Cottage Gardening
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Welcoming the Late Bloomers
So, I completely missed Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day last week. I was too caught up in cookies and end-of-summer grades. It was the grades that really bogged me down. But there is always a little bit of time to spend in the garden. The day lilies are gone and I’m in the process of cleaning… Continue reading
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Hard Pruning and Great Textures
I couldn’t decide whether I should write about the fallen cherry tree limb and the fact that the lilacs are getting a really hard prune, or whether I should gush over the deep textures of some of my favorite hostas. So, I’ve decided to write about both. First the hard prune. I knew that sooner… Continue reading
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Footsteps Into Spring
It was a lovely weekend with temps in the upper 60’s and lots of sunshine, perfect weather for coaxing early bloomers. The Muscari below will soon be yanked out in perhaps a vain attempt to discourage it and the Bethlehem Stars that always seem to find their ways into every garden. But the hellebores are… Continue reading
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As the Year Winds Down
The solstice has passed and dark days will begin their gradual winnow toward spring. It’s beautiful in the gardens, something I do not like to admit, at least in early November when everything is brown and the only garden tasks are those that involve clearing dead debris. It’s easy then to forget that snow brings… Continue reading
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Last Day of June
What a lovely early summer we are having. There’s been plenty of rain and sun. The old cherry tree has so many cherries that a limb fell. That’s not unusual, but I was surprise nonetheless. I’ve been propping up one long limb for years, and, of course, that’s not the one that fell. Continue reading
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Scarlet Tanager
How wonderful that a male scarlet tanager decided to visit the lower garden this morning! Usually a brilliant flash of red means a male cardinal is visiting. But this morning the flash was brighter and smaller. Tanagers are often hard to spot because they live in tall canopies. But today the rose of sharon and… Continue reading
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March 15, Bloom Day
Well, it’s not exactly a bloom day since nothing at all is blooming. But there are little signs that the earth will warm and the plants will bloom. Over the winter I enjoyed seeing birds come to the feeders. For some reason lots of cardinals decided to dine with me on a regular basis. And,… Continue reading
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Bloom Day: March 15
I did not expect to have anything to offer this month. Often snow still covers the gardens. Or cold March winds convince reluctant early bloomers to stay wrapped in frost proof jackets. But we have had a strangely warm winter and an early hint of spring. Temperatures today were in the 70’s. And though I… Continue reading
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Bleak Late Winter
It’s been a somewhat gentle winter here in West Michigan. We haven’t had all that much snow, though the ground at the moment is covered. We got about six inches Saturday. Last weekend, though, it was actually warm enough for me to go on a 10 mile ride on my Terra Trike. I wore four… Continue reading
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Playing Hookie in Leelenau
I have to confess a small addiction. It developed, full on, the first time I drove the winding roads of Leelenau trying to find a resort on Glen Lake. I found the resort, eventually. I have no sense of direction whatsoever and in the days before car navigation systems, I was often quite literally lost. … Continue reading
About Me
I haven’t always been a gardener, but I have always loved gardens. It has taken 16 years to get my gardens into the shape they are today. And, I’ve had help. I’m 74 years old, have rheumatoid arthritis, and had a late stage cancer six years ago. I am, though, intrepid. I’m the kind of person who plods along, tailoring my goals as I go. Last November I had a long overdue knee replacement surgery and I’m hoping this spring, summer, and fall will be able to maintain and find even more joy working in all of my garden beds. Full disclosure, though. I have a garden guy who comes once a week to work in my gardens.
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