According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “The September equinox happens every year on either the 22nd, 23rd, or even 24th, depending on the calendar. This is the astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. “The word equinox means ‘equal night’…. At this point, the amount of nighttime and … Continue reading Welcome to Fall
Observations
The August Garden
The heat wave continues and some areas of Massachusetts are experiencing severe drought. Although I’ve tried to keep up with the watering, some plants (especially the hostas) don’t look so good. Many of the aforementioned hostas need dividing and if I get to it, some extra compost in the planting holes should help. Incredibly, the … Continue reading The August Garden
The July Garden
Weeding… pruning… weeding… deadheading… and more weeding! It seems that’s all I’ve been doing lately. Although I don’t like the idea of using synthetic herbicides considered harmful to humans and the environment, I have been using an organic citrus oil-based spray that comes highly recommended, with good results. The garden smells like orange peels. Of … Continue reading The July Garden
The June Garden
After this year’s terrible weather killed off many of our early spring blossoms, such as those of the forsythias and many azaleas, it’s wonderful to see that the clematis and digitalis purpurea (common foxglove) are glorious. Once the digitalis flowers fade, we cut off the elongated stems/spikes at their base and store them in a … Continue reading The June Garden
The May Garden
In spite of the eternal winter of 2015 and our so-so spring, there is beauty to be found in the garden. According to a recent UMass Extension e-newsletter, “Abnormally cold April weather has seriously damaged many landscape trees and shrubs.” Alas, our forsythia border never recovered and we missed its sunny blossoms. Even some of … Continue reading The May Garden
Spring Has Sprung
As I write, I’m celebrating the first day of Spring, also known as the Spring Equinox. I’m anxious because we are expecting a snowstorm tonight. Daffodils, scillas and crocuses are in bloom in the garden and we hope that the snowfall is gentle and not too wet so that the blossoms are not damaged so … Continue reading Spring Has Sprung
Valentine Memories
Valentine’s Day celebrations have come and gone but the memories linger on as gifted chocolates and floral bouquets continue to enchant. Newspapers, blogs and social media all seem to point to red roses as being the most popular gift of choice at this time of the year. The weathermen tell us that this was the … Continue reading Valentine Memories
New Year’s Resolutions
The days are getting longer. Incredibly, in spite of low temperatures and recent snowfalls, we are still harvesting some salad greens and parsley from the vegetable garden, without the benefit of any row covers. Every day our mailman delivers more plant and seed catalogs for us to peruse. The pictured plants are so pretty that … Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions
‘Tis the Season
It has been unseasonably warm for December. In fact, we’re still harvesting lettuce, miscellaneous salad greens and parsley in the vegetable garden without any kind of row covers or protection. However, the weathermen tell us that this weekend we’ll begin to feel the chill of winter. The hellebores (Helleborus) are beginning to bloom and the … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season