If I am lucky I can catch an hour in the garden after work on weeknights. This is the best place to be for many reasons. It’s cooler than working in the beating sun of the afternoon. I usually see butterflies and hummingbirds visiting my plants. And I see lightning bugs. There is nothing like the […]
What are you doing this weekend? Good news. You have the whole weekend to plan your entries in the West End Fair. http://www.westendfairgilbertpa.com/ The fair is set for Aug. 26 through Sept. 1. Entries for exhibits are accepted on Aug. 25 but you have to pre-register. The deadline is Aug. 5, which falls on a […]
We all have memories from our childhood. Besides the time I was hit in the head by a falling object dropped by the neighbor kid from the tree above me, I remember the Monarch butterfly. That’s the only butterfly I knew in those days. But when I read about the butterfly count on Saturday I realized […]
I’ve been putting plastic plants in my shed window boxes for years. The first year I tried to find pots that fit the window boxes, tried to make sure they didn’t dry out and tried to make sure they grew. It didn’t work. Hence, fake flowers. Silk are probably appear a little more realistic than […]
Heat wave number 2 or 3 is approaching, just in time for the first day of summer. How fitting. Temperatures will hit 95 Wednesday and yes, 97, on Thursday. What does that mean for your garden plants? They’ll be pretty parched, but you can help them keep their cool with a layer or two of mulch. […]
The thing about nature is that it’s not all happiness and roses. The joy of watching birds at work can quickly turn to sorrow when it’s all destroyed. I was so excited to have chickadees nesting on my deck. I pulled my chair up to the window to watch the constant interaction at the nest while […]
Sometimes I am in awe of the cycle of life and sometimes I am just plain sad. When I was walking merrily through my yard on Memorial Day weekend, I stopped because I saw a baby bird dead on the ground. I looked up to see if I could find the nest, although I couldn’t […]
People always ask why we grow dahlias, especially when they hear all the work that’s involved. Answer: It’s truly a labor of love and you can get great prices on them now. In the age of the Internet and remote control, why plant dahlias that require a lot of work? Perennials and annuals are easy and […]
I grew up in a world of houseplants. If there was a windowsill, you can be sure there was a plant in front of it, thanks to my mom. One was a rare night blooming cereus. Mom waited for a couple of years for it to bloom just for one night. Amazing. Her magic extended to […]
Mother’s Day is this Sunday (yes, my boys it is) and some Pocono organizations are offering some great gifts. Let’s start with the plant sale at the Monroe County Courthouse on Friday. The annual Mother’s Day flower sale to benefit Monroe County Children and Youth will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at […]