May is the month when a gardener’s heart finally catches up with their imagination. After weeks of cautious optimism and sidelong glances at the weather forecast, the garden in May feels like a promise kept. The soil is warm beneath our fingers, the last frost (We hope!) has tiptoed away, and suddenly everything seems possible. Seedlings stretch with quiet determination, perennials return like old friends who never needed an invitation, and even the weeds—enthusiastic as ever—remind us that life is eager to grow. It’s a month of muddy boots, hopeful planting, and that delicious sense that, at long last, the garden is truly underway.  READ MORE 

If gardeners handed out awards, mulch would never win “Most Glamorous.” It doesn’t bloom. It doesn’t climb. It rarely appears in seed catalogs with poetic names like Midnight Velvet Petunia.  READ MORE 

At our home, crafting fresh-cut flower and herb bouquets has become a cherished tradition. For dinner party hostess gifts, we often present aromatic herb arrangements, while my daughter delights in bringing colorful garden blooms to mark the last day of camp or the first day of school.  READ MORE 

Nature makes us happier. Scientific research says so. Granted, the way it says so can feel like plowing through a lot of verbal sludge, peppered as it is with tables, graphs, tortured statistics, and references to the Abbreviated Torrance Test (ATT), the Perceived Restoration Scale (PRS), and Attention Restoration Theory (ART).  READ MORE 

I must needs be pounding out these wascally words in the barely-of-Spring, whence I am (or should that be was? Or even will be, if you consider I’ll probably be equally—if somewhat differently—horticulturally foolish again next season [one thing that sets us gardening types apart from normal people is the wonderful personality trait that   READ MORE 

Rhubarb is one of those plants that truly deserves a place in your garden—and your diet. With its vibrant, ruby-red stalks and tangy, tart flavor, rhubarb has a unique way of making its presence known—boldly but deliciously.   READ MORE 

"Writers can use rejected manuscripts to line the bottom of a bean trench and retain moisture," advises Bridget Boland in Gardeners' Magic. This, for me, is an excellent tip, for not only do I have a good supply of rejected manuscripts, but I also grow a lot of beans.  READ MORE 

Peas don't like me. I mean it. It's not my fault. I like them. There's nothing more symbolic of early-summer gar­dening success than grazing along a row of twining pea vines, pulling open a fat, round pod, and popping those fresh green pearls of flavor into your mouth. No sir, I like garden peas just fine.  READ MORE 

Every morning in May, I do the same thing: I check the weather like it owes me something.  READ MORE 

When I was 10 years old, my father — professional chef, culinary purist, and deeply serious amateur gardener — announced on a Saturday morning that our family needed strawberries. Not buy strawberries. Not plant a few strawberries. No. We were going to engineer strawberries.  READ MORE 

There are many ways a professional chef parents a child. Some teach knife skills. Some teach patience. Mine taught me that if a tomato didn’t taste right, the soil was probably to blame.  READ MORE 

My introduction to figs did not happen in a garden, a market, or even in my father’s kitchen. It happened in Sunday school.  READ MORE 

When a towering tree in my backyard toppled during a storm, it left behind a wide patch of sunshine and, clearly, a golden opportunity. With sunlight pouring in and my appetite for tomatoes stronger than ever (Thankfully, I outgrew my childhood tomato aversion.) I decided to make this the year I tried growing something I could eat.  READ MORE 

The garden holds its breath when you return after too long away. There’s a stillness to it ike the earth is listening, waiting to see what you’ll do next.  READ MORE 

The morning sun filtered through the tall bean plants, their pods finally making their Summer debut. A warm wave of humidity clung to the air like a wet blanket, and droplets from the hose sparkled in the light—proof that I’d just finished my daily watering routine.  READ MORE 

I grew up in gardens, my hands in the dirt long before I could spell “horticulture.” Through high school, I worked on nearby vegetable farms, tending rows of crops in the hot sun. But in 1970, when I was drafted, all that changed.  READ MORE 

She was black as coal, sleek as silk, and as gentle as a lamb—yet fiercely protective of me. Lolly and I were best friends, bound together by trust, love, and an unspoken understanding. With just a simple cluck of my tongue, she knew it was time to move.   READ MORE 

It all began with a single garlic clove and a determination to stretch the garden’s bounty through the seasons.  READ MORE 

My Aunt Irene was not a gardener. Oh, she’d wander outside occasionally, but not to see the garden. She did it to get a moment to herself.  READ MORE 

Yes, I admit it. I am an addict. I can’t seem to get past any plant with a For Sale sign on it. Yesterday… I was on my way home from church and needed to stop at the market for a few essentials. How is it that we always need bread, milk, and eggs—it’s not like I make French toast every day.   READ MORE 

The house I bought here in Houston is assaulted by flowers, shrubs, and trees: a phalanx of thriving, and obstinate, plants. The man who built it, Mr. Anderson, spent his retirement growing things.  READ MORE 

Imagine a backyard full of blueberry bushes, plum trees, wild grass, and a profusion of flowers, with a curving brick walkway that carries you along a path half hidden from view.  READ MORE 

I have to say—this is one of those books that feels like sitting down with a cup of coffee and chatting with a really smart, really funny gardening friend.  READ MORE 

Welcome to our Mexican Recipe Collection, a culinary treasure trove that celebrates the vibrant flavors and rich history of Mexican cuisine.  READ MORE 

Once upon a sun-drenched escapade to Cabo San Lucas, my wife Gail and I found ourselves on a cliffside haven, where the Pacific Ocean's salty embrace and the tantalizing aroma of Mexican cuisine filled the air.  READ MORE 

Once upon a time, in the flavorful tapestry of culinary history, there existed a dish that transcended boundaries and captured the hearts of food enthusiasts across the globe—guacamole.  READ MORE 

Once upon a time in the early 80s, I found myself as the new kid on the management team at Houston Home & Garden. I was still figuring out where the coffee machine was when the company's Chief Financial Officer, Ken, extended an invitation that would change my culinary world forever.  READ MORE 

Once upon a time in the heart of Austin, where BBQ and Tex-Mex reign supreme, I found myself at a rehearsal dinner that promised to be just another delightful Texan feast. Little did I know that the evening held a culinary surprise that would dance on my taste buds and leave me craving more.  READ MORE 

Once upon a time in the vibrant city of Houston, during the early 1980s, I found myself in the delightful position of being the general manager for Houston Home & Garden magazine. The role came with its perks, and one of the most savory ones was the invitation to various restaurant openings and celebrations.  READ MORE