The Small Town Gardener

To My Mother

MB Willburn — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:02:32 +0000

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I am often asked as to where on earth I acquired any interest, much less ability in the garden. Perhaps this letter on Mother’s Day might answer that question…and perhaps my mother will someday forgive me for being so unforgivably soppy.

Dear Mom,

It was good to hear your voice yesterday and to hear how well [...]

The Ties That Bind

MB Willburn — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:08:57 +0000

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It may come as a shock to many amateur gardeners to find that once they have tilled, planted, weeded, watered and finally watched a flower miraculously appear, their job is not yet finished.

The higher that flower reaches, the more precarious her situation grows. All it takes is one rollicking thunderstorm – one gusty day [...]

Tell Me O Muse, of Spring

MB Willburn — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:12:53 +0000

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April is National Poetry Month. It is no wonder. The earth is reawakening in great waves of exuberance. That which appeared to be dead, lives. That which was forgotten is now remembered. How can a poet worth his pen not turn his mind to thoughts of the sublime in April?

Contrast in the garden is at [...]

Marley & Me

MB Willburn — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:02:30 +0000

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Years ago I wrote an article about living in your small garden with children and dogs. The process is sanity-stretching, and those who value that sanity give up early, plant a smattering of grass and throw a barrier around the whole thing to keep the little demons in. Nevertheless, there are those of us [...]

Surviving The Season

MB Willburn — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:54:24 +0000

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As I write these words, many of you are waking up this morning and clutching your blankets a little tighter around your chins, aware that the ambient temperature in your bedroom has crept below ‘pleasantly cool’ and moved into ‘nippy’ territory. After weeks of temperatures soaring twenty degrees or more above normal, it may [...]

Going to Seed

MB Willburn — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:52:45 +0000

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I have had to have stern words with myself lately. The fact is, the month is drawing on, the bulbs are a-springing, the sun is a-shining; but my seeds are not a-starting.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with seed viability – it’s all about me viability. My personal germination rate is running at about [...]

Lighten Up – I’m Trying To Enjoy Myself

MB Willburn — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:09:53 +0000

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What is the gardener to make of this winter? Shall we rejoice in sweet bursts of sunshine, indulge in temperatures to rival the winter climes of tourist-clogged states? Or shall we crease our foreheads with educated frowns – certain of the impending doom a mild winter will have on flora and fauna conditioned to [...]

To Buy or Not to Buy

MB Willburn — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:02:27 +0000

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I was posed an interesting question recently. Said my examiner, “If you had to pick one purchase you have made that cost a good deal of money, but constantly contributed to the joy and fullness of your life what would it be?”

I had to think for a minute or two. I am teased for [...]