heirloom gardener

NJ.com: Chatham Township lets farming debate go fallow for summer

2011-07-28T23:17:00.000-04:00

Is family farming coming to Chatham? Let the veggies grow!

2011-07-28T22:56:00.003-04:00

There is currently a small-town political debate about whether or not Chatham will allow a family in Green Village to grow vegetables for selling via CSA, at the local farmers' market, or at a farm stand. As one neighbor on the street puts it: let the veggies grow!

Support Your Local Farm: The Village Tree Farm in Green Village, NJ

2010-11-28T21:54:00.004-05:00

Why did it take me so long to find The Village Tree Farm on Meyersville Road in Green Village, NJ? It's a family-run Christmas tree farm just a few minutes from my home and we had a wonderful afternoon picking out our tree. In addition to getting a great tree, we also got to admire their beautiful, Amish-constructed barn, built in 2004.

www.villagechristmastreefarm.com

NYTimes: A Story about Gardening into your Seventies

2010-11-16T22:51:00.004-05:00

"Page Dickey spent 30 years building the perfect garden. Now that she and her husband are in their 70s, cutting back is more of a priority." -Anne Raver, New York Times

Where have I been?

2010-05-14T17:46:00.002-04:00

It's been months since my last post. We had a baby, decided to move, sold our house and bought a new one. To say the least, it's been busy. This gardening season, I'm trying to both pot up and/or take divisions of my rare plants as well as plan the new garden. I intend to write more about all of the above when I have more time.

The First Bloom of the New Year - Pink and White Amaryllis

2010-01-09T07:44:00.000-05:00

Telegraph.co.uk: Great Dixter after Christopher Lloyd

2009-12-29T07:04:00.000-05:00

After Chrstopher Lloyd died in 2006, "many at that point wondered what would happen to his celebrated garden, Great Dixter." There is a fascinating story here by Tim Richardson about how Fergus Garrett maintain's "Great Dixter's spirit of originality."

What's the secret? "The key to the garden's originality and verve is partly due to the working method laid down by Christo. This consisted of a daily perambulation around the garden which lasted about an hour, during which time Christo and Fergus would make perhaps 60 decisions, small and large. About half of them were to be dealt with immediately, the rest stored up for the right seasonal moment. 'Everything was looked at and carefully considered,' Fergus says. 'We asked: is it worth it? Does it grow well? Does it stand on its own?'"

Telegraph.co.uk: Garden of the Year photography competition

2009-12-27T06:48:00.002-05:00

I love English gardens. Check out the stunning photos of these fabulous English gardens here, including: Burton Agnes Hall, Ilford Manor, Borde Hill Gardens, Houghton Hall, Mellerstain House, Athelhampton, Arley Hall, Exbury Gardens, Kiftsgate Court and Parham Park.

End of Season Roses: Fairy near the back steps

2009-12-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

End of Season Roses: Star of the Republic in the Triangle Garden

2009-12-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

End of Season Clematis: Arabella in the Cutting Garden

2009-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

End of Season Clematis: Marie Boisselot on the Arbor to the Cutting Garden

2009-11-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

End of Season Roses: Gruss an Aachen in the Children's Garden

2009-11-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

End of Season Roses: Rose de Rescht in the Egg Garden

2009-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Picture This Photo Contest: the End of the Line

2009-11-22T21:21:00.003-05:00

Click here for the previous Gravetye Beauty Clematis Seed Head post that I used for my entry for this month's contest at Gardening Gone Wild: the End of the Line. The deadline is midnight tonight.

End of Season Roses: Nur Mahal Hybrid Musk Rose Bred by Bishop Pemberton Next to the Lamp Post

2009-11-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

The Last Dahlia of the Season

2009-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

The dahlias are quite frost sensitive, so I was surprised to see this one last bloom as I was digging up the last of my dahlia tubers in the Cutting Garden.

NJ Farmers' Market Update: Sundays in Summit extended to Christmas

2009-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Good news! The Sunday Farmers' Markets in Summit, New Jersey have been extended until the weekend before Christmas. I remember from last year that the number of shoppers dropped off significantly with the cold weather, so they didn't know if they were going to try to do it again this year. Alas, here's your opportunity to dress warmly and continue supporting the farmers. If enough people come out, maybe we can have a year-round farmers' market like they in other areas.

Fall Colors: an Arrangement of Mophead Hydrangeas

2009-11-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

After the Frost: Time to Start Digging up the Dahlia Tubers

2009-11-11T06:00:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, we had our first frost, so I started to dig up the dahlia tubers for winter storage. I finished the tubers on Goldberry Hill and the Front Border (pictured), but still need to get the ones in the Cutting and Rose Gardens. For a full how-to, read my prior post, "How to Store Dahlia Tubers for Winter."

Blotanical's Best Pennsylvania Gardening Blogs of 2009

2009-11-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I live in New Jersey, but feel a special kinship with my gardening friends in Pennsylvania. It, of course, is the home of one of my favorite public gardens, Chanticleer, and so many other lovely gardens and gardeners. Here are Blotanical's Best Pennsylvania Gardening Blogs for 2009:
.
1. Hayefield - one of my favorite blogs that I was happy to see ranked first. It is garden writer Nan Ondra's personal blog: "I live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia (mid-Zone 6 to lower Zone 7, depending on whose map you use). Under the supervision of my two alpacas, Duncan and Daniel, I garden on four acres in full sun: about two acres of managed meadow, one acre of pasture, and one acre of intensively planted and open shrubbery areas. This garden is entering its eighth year in 2009."
.
2. Poor Richard's Almanac - this was a new discovery for me. "Author, editor, homesteader, collector–our friend Ben is all that and (of course) much more. When asked by the moderator at one of those corporate seminars what I’d be if I could be anything at all, the answer popped into my mind like Athena bursting full grown from the forehead of Zeus: I’d like to be the head of my own think tank. That’s because I love to think, about all sorts of things, all the time..."
.
3. Burbs and the Bees - this is another new one for me and one I look forward to reading more. "Adventures of suburban homesteading and novice beekeeping. Trying to jam as much farm life as I can into our little piece of suburban woodland! Thanks for stopping by to share in our adventures of suburban homesteading, gardening, and novice beekeeping!"
.
4. Veggie Gardening Tips - as a novice vegetable gardener, I have found this blog to be full of wonderful organic vegetable gardening ideas. "...In 1985, a few years after graduating from college, I resigned from a great job with the Federal Reserve Board in Washington D.C. and moved to Pennsylvania to accept an internship on a forty acre organic farm...At the time, many of my friends and family thought it was a crazy idea, but it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. During a few short years on the farm I learned an incredible amount about gardening, nature, and self sufficiency."
.
5. My Little Patch of Green - this is another new one to me. "My name is Dawn and I have been an on-again-off-again gardener in my yard in Northeast Pennsylvania. I love the idea of gardening. I love looking at pictures of gardens. But while I have big dreams for my garden, I always seem to fail in the execution. I have sadly neglected my garden for the last few years, but this year will be a new beginning. It won’t be an extreme makeover, but a slow transformation."

Fall Colors: Pee Gee Hydrangea in the Front Border

2009-11-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

For another post about how the pee gee hydrangea changes during the seasons, click here.

Adam Woodruff's visit to Oudolf Nursery & Garden - Hummelo, The Netherlands

2009-11-04T21:43:00.003-05:00

Check out this great post (with pictures) of Adam Woodruff's visit to the Oudolf Nursery & Garden over at Gardening Gone Wild:

"On a personal note, I introduced myself to Piet after I had toured the property. He was incredibly open and generous with his time: going so far as to step away from his guests and give me a tour of his studio, where he graciously entertained all my questions, shared some of his current projects and recommended a few other gardens to visit."

Fall Colors: Chrysathemum in the Front Border

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

End of Season Roses: Danae in the Cutting Garden

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Poemas del río Wang: Imperial crown

2009-11-01T19:52:00.001-05:00

I grow and love Crown Imperial Fritillaria in the Rose Garden, but I've never seen such an amazing display as this--an entire mountainside in Iran: Poemas del río Wang: Imperial crown.

British Rose Garden Tour - Summer 2010

2009-11-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

This is a tour I would love. From Clair Martin at Great Rosarians Blog: "I signed the contract for the Summer of British Rose Gardens tour for next year. The tour meets up in London on Tuesday, June 15 and we end on June 25, 2010." Montisfont Abbey Gardens, David Austin Rose Garden, and more!
.
Clair Martin is the first Shannon Curator of the Rose Garden at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens located in San Marino, California a position he has held since 1983.

End of Season Roses: Roulette in the Egg Garden

2009-10-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

End of Season Roses: Heritage David Austin Rose in the Children's Garden

2009-10-28T21:43:00.000-04:00

Redback (?) Salamander (Plethedon or Plethodon cinereus)

2009-10-27T21:30:00.000-04:00

Using The Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of New Jersey from the NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, I tried to identify this little fellow we found among some of the garden clippings. He looked reddish brown with very small white spots all over his body. The belly was the same color. As you can see in the picture, he didn't want to sit still for a photograph, so we quickly snapped these pictures and then let him go into the Egg Garden. Interestingly, it also looked like he may have recently lost his tail. If someone more knowledgeable can verify or correct the identification, leave a comment.

End of Season Roses: Delicata on Goldberry Hill

2009-10-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

Photo Contest: Abundant Harvest

2009-10-23T21:55:00.002-04:00

I just squeezed in my entry at the last minute for this month's Picture This Photo Contest at Gardening Gone Wild. The subject is Abundant Harvest and you can see my entry here.

End of Season Roses: Cecil Brunner on Goldberry Hill

2009-10-23T10:29:00.001-04:00

Locally Raised Organic Turkeys for Thanksgiving

2009-10-22T23:44:00.001-04:00

Do you like to eat fresh, organic meats? Do you serve Turkey for Thanksgiving? Do you like supporting local farms? If yes and you live in northern New Jersey, I highly recommend pre-ordering your Turkey for Thanksgiving from Vacchiano Farms. They just started taking orders last Sunday at the Summit Farmers' Market. We tried their turkey last year and it was the best we ever had.

Coping with Slopes - Gardening Gone Wild's Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop

2009-10-21T22:00:00.005-04:00

This month's Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop at Gardening Gone Wild is on Coping with Slopes. Given that my whole property is one big downward slope, I look forward to reading others' posts.
.
When we were house hunting back in 2001, I was only a beginning gardener. I had dabbled with gardening in Brooklyn, but wasn't so serious that how I would garden on this property's slope wasn't even a consideration. Once I got more serious about gardening, I wished for a flat property, but worked with what I had.
.
Here are a few prior posts about my experiences:
.
1. Five Ideas for the Downward Sloping Front Yard
2. Creating the Egg Garden on my Front Slope
3. Goldberry Hill Last Summer (pictured above)
4. Goldberry Hill Last Spring
5. How to Build Raised (Vegetable) Beds on a Slope
6. How to Build a Children's Playhouse (Fort) on a Slope
.
For a map of how the gardens are situated on the property, click here. If I have more time, I'll write some additional posts about a few more of the sloped areas: Lilac Hill and the new stone staircase to the backyard.

End of Season Roses: Ballerina on Goldberry Hill

2009-10-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

End of Season Roses: Dortmund on the Arbor

2009-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

WSJ: Canning Makes A Combeack

2009-10-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

Our vegetable garden isn't big enough to produces excess for canning, but the children do love making pickles from the cucumbers at the farmers' market. From Ana Campoy's article in The Wall Street Journal:

"The worst recession in decades and a trend toward healthier eating are inspiring many Americans to grow their own food. Now the harvest season is turning many of these gardeners into canners looking to stretch the bounty of the garden into the winter...

At Jarden Corp.'s Jarden Home Brands—the maker of Kerr and Ball brand jars—sales of canning equipment are up 30% this year through mid-September, over the same period in 2008. And canning classes from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Boise, Idaho, report seeing skyrocketing enrollments this year.

Canning has been around since the dawn of the 19th century, when, at Napoleon's behest, a Frenchman developed a method of sealing food in bottles to prevent spoilage on long military campaigns. The process was later adapted to factory-sealed metal cans, but at home, "canning" is still practiced in thick glass jars..."

Teasel Seed Head on Lilac Hill

2009-10-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Clematis Seed Head on the Arbor in the Cutting Garden

2009-10-15T06:14:00.000-04:00

Clematis Seed Head on the Arbor in the Cutting Garden

2009-10-13T06:16:00.000-04:00

Gravetye Beauty Clematis Seed Head on Goldberry Hill

2009-10-11T06:12:00.000-04:00

Clematis Seed Head in the Children's Garden

2009-10-09T06:10:00.000-04:00

Bee Balm Seed Heads in the Egg Garden

2009-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Orange Calendula in the Front Border

2009-10-05T19:44:00.001-04:00

Purple Colchicum in the Front Border

2009-10-04T19:42:00.000-04:00

Rosa Rubrifolia Hips on Goldberry Hill

2009-10-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Jack in the Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum, Seed Head in the Walled Garden

2009-10-02T18:00:00.001-04:00

Harvard Yard is making the move to organic lawn care

2009-10-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

Good news from Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ann Raver in The New York Times reports that Harvard is following in Heirloom Gardener's footsteps (just kidding) and moving to organic lawn care. One part of the article that I found particularly interesting was the positive impact on the trees. Read the full article here.

"THERE is an underground revolution spreading across Harvard University this fall. It’s occurring under the soil and involves fungi, bacteria, microbes and roots, which are now fed with compost and compost tea rather than pesticides and synthetic nitrogen. The results have so astounded university administrators that what started as a one-acre pilot project in Harvard Yard has spread organic practices through 25 acres on the campus...The organically grown grass on campus is now green from the microbes that feed the soil, eliminating the use of synthetic nitrogen, the base of most commercial fertilizers. No herbicides or pesticides are used, either. Roots reach eight inches into soil that was once so compacted the trees planted in it were dying."

Celine Forestier (1842), Noisette Rose, on the Arbor to the Children's Garden

2009-10-01T18:02:00.001-04:00

Blotanical's Best Gardening Blogs for New Jersey 2009

2009-09-30T23:01:00.004-04:00

Thank you so much for everyone (all 104 of you) who voted for Heirloom Gardener! Here are the rest of Blotanical's Best Gardening Blogs for New Jersey 2009:

2. Best in Bloom Today - a new discovery for me, "Married to Hubba Hubba, proud mom of 2 Darling Daughters, passionate gardener (is there any other kind?), especially daylilies! Addicted to nursery hopping...name any garden center in NJ/PA...I've been there...honest!"
3. View from Federal Twist - a favorite of mine for some time, "We moved to Rosemont in June 1999. Originally known as Cross Keys Tavern in the mid-18th century, Rosemont has remained an agricultural community for over two centuries..."
4. Miss Rumphius' Rules - a new discovery for me, "My blog was conceived in 2007 as an online journal exploring my continuing journey as a designer with a focus on design, gardens, and the creative process."
5. Garden Endeavors - a new discovery for me, "Gardening by the shore in southern New Jersey.My husband and I both enjoy the garden, all the vegetables are grow by him and everything else by me..."

I'm honored to be among the many 2009 award winners. Check out all of the winners here.

Bonica, Shrub Rose, on Goldberry Hill

2009-09-30T17:56:00.002-04:00

Frau Dagmar Hastrup (1914), Rugosa Rose, on Goldberry Hill

2009-09-29T19:30:00.000-04:00

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on the Butterfly Bush

2009-09-28T05:47:00.000-04:00

2009 Blotanical Awards - voting ends in two days

2009-09-27T19:46:00.001-04:00

Just browse some great blogs or vote here.

Dahlia in the Cutting Garden

2009-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Purple Angelica Seed Heads

2009-09-26T06:17:00.000-04:00

Red Zinia in the Cutting Garden

2009-09-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Dark Pink Zinia in the Cutting Garden

2009-09-24T05:39:00.001-04:00

Light Pink Zinia in the Cutting Garden

2009-09-23T05:38:00.001-04:00

White Zinia in the Cutting Garden

2009-09-21T22:18:00.000-04:00

Sweet Autumn Clematis in the Bird Garden

2009-09-19T18:00:00.000-04:00

"In 1999, the Atlantic Monthly estimated that Borlaug's efforts...saved the lives of one billion human beings."

2009-09-18T16:07:00.004-04:00

As readers of this blog know, I am a big fan of heirloom and organic gardening and food production, but know that in practice (my backyard), the yields are much lower. Thus, heirloom and organic food is a luxury that many in this country cannot afford and in most countries is non-existent. In that context, I found this obituary interesting, particularly the difference in agricultural development in Asia, where famine has been eliminated, and Africa, where famine continues to persist.
.
From Gregg Easterbrook's obituary on Norman Borlaug in The Wall Street Journal. For the full article click here.

'As a young agronomist, Borlaug helped develop some of the principles of Green Revolution agriculture on which the world now relies including hybrid crops selectively bred for vigor, and "shuttle breeding," a technique for accelerating the movement of disease immunity between strains of crops. He also helped develop cereals that were insensitive to the number of hours of light in a day, and could therefore be grown in many climates.
.
Green Revolution techniques caused both reliable harvests, and spectacular output. From the Civil War through the Dust Bowl, the typical American farm produced about 24 bushels of corn per acre; by 2006, the figure was about 155 bushels per acre.
.
Hoping to spread high-yield agriculture to the world's poor, in 1943 Borlaug moved to rural Mexico to establish an agricultural research station, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. Borlaug's little research station became the International Maize and Wheat Center, known by its Spanish abbreviation CIMMYT, that is now one of the globe's most important agricultural study facilities. At CIMMYT, Borlaug developed the high-yield, low-pesticide "dwarf" wheat upon which a substantial portion of the world's population now depends for sustenance.
.
In 1950, as Borlaug began his work in earnest, the world produced 692 million tons of grain for 2.2 billion people. By 1992, with Borlaug's concepts common, production was 1.9 billion tons of grain for 5.6 billion men and women: 2.8 times the food for 2.2 times the people. Global grain yields more than doubled during the period, from half a ton per acre to 1.1 tons; yields of rice and other foodstuffs improved similarly. Hunger declined in sync: From 1965 to 2005, global per capita food consumption rose to 2,798 calories daily from 2,063, with most of the increase in developing nations. In 2006, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization declared that malnutrition stands "at the lowest level in human history," despite the global population having trebled in a single century.
.
In the mid-1960s, India and Pakistan were exceptions to the trend toward more efficient food production; subsistence cultivation of rice remained the rule, and famine struck. In 1965, Borlaug arranged for a convoy of 35 trucks to carry high-yield seeds from CIMMYT to a Los Angeles dock for shipment to India and Pakistan. He and a coterie of Mexican assistants accompanied the seeds. They arrived to discover that war had broken out between the two nations. Sometimes working within sight of artillery flashes, Borlaug and his assistants sowed the Subcontinent's first crop of high-yield grain. Paul Ehrlich gained celebrity for his 1968 book "The Population Bomb," in which he claimed that global starvation was inevitable for the 1970s and it was "a fantasy" that India would "ever" feed itself. Instead, within three years of Borlaug's arrival, Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat production; within six years, India was self-sufficient in the production of all cereals.
.
After his triumph in India and Pakistan and his Nobel Peace Prize, Borlaug turned to raising crop yields in other poor nations especially in Africa, the one place in the world where population is rising faster than farm production and the last outpost of subsistence agriculture. At that point, Borlaug became the target of critics who denounced him because Green Revolution farming requires some pesticide and lots of fertilizer. Trendy environmentalism was catching on, and affluent environmentalists began to say it was "inappropriate" for Africans to have tractors or use modern farming techniques. Borlaug told me a decade ago that most Western environmentalists "have never experienced the physical sensation of hunger. They do their lobbying from comfortable office suites in Washington or Brussels. If they lived just one month amid the misery of the developing world, as I have for 50 years, they'd be crying out for tractors and fertilizer and irrigation canals and be outraged that fashionable elitists in wealthy nations were trying to deny them these things."'

Parsley Blooms in the Bird Garden

2009-09-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

Celebrate Fall at Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, New Jersey, Sunday, October 25th, 11-3

2009-09-16T21:40:00.002-04:00

Games, Family Scavenger Hunt, Pumpkin Carving Contest, Arts and Crafts, Face Painting, Costume Parade at 11:30AM. For more information, click here.

Japanese Beautyberry - Flowers and Immature Berries

2009-09-16T13:00:00.001-04:00

To see what the berries will look like when they turn their distinctive purple, click here.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2009

2009-09-15T00:01:00.001-04:00

Here are just a few of the current blooms in my zone 6b garden. Check out all of the Bloom Day posts at May Dreams Gardens.

Toad Lily, Tricyrtis formosana

2009-09-13T20:00:00.000-04:00

Picture This Photo Contest: Miscanthus sisnesis 'Adagio'

2009-09-12T21:00:00.000-04:00

This month's Picture This Photo Contest at Gardening Gone Wild is on Ornamental Grasses. I have two confessions to make: first, there was a time when I didn't think I liked ornamental grasses, and second, I rarely focus on them as photographic subjects.

After an unexpected visit to the Cutler Botanic Garden in Binghamton, New York, where they have a wonderful garden dedicated to them, the beauty of ornamental grasses finally dawned upon me. Now, I have about a dozen of various sorts incorporated into several of my gardens. Of these, my favorite is Miscanthus sisnesis 'Adagio' which is located on Goldberry Hill, the Front Border, and Lilac Hill.

They are photogenic, but perhaps I overlook them because they don't have flowers. Yes, they are too large to exclude from pictures of different gardens, but no, I never stop to take a close-up or a picture focused on them. So, here's my first shot (pun intended).

Milkweed Seeds in the Bird Garden

2009-09-10T16:25:00.000-04:00

Red and Yellow Milkweed in the Bird Garden

2009-09-09T16:23:00.000-04:00

Yellow Milkweed in the Bird Garden

2009-09-08T21:39:00.000-04:00

Herbaceous Hibiscus Buds in the Children's Garden

2009-09-06T18:00:00.000-04:00

Herbaceous Hibiscus Flower in the Children's Garden

2009-09-05T18:00:00.002-04:00

Shrub Hibiscus Flower in the Walled Garden

2009-09-04T18:00:00.002-04:00

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio glaucus, on Butterfly Bush

2009-09-03T21:14:00.001-04:00

Of all my butterflies, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is the most frequent visitor and the least fearful photography subject.

Silver Spotted Skipper Butterfly, Epargyreus clarus, on Butterfly Bush

2009-09-02T21:19:00.001-04:00

Here's another skipper that does not like to stay still for a decent photograph.

Correction: Female Zabulon (not Hobomok) Skipper Butterfly, Poanes zabulon, on Butterfly Bush

2009-09-01T21:00:00.003-04:00

She skips around a mile a minute, so I felt lucky to get this shot.
.
Thank you to Randy Emmitt for the correct identification--this "handyman/photographer" from Rougemont, North Carolina really knows his butterflies. Check out his blog Randy & Meg's Garden Paradise.

Some Noteworthy Gardening Blogs

2009-08-31T18:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you to the following blogs for their links and referrals to Heirloom Gardener over the past month:

1. http://www.gardeningonewild.com/ - this is a group effort with great writers, photographers, the Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop, the Picture This Photo Contest, the Plant Pick of the Month and more: "The idea for Gardening Gone Wild came out of the wonderful interactions I have had over several years with gardening professionals throughout North America, all of whom are passionate gardeners."

2. http://www.kenschill.blogspot.com/ - if I lived in Sweden, this is what my garden might look like: "We are two amateur gardeners. We are interested in everything in the garden both plants and garden-design."

3. http://www.blotanical.com/ - of all of the lists of gardening blogs out there, I still think that this is the best one: "where garden blogs bloom."

4. http://www.phillipoliver.blogspot.com/ - from Alabama, a great personal gardening blog: "...creating and maintaining a 3/4 acre garden for 15 years now which I have chronicled on my web site. I also enjoy movies, reading and photography."

5. http://www.thequeenofseaford.com/ - from Virginia, another great personal gardening blog: "After gardening in Texas, Florida, and Germany I am now in Tidewater...trying to have an attractive garden while battling dogs and tidal inflows of mysterious seeds."

6. http://www.maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/ - from Indiana, the well-known host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: "Eccentric gardener? Gardening geek? Passionate about plants? Join me in my Zone 5 garden in Indiana!"

7. http://www.queenmothermamaw.blogspot.com/ - from Kentucky, a blog about more than just gardening: "Retired RN loving time with my children, grands, art, literature and blogging and loving the creativity. My name comes from my dear grandchildren. I called them all princess, then their moms queens and my sons kings. They started to call me Queenmother Mamaw."

8. http://www.flowerhillfarm.blogspot.om/ - from Massachusetts, Carol lives on a dream, twenty acre property: "Farming, observing and documenting a twenty acre hillside paradise, which includes organically cultivated rambling gardens, fields of organic blueberries, forest, fabulous views and expanse of sky."

9. http://www.northmobilegardensociety.blogspot.com/ - from Alabama, I share Dirt Princess's feelings about spending everyday outside in the yard: "I live in the deep south, where everyday is a bad hair day. I am married to my best friend (The Hunter) and we do everything together (except garden). I would spend everyday outside in my yard if I could."

10. http://www.acornergarden.blogspot.com/ - from Nebraska, Sue is a dedicated suburban gardener: "I am married with 2 grown children and a grandson. We live in the house on a corner lot that my husband grew up in. I have been talking him out of more grass over time in order to increase space for gardening. I like growing veggies, flowers, and herbs."

Correction: American (not Painted) Lady Butterfly, Vanessa virgiensis, on Butterfly Bush

2009-08-30T20:50:00.001-04:00

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio troilus, on Pink Phlox

2009-08-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop: Time in the Garden

2009-08-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

This month's Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop at Gardening Gone Wild is on Time in the Garden. I love the kick-off photos on the post, as gardens are never "done" and always evolving, season to season, and year to year. Thinking through posts and photos that I could use to contribute to this subject, the best I have to offer is a post from last year, "Heirloom Gardener's Four Year Makeover of Her Front Garden - How to Improve Boring Suburban Landscaping," with pictures of the significant changes made from 2004-2008, including the replacement of a pathway and the continuation of a stone staircase to the front door. The foll0w-up post, "Front Yard Garden Design Challenge - Five Ideas For the Downward Sloping Front Yard," provides updated pictures from 2009, including the plantings that were added around the new hardscaping. Here are some of the "before" and "after" shots from those posts:

The Front Garden, 2004

The Front Garden, 2009

The Egg Garden, 2004

The Egg Garden, 2009

NYT: How to Sip a Flower Garden

2009-08-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

We all know about edible flowers, but I never thought about adding them to mixed drinks. Laura M. Holson writes in The New York Times:

"Red sunflower petals and cucumbers are bathed in gin. Syrup made from dried lavender blossoms is muddled with mint leaves to lend mojitos a Provençal air. And the fizz of Champagne is quieted by wild elderflower liqueur.
.
'People are realizing there are a lot of edible flowers or flavored liqueurs that taste beautiful in a cocktail glass,' said Junior Merino, a bartender and consultant who came up with a drink for the Modern in Manhattan called Coming Up Roses, a bouquet of rum, rose syrup and crushed rose petals. 'It’s a discovery for many: interesting flavors and tastes they never knew existed.'"

For the full article, click here.

This Cucumber Looks Like a Duck

2009-08-26T18:00:00.000-04:00

This cucumber got stuck in the netting of the eight foot tall screen around the raised vegetable bed and my children thought it was blog-worthy.

Ten Tips for Starting an Employee Garden

2009-08-25T18:00:00.001-04:00

As a follow-up to my post "WSJ: Adding a Vegetable Garden to a Small Business," Twisted Limb Paperbacks, one of the businesses featured in the article, has a blog post, Ten Tips for Starting an Employee Garden:

"Twisted Limb Paperworks is a recycled handmade paper and invitation business in the countryside of South Central Indiana. We started a company garden last year, as a benefit to employees who at the time, had to reduce their hours and forgo raises. Everyone enjoyed getting their share of produce so well, that this year we increased the plot to 30x50 feet. We grow ten different herbs and twenty-four different vegetables, many of those in several different varieties. I’ll admit that it’s a lot to manage for the five of us. We certainly haven’t taken our own advice about starting small and easy, but that’s OK. It’s my pet project and I absolutely love it..."

Some of This Year's Heirloom Tomatoes

2009-08-24T18:00:00.001-04:00

As readers of this blog know, I am primarily a flower gardener. However, the children love growing and eating vegetables, so the Children's Garden is now primarily a vegetable garden. Each year, I learn more about growing heirloom vegetables, but my yields have been limited due to the pests who like to eat our vegetables before we do. This year, we built eight foot tall screens around the raised beds and have been rewarded with our best harvest yet.

Purple Angelica in the Front Border

2009-08-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

Dahlia 'Arab Queen' on Goldberry Hill

2009-08-21T18:00:00.000-04:00

Dahlia 'Gloria Van Heemstede' in the Cutting Garden

2009-08-20T22:16:00.000-04:00

A Summer Visit to the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG): the Four Season Border by Piet Oudolf

2009-08-19T18:00:00.000-04:00

I was reading The New York Times when a photograph from the New York Botanical Garden caught my eye. It was in an article by Anne Raver about the new Four Season Border designed by Piet Oudolf and it was almost the exact same picture that I took a couple of weeks ago.
.
According to the website for the garden (www.seasonwalk.com):
.
"In 2008, The New York Botanical Garden invited two international garden design superstars, Piet Oudolf of Hummelo, NL and Jacqueline van der Kloet of Weesp, NL, to create a custom four-season garden installation to delight New Yorkers. Both designers are known for sophisticated plant mixes, an artist’s eye for form and color, and complex naturalized plantings that evolve over the seasons."
.
The Seasonwalk website includes photographs of the every-changing border every couple of weeks. Check out The New York Times photograph here.
.
Related posts:

WSJ: Adding a Vegetable Garden to a Small Business

2009-08-18T22:08:00.004-04:00

Here's an innovative employee benefit: the company vegetable garden. From Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal:

"Some small companies seeking an extra benefit for their employees are turning to their backyard for inspiration: a vegetable garden.
.
After laying off an employee, cutting hours and discontinuing raises, Sheryl Woodhouse-Keese, owner of Twisted Limb Paperworks LLC in Bloomington, Ind., invested $600 last fall to create a 1,500-square-foot garden outside the recycled paper-products company's office. Now, her four employees can take home their pick of 10 herbs and 22 vegetables.
.
"The garden really is a nice benefit, saving them on their food bills," said Ms. Woodhouse-Keese, who estimates the garden has meted out $2,400 in produce this season, from tomatoes to potatoes."

For the full article, click here.

The Bud of a Sunflower in the Cutting Garden

2009-08-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

Ask Heirloom Gardener: How to Store Dahlia Tubers for Winter

2009-08-17T18:00:00.002-04:00

Question from the mailbag (heirloomgardener[at]aol[dot]com): What winter storage "method" do you use for dahlias? I've experimented with several different ways and am still searing for the perfect solution.
.
Answer from Heirloom Gardener: I've experimented with several different ways too. One year, I put the tubers in individual brown paper bags, wrote the names of the tubers on each bag, and then stored all of the bags in a large container of peat moss. By the spring, the brown paper bags had deteriorated and I had no idea which dahlias were which!
.
Here's what I did last fall which worked pretty well. After the first hard frost, I dug them up (a garden fork works better than a shovel), cleaned them off and dried them indoors on baking sheets in the sun for about two days. You want them to dry out, but you don't want them to shrivel up. Next, I wrote the name of the dahlia on the actual tuber with a Sharpie marker. Then, I stored them in individual plastic containers with peat moss. I wrote the name of the dahlia on the outside of each container too. From there, they were stored in the unfinished part of the basement, which kept them cool, dry and dark until the spring.

Dahlia 'White Fawn' in the Bird Garden

2009-08-16T22:18:00.000-04:00

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2009

2009-08-15T21:09:00.006-04:00

Most of my recent posts have been about the dahlias and lilies blooming in my garden. Here are a few snapshots of some of the other flowers currently in bloom around my zone 6b garden. Check out all of the Bloom Day posts at May Dreams Gardens.

Rudbeckia 'Golden Glow' in the Bird Garden

Scarlet Runner Bean in the Bird Garden

Sunflower in the Cutting Garden

Obedient plant in the Walled Garden

Ageratum in the Rose Garden

Sweet Peas in the Cutting Garden

Cockscomb in the Egg Garden

Rudbeckia lacinata in the Bird Garden

Gladiolus in the Front Border

Purple Angelica in the Front Border

Japanese Anemone in the Front Border

Brown Eyed Susans in the Front Border

Dahlia 'Prince Noir' in the Rose Garden

2009-08-14T22:17:00.000-04:00

Gardening Gone Wild's Picture This Photo Contest--Down On Your Knees: Cyclamen hederifolium, Sowbread Cyclamen, 1597

2009-08-13T14:21:00.004-04:00

This is my entry to this month's Picture This Photo Contest at Gardening Gone Wild. The theme is "Down on your Knees" and we were asked to take a new picture on our knees or lower.
.
For my picture of these tiny pink cyclamen, I had to get on my knees and forearms. They are about two inches tall and are at the base of the white pines on Goldberry Hill.
.
These Sowbread Cyclamen were purchased from Old House Gardens. They are described as fall blooming, but they are blooming in my 6b garden now (August), perhaps because of the cooler summer.

Dahlia in the Cutting Garden - I forgot the name of this one...does anyone remember?

2009-08-12T22:11:00.000-04:00

Dahlia 'Kaiser Wilhelm' in the Cutting Garden

2009-08-11T22:10:00.000-04:00

Dahlia 'Karma Chocoloate' in the Front Border

2009-08-10T22:09:00.000-04:00