Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, You may remember the story of the replacement tree planted in memory of Miss Ellie Mae, my rescue before Jolee. The first tree, a ‘Baby Blue Eyes’ Blue Spruce, didn’t survive. Its roots were severely cut and crisscrossed—what’s known in the tr

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, A Late-Season Harvest and Autumn Reflections Last week, I shared a late-season harvest from my no-till vegetable garden. Since then, I removed the deer netting, stakes, and cages and found other tomatoes that could’ve been harvested desp

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, Last week, I shared the sad news that the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice in Fredon, NJ, will close on November 14, 2025. As you can imagine, my final visits as a volunteer come with a swirl of emotions. On Friday, while chatting with the a

Honoring the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice and a Beloved Friend Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, As you may know, you can subscribe to my free newsletter (sign up below), which arrives in your inbox every week or two. Since the beginning, my dear friend and garden design

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Sunflowers not only purify our earth of toxins, there smiling faces also bring happiness that can help heal our hearts. What a delight to revisit Liberty Farm’s Sussex County Sunflower Maze in Sandyston. Raj Sinha kindly offered a tour o

Birthdays have a way of encouraging us to pause and reflect, don't they? We may consider changing a few things or planting new seeds. There is such wisdom in nature, teaching us that endings bring beginnings— even unexpected, sad endings and losses— because from them comes new growth.

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I recently had the thrill of participating in a moth survey, thanks to my friends Blaine Rothauser of GZA Geoenvironmental, Inc. and Dennis Briede of Blairstown, NJ, whose meadow at the base of the Kittatinny Mountains harbors and nurtures abu

Hello fellow lovers of all things green, As I write, to my delight, it’s the morning after a porch camp. Our run of excessive heat and humidity has dampened enthusiasm for sleeping on the futon on the screen porch in recent weeks. I adore the sounds of nature during each camp an

Hello fellow lovers of all things green, I had the pleasure of meeting Carol Decker at her Garden Party and Art Show, co-hosted by Fran’s (Delgado) Farmhouse Kitchen, to benefit Birth Haven in Newton, NJ, which provides shelter and support for homeless pregnant women and girls.

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Last week, we discussed how disease and insects are impacting stands of trees. Among them, the emerald ash borer has devastated native ash trees, which comprise roughly ten percent of the forests here in Northern New Jersey. Some specimen tree