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The New U.S.D.A. Climate Zone Map
Zone 6 zone denial tip: standard hybrid gladioli are reliably hardy only to zone 9 - or 8b, maybe - but if you have well drained soil, plant them 5 or 6 inches deep and mulch heavily in fall (in this...
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Fragrant Violets
I heard a new term the other day: songworm, the tune you can’t get out of your head. Happened just in time; ever since Valentines Day I’ve been hearing Frank Sinatra singing I Bought You Violets For...
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When To Start the Seeds
This picture (taken at Adams, in Poughkeepsie, NY) is actually a bit of a cheat - I buy almost all of my seeds online, from too many favorite suppliers.* But it does say "time to think about starting...
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Magnolias, Maple Syrup and Climate Change
No news that the weather is pretty strange lately and that includes in the Hudson Valley, where we’re amassing broken records at a record-breaking pace: the hottest March, the hottest first quarter,...
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On Starting a Garden
Our garden is big. Yours doesn't have to be to yield lots of great food and flowers I did not hear this in person. Bill did (on Marketplace Money on NPR last Friday). But he couldn’t resist telling me...
View ArticleTOMATO AND POTATO BLIGHT ALERT – with organic management tips
for anyone who lives where it has been raining rather a lot lately. All this dampness, combined with cool temperatures, creates a perfect environment for the spread of Late Blight, Phytopthera...
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Breeding Peonies the Easy Way
One of the peonies I bred myself (sorta) Breeding peonies the way the pros do isn’t hugely difficult, but it takes a lot more care and attention than what might be called the Go With The Flow Method of...
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Crapaudine Beet (the Lady Toad), a Root to be Reckoned With
Salad of Crapaudine beets, endive and mango, with (optional) sweet cicily As I see it, my unseemly craving for Crapaudine beets can be blamed squarely on heirloom tomatoes, the gateway drug of historic...
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Garden Alert! Before The Storm…
How many things can you find in this picture that ought to get put away? Not much can be done to protect the garden itself – but a quick patrol may well uncover potential missiles. Put inside:...
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Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie – a Recipe from a Friend
Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie – what is there to say but read on? As I was saying only a moment ago, here comes Thanksgiving. Time for the Turkey Roundup. Time also for the pumpkin pie – but the Squash...
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The Leftover Turkey List – Lucky Thirteen
This is rosa ‘Dr. Huey.’ He has absolutely nothing to do with turkey, leftover or otherwise. I’ve just had it with looking at food for a while. These suggestions are offered just in case you are like...
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Securing Special Seeds (Martian Jewels Corn, for instance)
An ear of Martian Jewels on the stalk – note the rich color of the stem and husk. (See end of post for useful tips on choosing and ordering vegetable seeds). As far as I’m concerned, this time of year...
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Starting Seeds
Tashkent Marigold, from one of my favorite seed companies, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Well, I’ve wasted another perfectly good hour, as the Car Guys would say, going through the umpty-millionth...
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Sweet Basil: Choosing, Growing, Storing and Recipes
‘Green Ruffles’ makes a good bouquet filler after it’s gone to flower. Leaves are a bit larger than this at what might be called best edible stage. “Write more about growing basil” has been on the do...
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Margaret Roach on Garden Writing and The Backyard Parables, plus Inkitchen’s...
As garden blogger, I owe Margaret Roach a lot, and have already thanked her for being such an ongoing inspiration. But it’s more than time to thank her again, and not just for A Way to Garden, blog...
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Ta Daaa! Winners of Margaret Roach’s The Backyard Parables
If you’re planning to grow cardoons, it’s time to start the seeds. Please see update at end of post We have just concluded our first contest! (Announced on February 2nd, at the end of an interview...
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You CAN grow fragrant jasmine in the North!
In spite of what some people say. I’ve done it before and am about (with luck) to do it again, even though I keep swearing up and down I’ve had it with plants that have to be brought in for the winter....
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Eric’s Pet Plant: ‘Hally Jolivette’ Cherry (Prunus x ‘Hally Jolivette’)
‘Hally Jolivette’ flowering cherry. The deep pink buds open pure white in some flowers, pink throated in others, making it especially striking up close. The bloom can go on for two weeks or a bit more,...
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Leslie Mann Land, 1947-2013
Leslie’s obituary in the New York Times was written by her longtime friend in the publishing world, Denise Martin, with assistance by Charles Klaveness, her favorite editor at the Times and can be...
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