February, the longest month of winter for gardeners

February, the longest month of winter for gardeners

gardening

Snowdrop blooms in the sun

I think gardeners might have a bit of a warped sense of time.

We think that February is the longest month of the year.  It is four weeks, plus an extra day this year, of nearly interminable waiting for March.

Now, I do know that for some gardeners, the beginning of March is really their beginning of spring.  For me, though, it is really March 17th.

March 17th is

Old plant catalogs

Old plant catalogs

books gardening

I was quite pleased to recently purchase a copy of Roy Hennessey's 1961-62 Rose Catalog after reading about it a few days ago in a book of letters between the writers Eudora Welty and William Maxwell.

After I got it, I read bits and pieces of it.

Welty and Maxwell were right about Hennessey's writing. He does not hold back his opinions and he is not one bit shy about writing exactly what he

Five questions to ask about your garden this fall

Five questions to ask about your garden this fall

fall gardening

A bit of floral flotsam

As I stand in the garden, leaning on a hoe, surveying the remains of summer, I turn introspective, as most gardeners do this time of year.

Here are five questions I ask myself.

Did I like all the vegetables I grew in the garden?

In the fall, I make a list of the vegetable varieties I want to grow again and tuck the list somewhere inside where I am sure to find it

Party 'til frost

Party 'til frost

fall gardening

I was all set to fill up this post with picture after picture after picture of asters blooming in my garden.

But I can't find the files on my computer.  Maybe they are still just on the camera? Who knows?

Because I can't find the pictures,  I am sparing you, lovely readers, from having to scroll down through countless images that to you might all look the same but to me are part of a vast

Gardens Should Not Be a Burden

Gardens Should Not Be a Burden

gardening

My first thought upon seeing this sculpture/planter was "gardens should not be such a burden".

Gardens should delight us, teach us, lift us up, and bring joy to our lives.

Gardens should not burden us, weigh us down, or sap joy from our lives.

Of course, there are times, like the entire growing season, when our gardens require our time and attention for planting, trimming, weeding, and

Gardenangelist Defined

Gardenangelist Defined

gardening Humor

gardenangelist (gär dn ān′jəl ist) n 1. A person who loves gardening and tries to convince others to love it, too.  2. A spokesperson for the love of gardening.  3. Someone who donates lavishly to a garden, a benefactor.  4. An evangelist for gardening.

v gardenangelize 1. To speak about one's love of gardening. 2. To attempt to convince others to garden. -zed, -zing

n gardenangelism 1. The

Why I still need more plants in my garden

Why I still need more plants in my garden

gardening

Borage - a new plant in my garden this season

I was browsing through some plants for sale at a nearby nursery, contemplating, once again, which plants I should buy for my garden.

A thought flashed through my mind.

"The owners of this nursery know me. I've been coming here for years. I've purchased a lot of plants from them.  I'm getting ready to buy more plants from them.  They might be