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…

Womanswork is giving away a signed hardcover copy of "Essential Perennials" by our friend Ruth Rogers Clausen and Tom Christopher, published by Timber Press. Photos are by the husband and wife team of Alan and Linda Detrick.  Margaret Roach says, "Finally, a guide to navigating the staggering possibilities among perennials."  I interviewed Ruth Clausen about the book and about her life as a gardener and writer. She and her writing partner wanted to make a book that is a reader-friendly reference…

Last weekend I learned some interesting things about bears at a talk hosted by a local environmental group called FroGS (Friends of The Great Swamp). The speaker, Felicia Ortner, is a Connecticut Master Wildlife Conservationist, a volunteer outreach program with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Black Bear in my backyard, Pawling, NYWhere I live in Southern Dutchess County NY, I have seen bears in our back yard twice. The second time was last summer when I…

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My stepdaughter Eve asked me if I would like to do the flowers for her Vermont wedding last August. Of course I said "Yes!" Then I proceeded to learn a few things about floral arranging. I had recently been introduced to the concept…

The following excerpts are reprinted from an article by Frances Palmer in the May/June 2014 issue of Connecticut Gardener, with permission. Planting: I usually plant my tubers in late April, which is considered early. Most instructions advise planting tubers at the same time as tomatoes. Be that as it may, I dig a hole to accommodate the size of the tuber. If I am planting a new tuber, the hole is only a few inches down and the tuber is placed…

We interviewed Theresa Ryan about her experience as a sheep owner, one year after she and her husband Richard bought their first sheep. We hope this will be instructive to others thinking about raising sheep. Womanswork: When did you start thinking about raising sheep? Theresa: I have been knitting on and off most of my adult life and weaving for about six years. During that time I have purchased great quantities of wool.  When I started networking with other weavers I found that…

  We asked Ashley English, author of Keeping Chickens,  to tell us about her experience and offer some of her chicken wisdom. Here is our exclusive interview with Ashley, and three other chicken keepers: Meet Ashley English Womanswork: What are some of the ways someone can acquire chickens? Ashley English: With the resurgence of interest in keeping a flock of backyard chickens, it's now easier to find chickens than ever. I always encourage people to look locally from resources such as feed &…

We consulted with our friend the horticulturist Ruth Rogers Clausen about pruning shrubs in the fall. There are primarily three reasons to prune a shrub: To get rid of any dead or diseased wood, or crossing branches To shape a shrub To encourage more flowering Fall is a good time to prune away dead, damaged, diseased or dying branches. It can be done anytime of year but if you do it now…

Do you like taking pictures of roses? Send us your best photo and you could win a pair of our leather rose gauntlet gloves (shown here). Please submit your photo to Elizabeth Buchtman at elizabeth@womanswork.com and write "Photo Contest" in the subject line. When we see a photo that deserves to win we will announce a winner! We'll run the contest 3 times over the next year. Roses photographed…