Category: Presenting “The Curious Gardener”

  The yellow, daisy like flowers of the arnica plant make a cheerful addition to the herb or perennial garden. A member of the sunflower family, arnica is easy to grow and quite adaptable,  preferring moist but well drained soil, but tolerant of  both clay and sandy soils, partial or full sun. It is hardy to all temperate zones. While the European species, Arnica montana, is considered the official species and most often used…

Stephanie Hall is part of a growing trend in the florist trade to source flowers locally and in season. Her farm in North Carolina, Sassafras Fork Farm, has a two- acre plot dedicated to approximately 70 different varieties of cut flowers. Says Hall about the farmer-florist movement, "It's a stark contrast to the conventionally grown, imported flowers of the commercial floral trade."  Stephanie grew up in Chapel Hill, the daughter of a UNC professor.  In 2011, she and her (just…

Fig trees are easy to grow in warm climates. They produce their best fruit in Mediterranean climates with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Mature fig trees are fully cold hardy to 20 degrees F. The trees can be grown outside their normal climate range if they are planted in lightweight, easy to move containers. In climates where winter temperatures fall below 20 degrees F, the potted plants should be moved indoors to a sunny location until spring. Fig…

In Vermont they take their wood piles seriously. Last winter my son-in-law Nate built the holz hausen shown here at Eve and Nate's house outside of Woodstock, VT. Typically he stacks their wood in a long straight woodpile (also visible in photo), and finds it to be meditative work. Last year after building the straight wall he found that he still had a pretty sizeable amount of wood left that wasn't going to fit, so he decided to try something…

The Monarch Butterfly, like the bee, has become the poster child for pollinators in trouble.  The sharp decline in Monarch populations in recent years has gotten the attention of scientists and ordinary citizens alike. It has spawned a movement of citizen scientists who are taking action! Read below to learn what efforts are being made to bring back monarchs. Project Native and Monarch Waystations Project Native in Housatonic, Massachussetts, is a non-profit grower of native plants and a learning center.…

I visited the farm, Dingle Hill Flowers & Herbs, on a sultry August day, my car bumping up a hilly, mile-long stretch of gravel road leading to the former dairy farm, now herb sanctuary, in the Catskill Mountains of NY.  Finally I took a sharp turn and headed towards the main farmhouse and the "Heart" of the enterprise, where I met owners Daphne Boss Ayalon and her husband Jerome. Liz Scholl, Womanswork's master herbalist, who sources herbs from Daphne for our…

I met Michele Carlin this summer at the Pawling Farmers Market, the day she volunteered to talk to our community about beekeeping. As I watched the crowd gather around her I observed people's curiosity about this age old art. In her talk Michele noted that honey is one of the few food products that doesn't spoil. Local honey is a great remedy for colds and congestion. Michele…

The "Dear Ruth" Column for Gardening Questions Ruth Rogers Clausen is a horticulturist, journalist and author who is partnering with Womanswork to produce the "Dear Ruth" column. Ruth grew up in Wales and studied horticulture at Studley College in England. She has contributed greatly to her profession as a writer of tomes (Perennials for American Gardens, Random House; Essential Perennials, Timber Press); an editor of gardening magazines; and a lecturer, advisor and judge for botanical gardens and flower shows all across the country and around…

Suzanne Estock, Park Ranger, featured on Womanswork hang tags.Do you know a woman who is making a difference in the lives of others by helping to protect, improve or rebuild a community or place? Is her story one that will be inspirational to other women? Please send us her story and we will publish it on our website.  Our favorite inspirational stories will be printed on "Womanswork Profile" hang tags on our work and garden gloves. The women we select…

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…