Pinterest has predicted that one of the biggest gardening ideas for 2023 will be the idea of ‘rain harvesting’. Makes sense. I have a couple rain water harvesting anecdotes to share. Rain Harvesting Story #1 My garden does not have irrigation. I’ve tried – strictly for the vegetables. The combination of well water, great distances, and […]

Goodbye 2022! Today is the second day of the new year and you know what that is good for? LISTS – Here is my year in review. Random THINGS (but actual tangible things) that brought me joy in 2022. I’m going shallow here…. these shop-able items that gave me an inordinate amount of satisfaction. A […]

Planning boards are the worst.  In my career (and as a homeowner) I’ve been on both sides of the review table. I can report that there is absolutely no joy in a planning board meeting – regardless of your POV.😣  I’m currently sitting on the board-side of the table. I’ll spare you the blow-by-blow (for […]

The word “Ideate” makes me dizzy.  (I bring this up because ‘IDEATE’ seems to be one of those on-the-rise, google-trending words that appears to not have even existed before 2005).* It causes a time-wrinkle in my brain that snaps me back to the yellow conference room at (to remain unnamed) software company. The petulant CTO […]

Monkeys & Monsters Can we discuss procrastination for 5 seconds? I’ve been procrastinating the revival of this newsletter for many (many!) months. What do I want it to be? Schedule? What do I want to achieve? Font? Will you like it? Format? Will I love it? Can I bare to share?… (Overthinking is a primary form of […]

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), […]