Ear Seeds and Acupuncture
A year ago, my daughter and I drove to Vancouver and made the rounds. Molly lives in Bellingham, Washington, near the Canadian border. The first stop was the University [...]
Allen Bush
Flirting with foliage
Massive storms rolled through Kentucky in late May. We were spared disaster. Thousands of others weren’t so lucky. Trees were downed and power knocked out. This wasn’t the Commonwealth’s [...]
Gardeners Show Mercy
I sometimes go catatonic while standing over an appealing plant I haven’t seen before. Looking like Mr. Pitiful, shoulders slumped, my eyes are fixed on the prize in front [...]
Radio Garden
Radio Garden is planting seeds this spring while you are imagining your best garden ever. Take your pick of more than 8,000 diverse radio stations around the world. Radio Garden [...]
The not so forbidden fruit
Eight years ago, I planted a small orchard, a mix of heirloom and so-called improved modern apple cultivars. Six trees total. I’ve taken good care of our trees—or so I [...]
Come over for lunch and tell me what to plant
You want to grab a seat early when Carol Reese comes to town for a talk. She can a throw an entertaining stemwinder soaked with humor. The woman’s got [...]
Don’t be afraid to sow perennial flower seeds
Do you feel you don’t have the nerve, time or skill to germinate perennial seeds? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Step right this way. I’m going to show you [...]
Gardening is like a traffic light
I heard an interview, more than 25 years ago, with writer Reynolds Price, who was asked what his most important life lesson was while growing up in rural North [...]
King of the Wild Frontier?
I wore a Davy Crockett coonskin hat as a kid and played in the neighborhood woods, singing “King of the Wild Frontier.” Davy Crockett, the song tells us, was born [...]
Sitting on a park bench digging you
For decades I have relaxed on garden and park benches around the world. Now I can sit on my own park bench. I received it as a Christmas gift from [...]
Apocalypse at the garden gate? Not if I can help it.
I wanted to write a garden story with a dozen pictures of pulchritude, but it felt somehow dishonest. Dragging hoses around for weeks has worn me out. At least [...]
Bellingham’s garden of beauty, bounty and purpose
I am often grateful when I visit community gardens where there are generous gardeners willing to share and who follow a few rules. Where there is a scarcity of [...]