By Claire Jones
Sustainable is the new catch word for gardening. I hear it everywhere and I think it is overused without anyone really understanding exactly what it means. By definition it means -  Conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources. And by working gardens, keeping chickens for meat and eggs, preserving food, adding solar panels, …
Continue reading "Suburban Homesteading – Raising and Preserving Sustainable Food"
A Honey of a Good Book I don't know how I missed the publication of this book in April of 2011 but picked it up at a local plant nursery to look at and was enthralled. As a practicing beekeepr, I get a lot of information off the web and have several beekeeping books on my shelf …
Continue reading "The Handbook for Beekeepers – The Beekeeper’s Bible"
Cucumbers are spilling out of my vegetable drawer and my harvest basket. I am picking at least 8 to 10 a day, sometimes more! I can't give them away fast enough! So, I am going to make Bread and Butter pickles and Hamburger Dill pickles which I love and are so much better than store-bought. There is nothing …
Continue reading "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Cucumbers"
The Invasion of the Blues I have been growing blueberries for years and this has been a banner year for picking them. We have had plenty of rain and the weather has been perfect for growing. I have only 5 shrubs but that is enough to keep us in berries, as well as providing the birds all …
Continue reading "Blueberry Bonanza"
Black is Beautiful For my updated post on black flowers, check out Black Goes With Everything. There has been an explosion of black flowers and foliage in the past couple of years in the gardening world. It started out as a trickle and now is a tsunami of everything black! When I go to the nursery …
Continue reading "50 Shades of Black"
I just came back from a day trip to NYC where I went to experience the 'High Line'. I have heard so much buzz from the media and friends on this new park in NY that I made a special trip to see it and was totally unprepared for the scope and genius of this …
Continue reading "High Line – Container in the Sky"
The Read I just finished reading 'American Grown' by Michelle Obama and it is a fascinating account of the garden and landscape evolution at the White House. From the very first vegetable garden installed by John Adams, our second president, the book mentions a variety of plantings and gardens until it ended up being a hodgepodge of styles …
I feel fortunate that I live just 6 or 7 miles from one of the most innovative and beautiful public gardens in the United States, right here in Monkton, MD, called Ladew Topiary Gardens. I first saw these whimsical and  enchanting gardens about 25 years ago that were created by, Harvey S. Ladew, a traveler, fox-hunter, …
Continue reading "Magical Mystery Tour – Ladew Topiary Gardens"
The Great Bee Count Within the past couple of years, you might have heard that bees are in trouble, growing scarcer, and suffering from a mysterious ailment called Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. A variety of culprits have been fingered in causing this syndrome, including pesticide use, parasites, and diseases. To study bees, scientists decided …
Continue reading "The Great Sunflower Project – The Backyard Bee Count"
The Challenge What do you do when you move from a large beautifully landscaped property that is overflowing with texture and color, to a retirement community that is populated with yews and swaths of mint? Oh, and did I mention overrun with deer? That was the tall order that I as the landscape designer had …
Continue reading "Innovative Garden Design of a Small Property"
The Challenge I was asked to decorate the bluestone patio space for the Baltimore Symphony's Decorator Show House this spring. Normally I 'decorate' gardens, not patios, but I was up to the challenge!  The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra chooses a house every year that is usually vacant and/or for sale, and invites interior and exterior decorators to design their …
Continue reading "Transforming a Patio – An Outdoor Living Space That Looks Like Home"
Bear climbing up deck to get to beehiveBears are on the rampage in Vermont! My brother-in-law had a recent bear incident where a black bear knocked over a hive in a nearby field. He came back for more, but much closer to the house. He obviously has no fear and looks like he is on …
Continue reading "Bear Update in Vermont"
