Category Archives: Life lessons in the garden

Life lessons in the garden

Pinky and the Pine

Posted on December 11, 2017 by eadmin

Once upon a time there was a hydrangea called Pinky Winky. Every summer she grew in stature and grace. The woman who planted her near the deck admired how the flowers started white and then went through many subtle variations … Continue reading →

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Fred the Assassin

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Esther

I’m small.  It’s not my fault.  I was designed this way.  Petite and tender green like the emerging shoots of plants in spring, touched by delicate pink.  Pretty but deadly, I’m the deceiver, the destroyer.  I eradicate.  My brothers and … Continue reading →

Posted in LED light growing, Life lessons in the garden, My garden, Winter gardens | 1 Comment

A Little Color Problem

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Esther

The new daylilies “Daring Deception” go much better with the Heuchera “Caramel” than I envisioned but the hydrangeas “Let’s Dance, Moonlight” clash a bit.  I thought I needed to add something; something neutral like a white would be the safe choice, but … Continue reading →

Posted in hydrangeas, Life lessons in the garden, My garden | 2 Comments

Spring is Separation

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Esther

  This is the small beginning of my rhododendron walk!  I’ve been wanting to fill in between the trees on the woods side with these great flowering and winter-green plants for so long and this is my (mostly symbolic) beginning.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden | 2 Comments

Spring is a Promise

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Esther

So the snow has been melted for a few weeks now.  Friday was warm to the point where I worked up a sweat in a very short time.  Part of the day was a gift from a cursed source; my … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden | 2 Comments

Sandy and Work in Progress

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Esther

We were very fortunate that Sandy only gave us a glancing blow, however, I have my own little garden saga of destruction and hopefully next summer, renewal. I thought that I and my all of neighbors had come through pretty much unscathed … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden | 1 Comment

Showoff

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Esther

    A mostly mousy brown moth/butterfly found just the right flower to complement her subtle coloring, dahlia Pooh.

Posted in dahlias, Garden Critters, Life lessons in the garden, My garden | Comments Off

Dahlia “Pooh”

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Esther

The colors of this collarette dahlia remind me of when I was a child and dad bought home color chips to pick out colors for his potentially two-toned Cadilac.  We were actually dirt poor at the time as we lived … Continue reading →

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I MissToads

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Esther

  no spray signs (Dear State of Massachusetts, If I had to post these cheesy paper plate signs in order to avoid getting sprayed, you really didn’t think that I’d stop at just “no spray”, did you?) I miss toads.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden | 2 Comments

Strawberries Must Die

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Esther

I’ve been ignoring the wild strawberries that grow here and there in some of the wilder spots in my yard for years, but they are taking over.  They love to leap across my mulch with their runners and establish whole … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden | 1 Comment

Paris Agricultural Salon and a Political Encounter

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Esther

The thing is, I don’t like crowds. And the Paris Agricultural Salon ‘s web site says that I was one of 681,213 visitors; it felt like most of them were there on the same day I visited. One of the … Continue reading →

Posted in French Gardens, garden travel, Life lessons in the garden, Winter gardens | 2 Comments

Seriously!

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Esther

On hearing about my last week, a few people have said they couldn’t imagine being five days without power.  For me, this was just one day more than our power outage in the ice storm of 2008, but yeah, before … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden, Route 117 Commute | Comments Off

Counter half full

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Esther

Although the water spray that’s triggered by a motion detector seems to have stopped the deer damage in the garden, the chipmunks have eaten more of my tomatoes than I have.  I was feeling a bit deprived as I looked … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden, Tomatoes | Comments Off

He’s fat enough already

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Esther

I’d seen this mother/child drama before I went to work on Friday but baby was just passively hanging on the support for the suet feeder.  While I was at work he’s learned how to get his own suet but mama … Continue reading →

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Beginner’s luck or persistence?

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Esther

I’ve read on some reputable blogs that beans shouldn’t be started inside because they don’t like their roots to be disturbed.  With respect, I have been doing it for years.  I have problems with critters, and should also probably credit … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden, Seed Starting, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Always something to look at

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Esther

I am not a tidy gardener and always experimenting so I almost never have a perfect picture.  But there is always something to look at.  I love the color combination of the chartruese hosta and the dicentra.  The blue hosta … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, My garden | 2 Comments

Endicott Pear Tree Visit

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Esther

It was incredible to me that a hundred or more people would all show up on a cold, rainy week night in  April to visit an old tree.  It wasn’t the location that bought them.  Although the hill, that slops … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, Public Gardens | Tagged | 3 Comments

LED Lights to feed the world

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Esther

Update 10/13/11.  The Boston Globe link no longer works but here is an ABC link that works today.  Or use the search term as described below.  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13346712 I’m sharing a link to a Boston Globe version of an AP release … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and recipies, LED light growing, Life lessons in the garden, My garden, Winter gardens | Comments Off

San Francisco Bloomin Stuff

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Esther

I was in San Francisco last week at a big Information Security Conference.  What I learned is that between the movement of applications to “the cloud” and the proliferation of different kinds of personal, mobile devices, we are losing what … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, Public Gardens, Uncategorized, Winter gardens | 1 Comment

The wisdom of buying locally

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Esther

Reading some interesting discussion about the local foods movement, pro and cons.  An article where economists discuss some of the issues with over-doing it, based on well recognized economic principles  http://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2011/LuskNorwoodlocavore.html And another study that counters that to some extent.   … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons in the garden, Local Farmstands | 2 Comments