Search results for: 'gardens'

We are thrilled to be featured in the Early Spring 2016 issue of Country Gardens, a high circulation magazine published by Meredith. Last Spring we were visited by Matthew Benson, award-winning garden photographer, who took the lovely photos of our greenhouse. Then over the summer Irene Virag and her husband spent the afternoon with us for the story. She is a lovely person who won a Pulitzer prize for her journalism. Click here to be taken to a flipbook version of the entire article.

  Kiftsgate sits dramatically on the edge of the Cotswolds escarpment in Gloucestershire County, England, an hour’s drive from Oxford and 2 ½ from London. The name Kiftsgate is thought to be the name of an old saxon meeting place, marked by a stone that rests nearby to this day. [caption id="attachment_3014" align="alignright" width="300"] Four Squares at Kiftsgate Court[/caption] When Anne Chambers, the present owner, was raising her 3 children in London they would visit Kiftsgate, her chi...

It’s time to publish Ruth Clausen's list of heat and drought tolerant perennials. The heat came early this year and it is taking its toll on some plants.  Over the years I have been planting many of the perennials on her list, with the goal of creating a water-wise garden! By drought tolerant we mean they can withstand dry conditions for a few days and will recover from drooping during the day.  It doesn’t mean they should stay dry for several days. Drought resistant plants, by contrast, can stay...

Can you answer these 15 True/False and multiple choice questions?  Many of the answers can be found in earlier Curious Gardener articles. Answers are at the bottom of the page, but try not to peek. 1. Which one of the following is NOT a method of plant propagation? (multiple choice) a) Plant division b) Layering c) Conditioning d) Seed germination 2. Which of the following perennial plants are drought resistant? (multiple choice) a) Stokesia cvs (Stokes Aster) b) Baptisia cvs (False Indigo) c) ...

We're all houseplant gardeners at this time of year. Some of our houseplants are outdoor plants during the warmer months and they're brought indoors when the weather turns frosty or just plain chilly, and some seem happiest indoors all year long. I keep my clivia miniata indoors year round because the one time I put it outdoors on a hot sunny day the leaves got burned and discolored. For the same reason I keep my fiddle leaf fig tree and my jade plant indoors. And of course my African violets. My agaves and...

Have you ever thought of creating a garden composed of flowers grown with the express purpose of being cut for floral arrangements? That's a cutting garden.  Once cutting gardens have been established, they tend to be low-maintenance projects that require just a little time each week for weeding and watering. How to Create a Cutting Garden Preparing the Site-- Like most successful gardening projects, cutting gardens require a bit of planning.  You can create a cutting garden within a vegetable garde...

I’ve heard it said that it’s easy to have a fabulous garden in the spring, but having a fabulous garden in the middle of summer is more of a challenge. Summer brings stress for many of our plants, from hot weather to drought to drenching thunderstorms. Last year we had an unusually long dry spell in the middle of summer here in New England and my hydrangeas took a visible hit. I was afraid of depleting my well if I kept watering them. But summer also brings many blooming flowers.  When planning a...

Watching the hummingbirds at my feeder is always a joy. Being in the Northeast I get ruby-throated hummingbirds, the most common here, and last year three females vied for the nectar in two feeders, one in front and one in back of my house. This year there is at least one male among the females. The hummingbirds are just one of the pollinators I try to support. In spring I don’t mow the dandelions, ajuga or the buttercups to allow the bumblebees to forage. A little later, my apple blossoms attract more...

[This is a story I published several years ago on Mother's Day. My mom is now nearly 98 and is still enjoying her garden at her cottage in Salisbury, Connecticut where she lives with a companion, though she has hung up her garden gloves and tools.  The story speaks to a love of gardening instilled by someone we love.] My mother is a vigorous lifelong gardener with a variety of gardens on her property in Sharon, CT in the northwestern corner of the state, and a small pond which provides a focal point beh...

Can you answer these 19 True/False and multiple choice questions? Most of the questions come from information in previous Curious Gardener newsletters. The answers are at the bottom of the page, but don't peak. 1. Which one of the following is NOT a medicinal plant? (multiple choice) a) Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) b) Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) c) Arnica Montana 2. Which of the following activities are best done in Spring? (multiple choice; choose any that apply) a) pruning spr...