Gardening

This weekend, the last weekend of May, is quite special for moon watchers.

Last September, I made a mistake. The kind of mistake that is not earth-shattering or causing harm to anyone, but one year later, and I’m still thinking about it.

I’m trying something new this year. I am planting gladiolus at the little house on a big hill.

Springtime in Appalachia is happening all around us, and it is glorious.

The calendar has flipped, and now it’s March. The forecast has more sun than snow, more 50s and 60s than 10s and 20s. And, I dare say, there are more smiles than frowns among folks spending time outside.

Homeowners frequently enhance their outdoor living spaces with attractive plants and trees. When that greenery also produces food, the results can be both beauty and bounty.

With escalating food prices, now is a great time to start growing some of your own vegetables. Not only can you save money, but you’ll enjoy great flavor and maximum nutritional value.

Right about now, I am really missing the garden. I want to spend some time putzing around with containers and raised beds. I know it will be soon, so for now, I will try to bring the outside in by forcing stems to bloom early in the house.

The outside temperature may be chilly, and the ground may be covered in snow, but romance is in the air.

CHARLESTON -- The diverse, expert speakers at the upcoming West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association Winter Symposium will offer insights and innovations about the thriving green industry.

It’s cold, and I miss my garden. I sound a bit whiny, but it’s true. There is only so much Netflix I can watch. My restlessness has caused me to start cleaning out drawers and closets!

I have flipped the calendar page and am ready for a new year.

The pumpkins and gourds have been tossed over the fence to what I refer to as the Deer Yard. This is the part of the back, below the fence (that they frequently jump), that I freely give to the wildlife at the little house on the big hill. In early January, this is where the Christmas tree w…

I did a little holiday shopping this week. I was feeling quite proud of myself for the early start until a friend sent a picture of her tree, set up and decorated. Really? Such an overachiever.

There is something special about being in the “room where it happens.”

For many of us, when we think of Girl Scouts, we think of cookie sales, campfires, and a sash filled with sewn-on badges. Yet, there is so much more -- think community service and pollinator gardens. That's right, Girl Scouts garden.

As we move into the fall season and the month of October, the garden is changing. Oh, there are plenty of blooms to enjoy, but the leaves are starting to drop. Fall is in the air, and October is the time to make plans for fall and even next spring.

This story begins 16 years ago, when a friend of a friend’s brother’s uncle’s cousin’s aunt’s neighbor on the next farm over had a dog heavy with pups.

I have been to New Orleans a few times. The food, the drinks, the music and the art -- it is all fabulous, but I admit to a strong urge to peek behind fences and through gates to glimpse the gardens.

I remember as a kid, my sister and I playing around the house, then hearing a familiar noise, and running to the kitchen with excitement.

After a day of errands and running here and there, I made one last stop at the garden center. The weather was nice, and it is always a treat to stroll through the plants and think happy thoughts.