Metro-West area. How to Deadhead Perennials? frequently asked by gardeners–especially new ones! When you remove spent blossoms your garden instantly looks better. A bonus is that many plants will bloom a second...
Read MoreRewards of Composting in a Small Space
Out the kitchen door, to the right off the landing, I’ve positioned the compost bin for easy access. I’m rewarded with views of my back garden and this one of my front. It’s a view of the front I only see from this angle so it’s a treat. Today I was rewarded by pink dianthus (cheddar pinks ‘Firewitch’) and pink...
Read MoreRevisiting ‘Snow Flowers’
Sometime ago I encountered an enchanting description of a small Japanese village’s winter festival that celebrated the way plants catch snow. The novel’s author called the snow that was captured in nooks and crannies, branches and seedheads, branches and buds, ‘Snow Flowers’. Ever since I look at fresh snow...
Read MoreHamamelis Keeps Its Promise…kinda
Days after the snowstorm, the witch hazel in my garden bloomed. Sparsely. I was a bit disappointed. My expectations set too high, I realized a contrasting evergreen planted behind it would set off its few flowers better. Its second spring growing here I had hoped it would be covered thickly with brilliant yellow flowers. Last year it looked similar to...
Read MoreWitchHazel ‘Arnold Promise’ Still Wearing Its’ Winter Cloak
I’ve been feeling restless lately. This happens when winter merges into spring. The early March landscape in New England may be snow covered as it is as I write this or thawing to a condition we call ” mud season”. Spring thaws and freezes come and go, but mainly the gardens look a mess. The seed heads that look charming in the snow look...
Read More