Hello fellow readers, Outside the screened porch is a stump of what was a large pussy willow planted by the previous owners. It was in severe decline before we cut it down last fall. It typically bloomed around Easter, which is likely why we decorate with pussy willows during the holi

Hello fellow readers, Last week’s chat about Leaving Lichen and Moss Be brought a rally of like-minded folks (yay) such as Paulette from Wharton, who writes, “My goodness, mosses are fabulous, and lichens make wonderful art.” How true! But there can be safety concern

Hello fellow readers, Each spring, mostly from neat and tidies, the intention to remove moss or lichen from walls and walks comes up. Of course, if they cause a slipping hazard, the desire is justified. But what is it about moss and lichen that folks don’t like? Moss is cute and

Hello, fellow readers. One of the gems that jumped out from The Book of Hope we chatted about last week is Jane Goodall’s closest childhood friend, Beech, a beech tree she asked her grandmother to pass on to her in a handwritten will. You see, I have a beloved Mr. Beech, too, al

Hello fellow readers, Life cycles are much like the cycles of nature and the seasons, and while our plants are dormant is a perfect time for inventorying gardens and our lives. Looking forward. Then, looking back.  It occurs to me when we are young, entering adulthood, we are in a sta

Hello fellow readers, For the first time in a long time, I wrote a Christmas letter to send with greeting cards to friends from far away, sharing the joy coming from the arrival of our rescue dog Jolee. And the inspiration she gave us as we witnessed her maneuver through the fear and

Hello fellow readers, I adore the gift of amaryllis already in bud received on Thanksgiving. Watching the alien-looking beefy blooms open, badly bending the stem, makes me wonder if amaryllis like to party like paperwhites. No kidding. A continuous drink of alcohol keeps paperwhites f

Hello Fellow Readers, We rose for the sunrises while visiting Virginia Beach, but the biggest delight of all was the moonrise, having never seen one along the ocean. The Beaver Moon moonrise on November 19th was extraordinary, starting as an orange glow on the horizon before climbing

Hello fellow readers, These are nutty times—far nuttier than usual. Have you noticed the plentiful tree nuts as compared to last year? In my neck of the woods, the shagbark hickory nuts are overabundant and golf ball size. So much, so that walking amongst them is risky for ankle stabi

Hello fellow readers. I enjoy being stumped by mysterious and sometimes magnificent garden dilemmas. Dorrie of Lebanon, CT, found my previous column about Deformed Flowers on Black-eyed Susan. The culprit— insects and a pathogen named Aster Yellows Disease (link below). But I had neve