Read by Michael Flamel

 

Welcome to the most glorious time of the year!

MMay is here! And even if you live in the most northern climates, there’s reason to celebrate. Mother Nature has delivered the most glorious spectacle of the year, as plants flower, tree buds burst open, and our gardens are a little slice of Heaven on Earth. Please savor these May moments, because they are so special and won’t last.

That’s the cycle of our gardens—constantly changing and evolving. And each season and month gives us reason to celebrate, but there’s nothing quite like the magnificence of May.

And just as our gardens are bursting forth, so too is this issue of GreenPrints Magazine. Really! With all the improvements we’ve recently made to monthly issues of GreenPrints, now comes even more improvement!

THE BIG NEWS: Yes, it’s big news with this latest improvement—we’re now recording every article in the monthly issues, so you can listen to the entire issue while you’re on the go or in your garden! When we first introduced audio content last year by recording a few stories in each issue, you readers told us you loved the audio content and wanted more. And we listened, so here it is—our first issue published with the written word and entirely audio-recorded for you, too. Please enjoy all the content in whichever way suits you at the moment.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new in this issue (besides that every article is audio-recorded for your listening pleasure)—I know you’ll find our new regular features valuable and entertaining:

• Gardening News: Executive Publisher Don Nicholas shares with you his monthly commentary, this time about the fate of Stumpy (the oddly formed Washington, D.C., cherry tree that’s due to be dug up and replaced), a real national sensation now!
• Garden Planning: Every month, you get advice—and entertainment—about a practical, seasonal gardening matter. This month, Food Gardening Network’s Amanda MacArthur gives you twelve whimsical tricks for creating a vibrant vegetable garden!
• Cultivating Wisdom: Regular contributor Becky Rupp is featured every month, covering topics that divulge all sorts of facts you might not otherwise know. In this issue, Becky reviews the American obsession with perfect lawns—and how you can have your lawn and make it more diverse and productive.
• Garden Giggles: Perennial contributor Mike McGrath delivers his usual knee-slapping—sometimes gut-busting—humor about something in the garden. This month, Mike’s story about how gardening is not for the timid focuses on his experience with rhododendrons. Get ready for some good laughs!
• Harvesting Health: This new column is my own piece—and this month, I cover the health benefits of strawberries … with a little history about the expression “like giving strawberries to a donkey.”
• Gardening Life: These monthly gems are authored by GreenPrints Founding Editor Pat Stone—often funny and thought-provoking.
• Seasonal Thoughts: GreenPrints Editor & Publisher Christy Page shares her garden thoughts every month—seasonally appropriate, of course! For this issue, Christy covers the traditions of celebrating May Day!
• Plants We Love: Every month, you get interesting and fun articles about three different plants. For this month, learn about sunflowers, zucchini, and quinoa.
• Recipes from the Garden: Talk about practical! Every month, you now get tasty and easy-to-make recipes that use garden-fresh ingredients.

And then there are the perennials in every monthly GreenPrints Magazine issue:

• Stories from the Garden: These mainstays have been part of GreenPrints since our first year of publishing in Spring 1990—“gardening stories from the heart” that will lift your spirits and make you smile or laugh.
• Books, Kits & Calendars: Every month, you get crafting projects that include keepsake StoryBooks, Story Collections, ArtPrints, Greeting Cards, and Calendars.
• Letters to GreenPrints: Read messages that readers have sent us—good feedback and sometimes constructive criticism. Read these messages, and we hope you’ll be inspired to send us your own feedback to share.

Check out this entire issue, and you’re guaranteed to find valuable, practical, and entertaining content to fill your May days with joy, laughter, and inspiration.

And let me know what you think. I’d truly love to hear from you.

Bill Dugan
Executive Editor
GreenPrints

 
P.S. Please email me with your feedback about the new-and-improved GreenPrints: bill@mequoda.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Or share your comments below, so all our readers can benefit.