Hello Fellow Readers, As we ready our gardens for the new season of growth, many add fertilizers and other nourishment such as compost and manure. You’ve likely noticed I advocate organic practices so we all may breathe green with a splash of color. Organic farming became known

Hello Fellow Readers, Forsythia is one of the first shrubs to bloom, announcing spring has arrived! I love the sunny yellow welcome to the bland dormant landscape. It’s true after the early yellow wake-up call, they can turn into unwieldy shrubs, inspiring folks to prune them into unn

I believe all of us can live creatively; however we choose to express it. But along with creativity comes vulnerability. Indeed, there's something intimate about sharing one's creative self. But creativity in the garden offers a safe space—a forgiving place to dabble as we grow and le

Hello fellow readers, I’ve been known to stop in my tracks to take a photo of a beautiful tree, garden, or the magnificence of nature’s inspiration. Then there’s what I kindly call ‘garden nots’ which became a fun lecture topic not long ago. Recently I visited Cape May where glorious

Hello fellow readers, As I share this week’s dilemma, delight, or discovery in the garden of life, I can’t help but reflect on the significance of Memorial Day. A holiday set aside in memory of those that served. It’s heartwarming to see folks setting up the American

Hello fellow readers, I recently attended the Springfest Retirement gathering of organizer volunteers. Yes, the Springfest Garden Show held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta NJ is retiring after 20 years. As the 20th Anniversary unfolded, reports at the register and the crow

Hello fellow readers, What a roller coaster this spring has been. It came on like a lamb with highs up to 70 degrees stimulating early growth. Then, in comes the lion of overnight temps well below freezing. Many of the early blooming trees like magnolias ‘froze their faces’ I can hear

Hello fellow readers, For those of you that tuned in last week, the spring ‘honey do list’ went without a glitch; beyond expectation in terms of all that matters. And my dear Curt was a wonderful sport with the ribbing. Truly, I didn’t expect him to gather the remaining dead heads (so

Hello, fellow readers, Indeed, it feels like Spring has arrived early, but don’t let Mother Nature fool you into starting seeds too early in the garden. Check seed packs for when to start them outside. It’s time to start seeds indoors; the rule of thumb is eight weeks befo

Hello fellow readers, Gloria from Columbia, NJ, wrote in part two of an inquiry she made back in September about rooting a branch from a “curly willow bush” used as part of her daughter’s wedding centerpieces in 2008. She wishes to start a baby willow to give to her