The sun dappled and danced upon the lawn as it beamed through the lush canopy.  Although temperatures have been mostly mild, the sun is still a major factor in our yards and gardens, even if we don’t always feel her warmth.  In fact, it is the most essential element in…

  With Mother’s Day fast approaching, our “safe” planting date has finally arrived!  This generally marks the beginning of warming temperatures, which in turn means my outside exposure gradually begins to decrease as temperatures and humidity rise.  When I do find myself outside, I tend to seek out the cool,…

  The air was slight and gauzy one day, and leaden and damp the next as Spring fought to get a foot hold. Nevertheless, trees were beginning to leaf out as spring ephemerals faded, and plants were pushing forth green shoots and buds.   Unfortunately, weeds were only too quick to…

Sloughing off the final olive-drab layers, downy-white flowers unfurled upon the Bradford Pear as the Redbud’s ethereal blooms cast a cheery glow unto the scene. Swelling buds and spring ephemerals dotted the landscape as the grass grew green and lush.  Nature was fully engaged. It’s no coincidence that we celebrate…

Softening silhouettes and nascent pastels have replaced the once austere and barren landscape.  Nodding daffodils bob in the breeze as new life emerges in the warming sun. Spring is undoubtedly a lovely time of year but can also be incredibly trying.  Lawns and gardens require our attention under the looming shadow…

The water was utterly still, glass-like, and the deepening sky reflected off its surface as the fog rose slowly and tumbled towards the shore. The water made not a sound as the wind fizzled to a whisper, and the lake and the sky and the shore seemed as one, devoid…

  The weather teetered between lovely and tumultuous as if someone, unknowingly, kept leaning against the light switch.  In a moment, a lovely Spring day became a stormy Winter day, and back and forth it went.  Nature’s apparent confusion would not sully the efforts of a landscape ready to burst…

  Swelling Redbuds, drifts of Squill, and nodding Daffodils began to pepper the bleak canvas of early Spring with bursts of life and color.  Hope was lifted. Along with Spring Clean Ups and Lawn Renovations, we must turn our attention to one of the most important additions to the landscape….

  March’s reign seemed wholly indecisive and fickle.  Her tumultuous rule left the landscape feeling confused and disoriented.  Had she lost her way?  Had she veered off the path to Spring? Garden paths can be purely aesthetic, functional or both. They can be invitations to the garden visitor to explore…

The air wafted, sweet and warm, through the budding branches, over the greening grass, in and about the burgeoning ephemerals.  The earth was softening, and the landscape was preparing to burst with color and life.  Nature was beckoning us outdoors into her lovely, therapeutic realm. Spending time in green spaces…

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Spring ephemerals pushed through the remnants of snow, undaunted and assured, much like the human spirit, despite the tenuous and ambiguous environment, both literally and metaphorically. As we continue to face our “new” normal from the fall out of COVID, rising inflation and…

Like a receding glacier, Winter began to wither and melt, leaving behind a scarred and battered landscape.  Its tenuous grasp was loosening, and its legacy becoming more apparent, but March would surely deliver us unto Spring. Spring officially arrives March 20th, and Winter will be nothing more than a distant,…