cherry tree

No Rest For Garden Weeders

No Rest For Garden Weeders

Some gardeners get lucky. They must. These are the gardeners who rarely have problems with weeds. They pull a few stray weeds here and there, but otherwise, they let mulch  
Learning About Life Through Gardening Stories

Learning About Life Through Gardening Stories

I love gardening stories. They may be humorous, scientific, whimsical, or even tales of frustration and wonder. Why, after all, can everyone around me grow beautiful lavender plants, but mine  
For the Birds

For the Birds

In the two years I took to write my book, 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names (Algonquin Press), I had ample opportunity to think about differences between birders  
Bindweed

Bindweed

Keith and I planted our first garden the year before we married. We saw it as a sort of compatibility test, an opportunity to prove that if we planned carefully  
A Knowing Peach Tree

A Knowing Peach Tree

Can trees sense trouble coming? Can they tell when they are healthy or desperately ill? I’ll let my peach tree answer. But first, a glimpse at my horticultural history.  
On the Art of Gardening

On the Art of Gardening

When I was only a remote and distracted onlooker of the accomplished work of gardens, I considered gardeners to be beings of a peculiarly poetic and gentle mind, who cultivate