Tag: Womanswork

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…

Growing Flowers For A Wedding--  Our daughter Eve is getting married in August and she asked me if I would bring flowers. She favors yellow and white flowers, so I went to work figuring out the best home grown flowers for an August wedding. First I looked at what Maria Iannotti had to say about her favorite flowers for cutting and generated a list by visiting her About.com Gardening site.  I immediately zeroed in on annuals because they are reliable bloomers. The…

Preventing Bone Density Loss From Lack of Vitamin D--  The sun used to play a bigger role in delivering vitamin D to our bones. But concerns about the damaging rays of the sun have caused most people to cover up or wear sunscreen whenever they go outside. My dermatologist insists I use a facial moisturizer with sunscreen to protect my face, and I do. But if you cover up, the vitamin D is not absorbed-- it's as simple as that.…

The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love By Kristin Kimball-- I was charmed by this book, the story of a pair of first generation farmers building a working farm in upstate New York, powered by draft horses. There’s enough practical information in the book to be instructive to other young farmers inspired to follow in this couple’s footsteps, but for me the book’s charm lies with the story telling talent of the author Kristin Kimball (shown below). At the beginning…

In This Issue: My Mother's Garden A Brilliant Orchid Show in NY Grow Stockier, Bushier Tomato Plants This Year My Mother's Garden -- Recently I spent an afternoon gardening with my mother in northwestern Connecticut, just about 30 miles north of where I live, so that I could observe first hand what her secret to a beautiful garden is. When I got there she had her shovel deep in her compost bin.  Then she dropped the compost on a screen positioned over…

In This Issue: The Hunger Moon and Other Moons New Study Pinpoints Lyme Disease Risk Areas The Hunger Moon and Other Moons-- In The Old Farmers Almanac there is a name given to each full moon of the year. These are mostly adapted from early Native Americans who kept track of the passing seasons and tied their calendar to the full moons.   I was reminded of this last week by a friend who told me we were in “The Hunger…

In this issue Learning Seed Propagation at NY Botanical Garden Make Your own Maple Syrup Welcome Spring with a Farm-To-Table Brunch Learning Seed Propagating at NY Botanical Garden-- I am taking a plant propagating class at The New York Botanical Garden with one of their best instructors and a lifelong plantsman, Michael Ruggiero.  It’s a treat to learn from him. Last month in “The Curious Gardener” I talked about selecting seeds from mail order seed catalogs. In this article I will…

In this issue: Tips on Navigating Mail Order Seed Catalogs Feeding the Hungry: Just Do It! Gardeners Make Their Resolutions for 2011: The Winners Are… Navigating Mail Order Seed Catalogs-- A seasoned mail order gardener will tell you that the gardening year begins in the dead of winter when seed catalogs start arriving, long before local garden centers open their doors for spring.  I have finally joined the ranks of those who will be growing from seed this year –…

In this issue-- Mulch Your Garden Beds After the Ground Freezes What to Know About Houseplants and Your Cat Gardeners Make Their New Year's Resolutions Mulch Your Garden Beds After the Ground Freezes Where I live in the northeast the ground is just about frozen. This is my cue to protect the plants in my garden that have shallow roots.  This includes any new plants that have not had a full season to get established. Why now? The purpose of…