The mountains of snow are slowly disappearing, helped along by recent rains and warmer temperatures. It’s sad to see the damage done to so many of our shrubs by what has been called our “nightmare” and “unrelenting” winter. So many branches broken! In addition, several of our trellises are damaged. We’ll have lots of cleaning … Continue reading Forced Forsythia Branches
Category Archives: Observations
Snowmageddon
We are still in the midst of what is being called “Snowageddon” and “Snowpocalypse,” referring to the historical snowfall amounts of recent weeks. Our state is being referred to as “Alaskachusetts” with “The Boston Tundra” as its capital. The Weather Channel noted that our region has beaten the written record of more than one hundred … Continue reading Snowmageddon
Winter Moths
In addition to our outdoor decorations of wreaths, greens and berries, our house seems to be covered with winter moths. They are especially visible in the evenings around the front-door light. According to a recent UMass Extension Landscape message, the invasive species is distributed across Massachusetts. One of their research labs is working on a … Continue reading Winter Moths
Fall Trimming & Blooms
Fall has arrived, and with it, cooler weather and shorter days. Thankfully, we’ve had some much-needed rain. The pink blossoms of the fall asters ‘Alma Potschke’ are spectacular. Although the lower parts of the plants always seem to dry up early in the season, when their tops are in bloom, they are a joy for … Continue reading Fall Trimming & Blooms
Second Season Vegetable Garden
For many gardeners “summer is starting to wrap up,” and for some it’s time to plant their “second-season vegetable garden.” Incredibly, we still have some green daffodil spring foliage that we’re not removing, just to see how long it will last. We usually prune it all about six weeks after the daffies bloom. Some of … Continue reading Second Season Vegetable Garden