BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I start my summer garden in January, using a neat trick called “Winter-Sowing.” Winter-sowing is an outdoor method of seed germination (invented by [Read more...]
Archives for 2010
Snowpocalypse: A Photo Gallery
THE NORTHEAST'S FIRST BLIZZARD OF THE SEASON arrived last night. Would you like to see how beautiful a garden can look under 15 inches of sparkling white snow? [Read more...]
Win a $50 Shopping-Spree at Wayside Gardens
LILY (THE BEAGLE) AND I want to wish you a Happy New Year, and also to offer you a chance to win this week's random drawing: a $50 on-line spending-spree at [Read more...]
Pillow Cookies
WHEN READER KATHLEEN -- who is known around these parts as "Katreader" -- sent me her grandmother's recipe for Pillow Cookies, I knew I'd have to try them. These offer a delicious … [Read more...]
Welcoming Spring (on the First Day of Winter)
THERE ARE THREE REASONS to consider the December solstice (December 21) the unofficial start of spring. First, of course, is the lengthening of days -- a phenomenon that … [Read more...]
Christmas Decorations: 2010 Edition
MY PASSION FOR HOLIDAY-DECORATING began in 1963, when I made the Santa ornament pictured up top (an ornament, perhaps, that only one's mother could love). Today I've traded in my … [Read more...]
Terry’s Tea Cakes
SOMETIMES the same holiday-confection can travel under a variety of aliases. Take, for example, the dainty round cakes pictured up top. You might know these as Russian Tea Cakes, … [Read more...]
Snow…At Last
I CAN'T DECIDE if that's a fountain or a wedding cake in my rose garden, thanks to the first -- and rather unexpected -- snow fall here. What's the weather like where you are? Are … [Read more...]
How to Double-Pot Bulbs for an Extra-Lavish Display
OKAY, it was probably crazy of me to accept such generosity, but when Calendar's Nursery in Chatham, NY, offered me their unsold hyacinths yesterday, I couldn't refuse. (Why look a … [Read more...]
My Big Job for the Day: Winter Mulching the Roses
WHEN THE GROUND FREEZES SOLIDLY IN DECEMBER, I know it's time to mulch my roses. Mulching keeps their roots cold and unstimulated, should a freakish warm spell occur between bouts … [Read more...]