Gardening with Native Plants

I mentioned in a recent post that one of my goals for this year's garden is to add more native plants - trees, shrubs and perennials.  I started incorporating some permaculture principles into my gardening a couple of years ago, and have certainly witnessed an increase in wildlife and pollinators in the garden as a...

Year-End Assessment

We're on day 5 of a brutal cold snap that reaches across the northern U.S.; it's expected to last for another week or more.  It's -13º F right now at 12:30 am.  With wind chill, the last few days have felt like -30º F.  It's a cold that has to be experienced to appreciate; a...

Early Morning Walk in the Woods

The mayflies (or gnats) are here, which means no more walking in the woods without being swarmed.  In another couple of weeks the mosquitos and deer flies will be in full force.  So, to avoid the swarm, we went for an early morning walk yesterday.  6:30 a.m., 28 degrees (note the ice crystals on the...

Winter Wonderland – Wait isn’t it Spring?

Well, now our March is feeling a little more normal!  Yesterday, we received 2-3" of wet snow overnight, with more expected today.  Although the hens and ducks were less than pleased to have their insect-feast covered once again with that pesky white stuff, I have to say it looked quite beautiful on the trees and shrubs. As...