The Missing Ring
I longed for a garden with flowers—at least one that would bloom more than three months of the year. So after nearly three decades on the snowy Canadian prairies, my …
gardener
Bernadette’s Spot
I am not sure if I could be considered a successful gardener or not. I certainly have the desire, and I spend my fair share of time working around the …
Something Soft
As a studio-apartment gardener with no car, I’ve done my time carrying green things home on buses over the years. People love plants, and I’ve had my share of smiles …
Pruning Lessons
The contents inside the large and soggy cardboard box are unimpressive when you peel away the plastic coverings: tightly-stacked, plastic tie-bound bundles of 10 sharp, green, thorny sticks, each stick …
Inseparable
In progress for 20 years, my garden is a place I never tire of. Knowing that it stays on course growing steadily, regardless of life‘s events, supplies me with a …
The Most Important Tool
The other day, while weeding, I unearthed a rusty trowel, which got me started thinking about tools in general. They seem to come in two varieties, those I swear by …
Atheists on My Houseplants!
Master Gardeners do a lot of community service, including answering questions from home gardeners, often on community garden hotlines. Erv Evans, from the North Carolina state Master Gardener program, has …
The Last Two
My favorite Spring garden ritual is starting my tomato seeds. In late March, I fill ten little pots with a mixture of peat and earth-scented compost. Then I press down …
No Longer the Hero
I was a bunny-loving little girl. Every night—without fail—my mother would read me the Runaway Bunny or Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Since I had an older …
Silent Speech
Lounging on the deck, I watched the sun sink behind the spruce trees in the western sky. My mind was racing with thoughts. Why didn’t he tell me? We’d become …
