Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Constructive criticism
Our to-do list in September is blissfully short. The gardens are as lush as can be and just need to be coaxed along until frost or until we’re ready to start moving plants around (musical … Read more.
Mid-summer shift
The gardens are going through a bittersweet transition from June’s hurrah to a mid-summer huzzah, and although we sometimes experience a “July gap,” the shift seems pretty seamless this year. Delicate oxeye daisies gave way … Read more.
Finishing touches (and new beginnings)
No garden is ever “done” — perish the thought! — but during planting week/month/season we all race to beat the heat. In the last couple of weeks here at Blithewold we closed in on that … Read more.
Spring cleaning
According to the calendar — and the redwing blackbirds — the pendulum between winter and summer has finally swung into spring. Huzzah! (Never mind next week’s forecast.) To celebrate, we did some extremely gratifying spring … Read more.
March ado
I’m not even going to bother go in search for spring outside today because it looks and feels too much like winter again. Blustery. Bitter cold. Snowy, even (though nothing compared to other parts of … Read more.
Bring on spring
We’ve made room in the propagating house for trays of seedlings. We’ve ordered new tools and can’t wait to use them. We’re ready. Raring to go. Fingers tapping. Meanwhile, there’s nothing better than a bucket … Read more.
A sow-called spring
I haven’t spotted any crocus, snowdrops or early daffs blooming yet, and I know the calendar says spring is still a whole month away, but in the greenhouse the growing season officially kicked off yesterday. … Read more.
Valentine’s Day roundup
I don’t know about you but another dumping of winter white that turned almost immediately to slushy gray has my eyes crying out for spring. As luck would have it (and by luck I mean … Read more.
Tallying up
Gail and I have spent the last couple of weeks going through catalogs, engaging in deep discussions about next year’s dream gardens and making endless wishlists. Now it’s time to tally up. We are allotted … Read more.
Understanding amaryllis
I have had a mental block about proper amaryllis care. I have read all of the advice I could find and remained deeply confused. For years. And I think I just figured out why. No … Read more.