A true garden settles into a space where the garden and the home merge, a sanctuary for healthy, vibrant outdoor living mixed with wonder. Start small, edit constantly to keep it fresh, and don’t try to make the changes all at once because a garden is never fully finished.
Resources & Tools
Flower Power
It’s been hard to know what to write these past 10 days, immersed in the news and the sorrow that is deeply felt around the world. Last week, when I learned sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine, it seemed okay to share a few synchronized photos of a sunflower that grew in my garden […]
How to Save Seeds
For the new seed saver, start by planting varieties that are easy to grow and simple to collect. Select annuals that are open-pollinated and primarily self-pollinating which allows the seed to stay true to form. A good place to start might be the following list of edible plants, each takes up the same space in […]
The New Farm Based Seed Company
Embracing the New Farm-Based Seed Company The truth about mainstream seed catalogs is that few of them grow their own seeds. It is mostly a buy-sell business, where seeds are grown on large farms by contract, harvested, and sold to a middleman who sells them to a garden catalog to repackage. Rarely do they get […]
Heirloom Flower of 2020
Every gardener has favorites, and Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, or Polygonum orientale is mine. An heirloom flower, it grows at the entrance to the kitchen garden, yet equally dramatic along a garden garden. The seeds originated in China, yet has been a mainstay in American heirloom flower gardens for over a century and the bees adore it. The […]
Rustic Trellis
Adding a rustic trellis or Tuteur is a natural way to invite whimsey into your garden to reflect personality and style. It’s also a great way to elevate your vegetable garden into a fanciful and artful kitchen garden, or to dress up a container garden. “Tuteur” is the French word for “trainer” and for vines […]
Plant Families
Writing a book starts with research, and while digging deeper into the plant families for The New Heirloom Garden, I had to learn a little Latin to help keep everything straight. To say two plants are in the same family is not to say they are the same, yet they may share similar characteristics. It’s […]
My July Birthday
Happy Birthday to Me! Born under the sign of Cancer, my birthday falls on the holiday weekend. As a child, I was often disappointed that friends could not come to my party, or that we would be off on a summer vacation. My favorite cake was vanilla with marshmallow frosting, covered in toasted coconut (Recipe […]
Seed Saver Box
Announcing the Seed Saver Box. Organizing my garden seeds before ordering new, is akin to cleaning my closet – it takes time, patience and decisive action when something is no longer up to date. I’ve been looking for the right seed saver box, and think I’ve finally found it. I love my seeds, and never […]
Garden Tools
Plan to invest in a set of good hardworking garden tools that you can rely on each season. Keep them organized on hooks in your garage or better yet, build a toolshed to keep them clean and away from weather. Good garden tools make your job easier and will last for generations. Garden Centers are […]
Seed Boxes
Seed catalogs are stacked neatly on the dining table and each time I make a pot of tea, I flip through the pages. But where are those beautiful seed boxes from the past? Nowhere can I find a beautiful, yet practical seed box to keep all my seeds neatly organized and safe, so it’s high time that I make […]
Heirloom Harvest
HEIRLOOM HARVEST – Book Review Modern Daguerreotypes of Historic Garden Treasures By Amy Goldman with Photographs Jerry Spagnoli Bloomsbury | 192 pages | Retail $85. Amy Goldman is the award-winning author of Melons for the Passionate Grower, The Compleat Squash, and The Heirloom Tomato, and a longtime champion of heirloom plants. In Heirloom Harvest, she takes her expertise and dedication […]
