Once again, GardenComm International members united from across the country and across ever-growing modes of communication, converging on the gardens of Salt Lake City last week. Reunions among colleagues were as energizing as ever, spurring each other on to carry on with the great message of getting out to the garden to as many people […]
This mint mocktails-garden story begins at summer’s start, when I had a late night text from my friend Monica that every gardener waits to hear: It was a love-your-neighbor moment like no other. Inspired by a recipe, she thought of me, and my gardening work—that I would have mint to share—O, the love! Her esteem […]
I received a treasured gift from my cousin Becky, an ornament for my garden with the most brilliant detail!! Pictured here in a patch of bee balm, the stone is adorned with her intricately painted design. Whenever I catch its glimpse, my mind drifts to the jeweled breastplates crafted for the Israelites’ priests, and I […]
How goes the summer adventures?! Hopefully you have tip-toed out to a few garden tours this summer amid business travel and family road trips. In June, I visited Washington, D.C. to present at the annual American Public Gardens Association conference, as part of my publishing relationship with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) Press. […]
Take it from a Texas gardener—July is a time to quit gardening and hit the books! With all in place from spring gardening’s planting flurry, let summer’s heat lead you to retreat, and may your garden become a gorgeous backdrop to reading a great book. My personal pick this summer: All the Presidents’ Gardens by […]
A July 4th Prayer – Imagine that someone formed the land— because He did. Then He planted it specially for you— because He did. And the land was full of so much to see and discover: splashing brooks, fields, ravines, vistas filled with fruit trees, forested majesty, and dainty blooming herbs for bees. And He […]
By now we are hitting the stride of summer, ready for refreshment from the hot rays of sunshine. Many gardeners add water features to their botanical sanctuaries for just this reason, to hear the gurgles and splashes and have the sounds effect them with psychological coolness. I am not that handy, nor responsible enough to […]
We all love our amber waves of grain, but did you know wheat comes in blue? When I first saw Utrecht Blue wheat offered by Botanical Interests seed company, I was an instant fan! I love to interweave plants of the Bible in garden design, and thought this would be a whimsical way to grow […]
Spring’s perennial flowers include the age-old star of Bethlehem. This may be the delight of your garden’s returning flourish, or the disdain! Depending on your region, these small flowers are greeted with a smile or a scourge; they bring bright, starry-joy to flower beds, or they mount a full-scale invasion. And there was a great […]
This week is National Public Gardens week, May 13th—May 19th, initiated by the American Public Gardens Association (APGA), a sort of reminder to “stop and smell the roses.” While plantings at our nation’s public gardens include so much more than roses, the sentiment is the same — to halt our harried lives, be still, and […]
