Hello Fellow Readers, Last week we spoke about starting annual seeds indoors. John from Hope NJ asked if he could start perennial seeds indoors too. “Or should I start them directly in the ground?” For the benefit of gardening newbies, perennials are herbaceous (non-woody) plants that

Hello Fellow Readers, As I write our latest eight inches of white fluff graces our world. But hold tight, we’re in the preamble of spring. I smiled over the weekend when I noticed the Hosta in the potted gardens I’ve been overwintering in the garage have emerged. Seeing their pale thr

Hello Fellow Readers, Over the weekend I attended a celebration of the life of Lori from Phillipsburg NJ whom I never personally met. Her partner, Drew, is a writing workshop buddy and kind encourager of my book underway titled The Lesson of the Leaf. Through Drew, I feel as though ha

Hello Fellow Readers, This is the time of year I attend manufacturer showcases premiering new products, mostly paver or block retaining wall systems, which are made of concrete. This is also the time of year that road salt and brine are being used to de-ice our roads. Road salt and br

Hello Fellow Readers, What a weather pattern we’ve just endured, from snow turned to sleet, followed by zero degrees that turned trees into glass. Then, temps rose to the mid-fifties as deluges of rain rolled in. The Jacksonburg Creek, where we live, became a roaring river overf

Hello Fellow Readers, “Seems timely,” wrote Anita from Blairstown NJ in an email this morning with a Rose is Rose cartoon (a syndicated comic strip by Pat Brady.) It starts out with a woman decked in garden cloths and wide-brimmed hat adorned with a pink bow. She’s on her knees up to

Hello Fellow Readers, I had a good laugh when I heard from my youngest brother, who lives in Tennessee. Rick texted a photo of his cup of joe with a frothy smiley face smack dab in the middle. “Look at my message this morning in my coffee.” His suspicious sister writes back, “Come on.

Hello Fellow Readers, There’s Christmas cactus that came my way by adoption from a then-husband, a story shared in a column long ago (link below).  Neglected and riddled with old deadwood, I revived it, and it bloomed beautifully for many years. Then it mysteriously returned to

Hello fellow readers, Over the weekend I participated in a Family Holiday Program for Comfort Zone Camp (CZC), a bereavement camp for kids and young adults. It’s their twentieth anniversary of serving families who have lost loved ones too early in life. The holidays are especially dif

Hello fellow readers, While the fall planting season is wrapping up, there’s still time to plant most species of woody plants. Good thing as Gail and Rich of Sparta NJ have a naked garden dilemma since a new neighbor moved in who opted to take down a glorious stand of Canadian hemlock