Sprouts for Beating Winter Blues
I can’t decide if January or February is the longest month. Then again, it might be August. Do you want to be grey and cold or hot and sweaty? Since I am in the midst of winter and days of diamond-hard sun are few, I seek out ways to brighten the clouds with wee green things. Like sprouts.
I Will Never Not Stop for Snow
Snow has finally arrived! Winter has crept in on soft white kitten feet. Have you stopped for snow yet? I cannot help but take a moment each time it snows to watch it. From the hard pebble ice to the fluffiest of flakes, I cannot stop my hand from reaching out and studying it as each piece of white melts into a water drop.
Waiting on Winter
As we approach mid-December, I am waiting for winter to arrive. It’s been a tempestuous few weeks of health challenges and minor surgery. November has scuttled past in its usual shades of grey and brown as dormancy settles comfortably across the garden beds.
Stopping With Bees
As summer is slipping into clouds of yellow flowers heralding shorter days and whispers of autumn, the bees continue their work. It’s been a harrowing month as I deal with sciatic nerve issues and I develop new and higher pain thresholds. So I am spending time with bees.
Firefly Magic
Hello cuties! These are two male Photinus pyralis having a photo shoot before being released. Good luck with the ladies, lads!
Empathetic Gardening: Feeding Everyone Including You
As my garden aesthetic has evolved, it has become more empathetic. By this, I mean I have refocused my plant choices to those that feed me and my soul, but also as many species of wildlife as possible.
Katsura, Oh, Katsura
This katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) is planted for remembrance. I chose it for its fall fragrance of burnt caramel with notes of apricot. In spring, the new baby leaves are maroon. Its naturally layered delicate habit offers a tall wispy cloud of bronze, backlit by the early morning sun.
Seeking the Ephemeral Beauty of Native Plants
There’s a low hum to the earth. It’s not just the boxwood buzzing with flies, wasps, and other tiny pollinators or the first bumblebee stumbling through the daffodils. Spring has arrived.
Heavenly Hellebores
As we knock on the door of April and true spring, the hellebores have arrived! Are they native? Nope. But anything that blooms cheerfully under snow, tolerates dry shade, and isn’t consumed by rabbits, is a winner in my garden.