A Gardener's Thoughts & Fancies

Landscape Design – The Art of Espalier

Tweet Espalier, pronounced either “es-pah-lee-er” or “es-pah-lee-ay,” depending on how French you want to sound, is the ancient horticultural practice of controlling woody plant growth—originally for the purpose of fruit production—by pruning and tying branches to a frame so that they grow into a flat plane. The plant is usually, although not always, grown against a structure such as [...]

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It’s Nice To Fool Mother Nature – Forcing Bulbs

Tweet Forcing bulbs to bloom is all about fooling Mother Nature into believing that spring has sprung. It’s not difficult or time consuming and the results can be extraordinary.  All it takes is the right bulbs, a glass vase or pot, some rocks, water or potting soil and a few minutes of your time. Forcing [...]

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Raspberries – The Talk Of The Table

Tweet If you haven’t heard, Raspberries are the “it” food of the moment. Dr. Oz swears by their Ketone qualities, and if you don’t know what Raspberry Ketone is, just read “Key Health Benefits of Raspberry Ketone” and you will learn more about Ketone than you’ll ever care to know. But what I do know [...]

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Landscape Lighting – There’s No Space Without Light

Tweet Now that it’s getting dark at 5:00 p.m. I’ve been asked by a number of people what would be involved in transforming a dark or poorly illuminated landscape into something magical. The answer is a landscape designer, an outdoor lighting specialist, or you – if you’re so inclined, who understands how to use light [...]

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Happy Mother’s Day

Tweet   The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations we know of were ancient Greek spring celebrations in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods; the ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno. But those were in honor of one particular mother. England’s “Mothering Sunday,” begun in the 1600′s, is closer [...]

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