I’d always wanted a flowery mead. (AKA – a bulb lawn for the less romantic among us). And to be honest it took the help of flowerbulbs.com to finally get me there. I started as many garden makers do – too timid and too light-handed with my intentions. Back in 2011, I wrote about how […]

I’ve been planting way more bulbs than I once did. And not just spring bulbs, but summer bulbs, fall bulbs and even winter bulbs. I’ve moved beyond the standards. Daffodils, tulips and old favorite flower garden bulbs are in my collection, but I’m increasingly drawn to wilder and more natural looking specimens. And native bulbs. […]

UNLESS YOU’VE BEEN LIVING UNDER A MOSS-COVERED ROCK IN YOUR PERFECTLY MANICURED, ABUNDANTLY PRODUCTIVE GARDEN, YOU KNOW THAT BACKYARD CHICKENS ARE A “THING.” IT SEEMS LATELY EVERYONE IS BUILDING A CUTE LITTLE COOP IN THEIR BACKYARD TO HOUSE EVERYTHING FROM A SUBURBAN-FRIENDLY TRIO TO A DOZEN HENS OR MORE. AND YOU CAN’T BEAT FRESH EGGS.  […]

Which plant is literally on fire in our Coastal Maine garden right now? Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel.’ I admittedly ordered this hardy hibiscus on a whim when we needed to add some more late season color to our new planting beds. It is not a strictly tropical plant (in fact it is hardy to zone 4), […]

I am adding a bunch of berries to my garden, but my berry planting intentions stretch beyond the ordinary strawberry, blueberry, raspberry mix. There are three less common and different things I am interested in – Elderflower (and elderberries), Gooseberry, and blackberry plants, and I am excited about each for a variety of reasons. Fall […]

Coco Chanel is an icon of fashion design being both a symbol of modernism (at least for her time) and classic design.  So, when Susan Cohan challenged me to a garden design mood board throw-down with Coco Chanel as the inspiration, I happily accepted. For this garden, I was inspired by the classic taste of […]

Do you decorate your front porch for the fall or halloween?  Does the autumn decorating spill into the garden?  If you are looking for some super creepy diy halloween inspiration – why not take a cue from classic movies? Like Children of the Corn?  I’ve been researching haunted houses in the area because my daughter […]

I know that visitors to this site and the readers of PITH + VIGOR magazine are a book-loving bunch.   I am too.  As a writer and publisher, I think it is in my DNA to collect and hoard books.  But I do recognize, that not all books are equal.  And, not everyone wants to fill […]

Is your garden an arbitrary stupid goal? The correct answer is yes. I’m looking for a new book to read over the upcoming holiday break.  I want something that lives up to my last read – Tamara Shopsin’s Arbitrary Stupid Goal. Any suggestions? I was drawn to Arbitrary Stupid Goal when Austin Kleon mentioned it […]