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Adventures with Color

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Heavenly Blue Morning Glory & Clematis terniflora

Happy accidents abound in the late summer garden.  This morning, a pairing of purple cabbages wilting gently next to an electric orange Rudbeckia makes me stop my weeding for a moment and pay attention.

And as I look at this stunning couple, I am reminded of Lunaria annua [...]

An Unlikely Love Affair

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Ten yards from the other side of my living room window sits a persecuted shrub.  His leaves are the simplest of green and his growth habit sturdy and upright.  He is difficult to wound and almost impossible to kill, yet I have treated him shamefully for years – apologizing for his lack of finesse, [...]

Step by Step, Room by Room

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I have been away from my garden for some time.

The process of reclaiming my outside space after weeks away takes a strong stomach and a sharp pair of pruners; and though I have both, I’m nowhere near finished with the carnage and bloodshed. Truth be told, I have been wandering around in a bit [...]

A Garden Is Only As Good As The Cook

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There is a lot of wasted work in this world. I do much of it myself, so I am certainly not throwing stones at others; but it does tend to beg the question: “Is it time to reassess?”

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with a friend about her vegetable garden – what [...]

Sun, Sand & Surveillance

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A quick overnight to the beach this week means different things to different members of my family. For my daughter it is a chance to celebrate her birthday in unusual surroundings. Her brother benefits by virtue of his filial connection, and my husband has time away from fluorescent lighting and office shenanigans. ­­

Each one [...]

Who Has Time for Schmaltz?

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I am not one for sentimental, sugar-laced prose. While I take much delight in the simpler pleasures of life, the moment I start to write about them – to take up pen and scratch out a few poetic words – an overwhelming desire to lodge my tongue deeply within my cheek stifles all attempts [...]