Now that birthday #62 is in my rear view mirror I am beginning to understand some of the challenges experienced gardeners face such as a knee (or two) that resists bending or the light-headed feeling that overcomes me as I stand after kneeling. But one development keeps Shawn and me in stitches. Often, when a […]
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Author: John
I Am a Garden Nut
My name is John, and I am a garden nut. My immediate and extended families include a bumper crop of garden nuts. I am righteously proud of that fact let me tell you. I know many families lay claim to a heaping harvest of ordinary nuts, but garden nuts are special. One cannot walk many […]
Dishing Good Dirt
An avid gardener often reveals his passion through his comments as he tours another’s growing space. For example, observers may see me squat down to retrieve a handful of soil which I will squash and sift and even smell. And then I will voice my expert opinion, “Dude. That’s good dirt!” From the red clay […]
Problem Roots
We can’t garden without encountering and considering roots. Roots are an essential part of the plants. But what happens when the roots of one plant affect others around it? In the square of concrete formed by the driveway and the sidewalk here at Paths of Hope resides a huge maple tree. It wasn’t huge when […]
The Garden Security System
I have a painful bump on my head this morning. Here at Paths of Hope we’ve installed security cameras overlooking the garden. On the first night, at one in the morning, the motion sensor triggered an alarm to my smartphone which in turn triggered me to get out of bed and check the property. I […]
Will the cold hurt my daffodils?
After an unusually warm December and early January we find evidence that some plants have begun the countdown to spring. The cherry trees at the library are in full bloom, the native maple tree across the fence already sports its bright red flowers, and some of our daffodils have yellow buds about to pop into […]