A month or so back I wrote about lilacs, and the uncanny ability their scent possesses of being able to transport you out of time and place to sunny moments of your past. But for me, there’s another plant with similar abilities – though through a very different manner of delivery – that’s just now [...]
During my last lecture stop in Denver, I received many questions from the audience about how long seeds could be stored, so I thought I would post a small chart listing the number of years seed can be reasonably kept, if properly held, i.e. if kept in airtight bags in the refrigerator, not left out [...]
If you’ve grown gourds for a number of years, as I have, you quickly discover they are hardy souls. That prima donna ‘Marina di Chiogga’ squash you’ve coddled along all season may not produce a single fruit, or that cantankerous ‘Boston Mammoth’ may decide to rot in the field, as all mine did this year, [...]
(Singing) Oh…… it’s so GOOD to be a turtle, on a sunny September’s morn! I just had to share this picture with you. I found this little guy – he’s only 2″ long – earlier this summer – in fact, I almost stepped on him (or her) mowing the lawn. He must have just hatched, [...]
A few weeks ago I went to see Julie/Julia – which was terrific by the way – and I was reminded again how much I enjoyed watching PBS when I was a boy, and, how formative good television could be on receptive little minds. But while Julia Child is certainly the best remembered of that [...]
If you’re a duckling, death looms large. Injury & Disease are constant companions, and being nothing more than fluff and water, you’re easily squished by hoofed mammals, humans, even other ducks. There are a thousand things that like to eat you; from dogs, cats, and most quadrupeds, to the large bass in the pond, to [...]
This Saturday I had a small dinner party, and decided to make my ultimate guacamole as one of the starters. I know, you’re thinking: what, guacamole? That’s as common as tacos! But this guacamole, created by master Chef Kathy Gunst, is fresh and chunky, alive with the vibrant flavors of Mexico — not a mush [...]
A few weeks ago, while I was in Kansas filming the pilot for my new show, Garden Earth, I came across something I hadn’t seen for 30 years. No, not some lost old rose cultivar, but a veritable garden heirloom nonetheless : a metal Tonka toy front-end loader. I had this very same toy when [...]
As a blogger writer and blog reader, I’ve found the world of gardening blogs a bit daunting – there are hundreds out there, each with a different take. How do you find one that works for you? Turns out there are resources that can help: garden blog directories: Kathy Purdy’s (http://www.coldclimategardening.com/garden-blog-directory/); Moosey’s list (http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/garden-news/gardening-newsdesk.html); Sheila [...]
I’ve just returned from a whirlwind trip to New York City, gratefully abandoning the car after four hours of driving in torrential downbursts, to make an equally whirlwind tour of my vegetable garden – that is, before I was driven indoors by more rain. Despite the almost continual deluges we’ve had recently, the garden seems [...]