Seed Savants
Watching a seed cotyledon (sprout) pop through the soil is heaven on earth. I am especially interested in flower and tree seeds, but Rose and I collect a few [...]
Allen Bush
Stutz, the film, and Three Aspects of Garden Reality
Stutz, a Netflix documentary, with actor Jonah Hill and psychiatrist Phil Stutz, is full of surprises. Because gardens were never mentioned, I had not anticipated clues about gardening, but I [...]
Anarchy and Chaos: Christmas Wreaths and Centerpieces
No one ever called me a nimble-fingered crafts maker. My prospects dimmed as a ten-year-old Cub Scout when our Den mother taught us how to make ashtrays. My parents, appreciative [...]
How the Grinch Recycled the Seasons
Streetcleaners scrubbed downtown Louisville this week. No more sodden leaves. Christmas wreaths of evergreens, pinecones and red bows suggested hope; leftover curbside planters suggested otherwise. Our garden is betwixt and [...]
Something funny is going on here. Mum’s the Word.
Primped mums staged next to a rack of antifreeze may seem, to many of you, as appealing as convenient store rotisserie hot dogs, but what’s not to like about [...]
The Gift of Steve Foltz
The grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference. --Thomas Merton Steve Foltz In [...]
Herpes Weed and the Curse of a Garden’s Promiscuity
There was an illuminating Patti Smith Instagram post on August 19th entitled: “This is weeding.” The poet, musician, author, and activist had returned from a European concert tour and [...]
A City and Garden of Subdued Excitement
I flew to Seattle a few weeks ago to visit my daughter Molly and her family in Bellingham, Washington—a two-hour drive north of Seattle. Give me Liberty took flight [...]
Global Warming, Darkening Skies and a Gardener
Global warming is worsening, and the sudden realization that gardeners cannot do much about it alone knocked the filthy air out of me last week. The science of carbon [...]
Peas on a Podcast: Jared Barnes and Thomas Rainer
Our home-grown snow peas bought the farm a few weeks ago, but I found agents of inspiration to take the edge off summer heat. Jared Barnes and Thomas Rainer [...]
Some Like It Hot
Heat arrived in Kentucky last week. I knew temperatures in the 90s would arrive sometime but hoped climate change would cut us some slack until July. Climate change is cutting [...]
The Little Nurseries That Could
I was reminded of Christopher Lloyd ‘s fondness for unpretentious nurseries on a beautiful drive to Lexington, Kentucky, last week. My destination was the 121-year-old Michler’s Florist, Greenhouses & [...]