Posted in Landscape, Garden on Apr 24th, 2008 2 Comments »
It’s been a great week for yard work. I’ve miraculously been able to get outside in short bursts — thanks to my mom’s visit and a baby monitor with good range — and it’s been enough to make real progress.
My big project right now is tidying up the gardens in the front of my house. I’ve had a curl of plastic edging getting in the way in the garage since last spring. Yesterday I finally … continued »
Posted in Landscape, Lawn on Oct 3rd, 2007 3 Comments »
I’ve been having an e-mail conversation this week with a Salem, Mass. reader that I just have to share. I thought my clover lawn was going to be controversial, but that’s nothing compared to this.
I keep everyday Fescue in my front yard (along with crabgrass, of course), but in the far back, where the terrain is a bit uneven, I would LOVE to plant some ornamental grasses, or even broomcorn. These would retain the soil, … continued »
Posted in Landscape on Sep 4th, 2007 No Comments »
I’m not the only one who’s been startled by a giant wasp nest this summer. Here’s an e-mail I got from a reader named Scott in Newburyport, Mass.
Hi - I think it’s a good year for these guys. Last weekend I was sitting on a rock down by the ocean near Halibut Point State Park in Gloucester. After hours on my towel, I got ready to leave, and saw a huge wasps’ nest about … continued »
Posted in Landscape on Aug 29th, 2007 No Comments »
As you’ll see in this week’s Yard Dirt column, “Stirring up a hornets’ nest in the backyard,” we’ve had a little adventure with wasps.
Here’s a visual retelling:
The good news is my sunflowers are blooming.
The bad news is there’s a giant hornet nest on the side of the house …
and it’s right at eye-level with the sunflowers.
Posted in Landscape, Garden on Aug 21st, 2007 No Comments »
My front yard flower garden is full of surprises.
This sunflower popped up out of nowhere among my nasturtium and calendula plants. It must have come from a seed in my homemade compost, which I used to mulch the flowers.
If that’s true, then this is a very significant sunflower. It would have come from the sunflower seeds I used to feed my pet hamster, Chainsaw II, who died about … continued »
Posted in Landscape, Garden on Aug 17th, 2007 No Comments »
One of the things I love about gardening is that everybody’s garden plot is unique … and yet somehow we end up having the same problems!
Here’s an e-mail I received this week that describes a problem remarkably similar to the one I had at my house last year.
My name is Arletta Fairfield, and I live in Wisconsin, near a little town called Adams Friendship. I have grown morning glories for several years now, plant them … continued »
Posted in Landscape, Garden on Aug 14th, 2007 No Comments »
I got a lovely phone call yesterday from a woman I used to chat with years ago, back when when I was covering politics in Peabody, Mass.
She wanted to share a tip with all of us. She has discovered, on her four acres in Peabody, that thistle — the prickly weed — is great for attracting goldfinches. In the spring the thistle produces a purple flower on top that the birds pick apart for the … continued »
Posted in Landscape, Garden, Lawn on Aug 2nd, 2007 No Comments »
I just got a press release that I want to pass along.
I don’t know much about this conference but it looks interesting. If anybody has been before, leave a comment and let us know what you thought about it.
What: Northeast Organic Farming Association 33rd Annual Summer Conference
Where: Hampshire College, Amherst, Mass.
When: Friday, August 10 to Sunday, August 12
* Over 200 workshops, presentations, demonstrations, fun and fascinating activities and entertainment, an Old-Time Country Fair.
* Keynote Addresses … continued »
Posted in Landscape, Garden on Jul 31st, 2007 1 Comment »
Yeah … so last night I pulled the truck into the driveway. My turn appears to have been a teensy bit too wide.
Crunch!
I suppose that’s the risk of planting flowers right next to the driveway … and of being a bad driver.
The flowers might recover, but my pride is fatally wounded. Ugh!
Posted in Landscape, Lawn on Jul 27th, 2007 No Comments »
FYI for anybody who lives north of Boston:
Salem Sound Coastwatch, in conjunction with the Greenscapes North Shore Coalition, is sponsoring a free workshop on “Lawn Care Basics,” Wednesday, Aug. 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Danvers Senior Center, 25 Stone Street, Danvers.
The purpose of the workshop is to teach people the fundamentals of how to have a beautiful lawn with a minimum amount of effort using no chemicals. The presentations will be appropriate … continued »
Julie has been chronicling her lawn adventures and mishaps since 2005 in a weekly column called Yard Dirt, which appears (More...)
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