Meet Matilda. She’s a dwarf jade plant (Portulacaria afra)—also known as elephant bush—and my first effort at bonsai. I’ve admired bonsai for years, but never attempted it. Oh, years ago I impulse-purchased a bonsai tree at a big box store. I can’t say whether it was my own inexperience or mishandling of the plant by … Continue reading Look! It’s a Tiny Tree!
Projects
Bewitched by Witch Hazel
Spring blooming witch hazel in the garden Maybe it’s because the flowers of my witch hazel (Hamamelis) tree are the first flowers I see in spring. Maybe it’s because witch hazel doesn’t care if there’s snow on the ground when it blooms. Maybe it’s because witch hazel has flowers that are different from any other … Continue reading Bewitched by Witch Hazel
Got Mulch?
Today I’m sharing a few words about one of my favorite garden helpers: mulch. You’ve planted your garden, watered the plants well, and stood back and admired your hard work. But is something missing? It is if you haven’t added a layer of mulch on top of the soil.You’ve seen it in bags at the … Continue reading Got Mulch?
How Time Flies
I checked in at the blog today to update my garden writing list of published articles and was shocked to see it’s been three months—three months!!!—since I last posted here. My, oh, my, how time flies when distracted by other projects. The good news is that The Gardener’s Plot is making its way along the road … Continue reading How Time Flies
What’s a Gardener to Do?
It’s January and winter has only just begun. Outside my window snow squalls are, well, squalling. True, here in the Berkshires the weather has been unseasonably kind so far, so I can’t complain about snow accumulating in the middle of January. We’ve had relatively mild temperatures, and the landscape has been decidedly brown—up until this … Continue reading What’s a Gardener to Do?
Pen, Paper, Plant 