This past season we removed three towering trees from the back gardens at Paths of Hope. The garden canvas now has blank spots waiting for new designs, and we’ve jumped into the planning with glee. With the reduced tree canopy we’ve watched the sun patterns across the garden and discovered space for vegetable plantings. A […]
Salvia Explosion
From time to time a gardener feels the need to relocate a plant that has outgrown its assigned space. Our salvia “Purple Majesty” exploded this season in girth and height. The plant, pruned to three feet mid-season, roared back reaching well over seven feet. Shorter plants languished under the salvia’s massive umbrella, and as we […]
The Faithful Wheelbarrow
I had completed first grade when my parents announced we were moving. City life had its perks such as the abandoned grocery store parking lot where we could wear out bike tires riding in circles or the alleys behind the houses that yielded all sorts of mysteries to investigate. My journey to school covered about […]
Choosing a Container
When I start seeds or pot up seedlings I use an odd collection of containers. The list includes rigid plastic organizer bins, cut-off soda bottles, butter tubs, party cups, and any left-over plastic cells from last year’s garden shop purchases. At the propagation stage I focus on the health of the plant rather than the […]
Picking a Tree
We had not planned to shop for plants as we parked and threaded our way through the lot to the massive flea market held at the North Carolina State Fair Grounds. For plant shopping our first choice would have been the farmer’s market a little further south. As the sun roasted our brains we scanned […]
The Persimmon Tree
On my regular walking circuit I pass under a persimmon tree which drops fruit across the sidewalk in early fall. Joggers, walkers, bikers, strollers, and dogs make mush out of the ripened fruit. After stepping around smashed orange globes for several days I thought, “Maybe I should take some fruit home, strip out the seeds, […]