With May’s prudence and seeming benevolence, we will finally be able to exhale as warming temperatures mean we can soon begin to plant.  May, after all, means Mother’s Day, and Mother’s Day means flowers, so what better way to honor Mom than with native plants and flowers that are as…

With May’s prudence and seeming benevolence, we will finally be able to exhale as warming temperatures mean we can soon begin to plant.  May, after all, means Mother’s Day, and Mother’s Day means flowers, so what better way to honor Mom than with native plants and flowers that are as…

  The hum and drone of the cicadas rose and fell in unison, like waves on the ocean.  Their song lulled the landscape to sleep like a midsummer’s night lullaby, exhausted and spent from her good and decent work. Mid Summer, often, has an unkempt, woeful look, but the constant heat and…

  Brittle like parchment, the arctic air sliced through the landscape with little resistance as it slashed and gnawed at flesh like a hungry, rabid beast.  It was fit for no creature, great nor small.  Experts call it a polar vortex.  We call it Winter.     So as we skirt into 2018, bright, shiny,…

  A sole, brittle leaf tumbled down the street, scraping the pavement with each turn as it etched its way along with each, small utterance of wind.  The landscape was listless and life seemingly comatose as the despotic heat and humidity continued.  Summer’s vitality was waning, and her lurid beauty fading….

I once had an utter fascination with edible flowers, more specifically sugared or candied flowers.  I even wrote a short story, entitled “Sugar Flower” when I was in college.  The concept was romantic, whimsical, and old-fashioned at the time; however, now,  edible flora has become more mainstream, even cool.  Sure, many cultures have been imbibing…

I like the idea of “native” plants and landscapes and absolutely love wildflowers; however, native doesn’t always mean easier, insect free or even desirable.   In fact, there are some widely held misconceptions that I’d like to dispel and some rules to follow when considering native plants and gardens.  All in…