Don’t despair January gardeners! Walking around the garden in the expanding hours of sunshine with snow melting I think of this time as Green Hope. There are a few things we expect to be green in the winter. This year they are green, in good form and and looking fine. The boxwoods are green and […]
It’s been two years since I planted a pair of American Beautyberries (Callicarpa Americana) in the peony beds. I wanted to add something that would give interest later in the season in these two raised, full-sun beds. There are a few geraniums and other perennials in the beds now, but we wanted a bigger show […]
This recipe comes from my great-grandmother-Annie Laura Whitney Hornsby- who lived in Natchez, Mississippi from 1880 till 1947. Those were the days of many layers of clothing. Mercy! It must have gotten warm. Since we are now entering hot and muggy days ourselves, I am going to make this sherbet. It is easy and delicious […]
Continuing the food memory thoughts into the summer–today’s post is about figs. Figs were important to my mother–one of the things she asked me to do before she went into a major surgery several years ago was to “be sure to pick the ripe figs and preserve them!” Mama and Daddy had a huge […]
When my father (89 in 2013) was here for Christmas, we talked about food memories from his New Orleans’ childhood. One of many we discussed was stuffed mirlitons. He says that every year at the end of the growing season someone would put aside several mature squash in a closet. In February, the squash would […]
We’re planning to grow okra again this year. A couple of years ago I grew okra for indoor arrangements and for fall/winter containers. If you leave the pods on the plants, they eventually get woody, curl and split–looking like linen-colored lilies! The plants were easy to grow and got to be 3-4’ tall with sturdy […]
Pumpkins are everywhere this time of year and will be around for the next few weeks until Thanksgiving. Did you know that • botanically speaking, pumpkins are actually fruits? We eat the ripe fruit and seeds. • the word “pumpkin” has no botanical meaning? What we think of as pumpkins are actually members of the […]
We have been growing nasturtiums in the vegetable garden for many years. The hardest part of growing nasturtiums is remembering to buy the seeds and plant them! (So they are great for childrens’ gardens.) Since there are many different colors available I switch colors every year. I love the round green leaves, the large flowers […]
We felt especially lucky to be in Italy last week while the wisteria was blooming! This photo is wisteria in one of many spots it appeared in the Roman Forum. In Assisi we found it climbing out of small paved spaces to bloom on the 2nd story of old buildings in town. In Florence white […]
Pantone’s 2012 color of the year is Tangerine Tango 17-1463 TCX. It feels like summer to me! Bright colors are great when the sun is strong mid-summer through Fall. Paler colors tend to look washed out in the full sun by then. Bold orange is nice with a purple accent and different greens […]
