Search results for: 'gardens'

  When Daisy Garnett and her husband moved into their London townhouse 10 years ago, the garden was overgrown with ivy and other entrenched species.  It was evident to Daisy that the previous owner, who had lived there since the 1940’s, had been a good gardener when she was younger. There was a well situated apple tree, a mulberry, a lilac and a bay tree, all of which still stand.  There was also a greenhouse that was falling down. After clearing the property she was left with a big brown pat...

We interviewed Rochelle Greyere, garden writer and designer, about creative ways she engages her kids in gardening.  Rochelle is also featured in our current catalog for her extensive peony collection, but more on that later. "Plant experiments are an easy way for adults to help their kids continue to connect to the garden as they get older and into the teen years," says Rochelle. "As my kids get older, it is harder to get them to join me for some hands on digging in the dirt - but if they are doin...

  In the process of creating a successful public private partnership between a garden club and a state park in NY, a historic section of the Hudson Valley Highlands was reinvigorated with native plants, and a pollinator community of bees and birds was established. In addition, the contribution of Jane Colden, America’s first female botanist, was given a voice. Colden, who left behind a voluminous manuscript of her botanical notes, with outline drawings of leaves, lived in NY’s Hudson Valley r...

  The following is reprinted from the original article published last October in The Curious Gardener. Since then Jennifer has been "hard at work on a book for Timber Press - focusing on the current state of women working with plants - due in stores Fall of 2019!"  We featured Jennifer on hang tags on our gloves because we were inspired by her story. Jennifer Jewell is a gardener and writer who takes as much pleasure in the ritual of gardening as she does in thinking, writing and talking about ...

Katie Rose Hillegas and her husband Jay Erickson have created a 4-acre meadow garden at their home in Pawling, NY.  I spoke with Jay about their garden, which is now in its third year, and what they learned that could be helpful to others. Here’s his story. “I’ve always been a fan of meadows,” says Jay. His earliest memories of meadows include grassland plants in the Rockies where he spent summers as a boy, and early spring bluebell woodland gardens in England where he lived during part of ...

In one of the classes I took at the NY Botanical Garden I learned about the container gardening concept of "Thriller, Filler, Spiller". When you're selecting plants for your container, the Thriller is the central plant that grows taller than the others and is the focal point. The Filler is the plant or plants that surround the Thriller, and the Spiller is the plant that spills over the edges of your container. I followed this concept with the container I planted at my home, shown here. The Thriller plant...

Curious Gardener's Garden Quiz: 1. What well known Spring shrub is this: salix discolor? a.)   azalea b.)   pussy willow c.)    forsythia 2. True or False: It’s best not to garden in wet soil  3. Which one of the following plants makes a wonderful cut flower, and  has the delicacy of a rose? a.)    Lisianthus b.)    Dahlia c.)    Peony 4. Which of the following is a recipe for creating a natural rooting hormone for plants? a.)    Squeeze a lemon in wa...

[caption id="attachment_1457" align="alignleft" width="180"] Stretch #1[/caption] Best Exercises for Gardeners-- I asked my favorite physical therapist, Mallory Aquilino, of Brewster Physical Therapy, what exercises she would recommend to prepare for gardening season. She recommended some stretches from VH1 and these are my favorite three. I try to do the stretches in the morning and evening everyday. The first two are especially good for the back. In Stretch #1, pull one knee in to your chest until ...