Spring is nearly gone by, just like that we are just about to turn the corner into summer. There is quite a lot of energy in the atmosphere in June, the verdant green of spring still lingers, plants growing up seemingly over night, the long evenings and early mornings. But there is a softness to it as well, we are not in the hot, heavy days of July and August, things are still fresh.
Read MoreHere in Essex, winter was relatively mild, we had a bit of snow, and a good deal of rain, some very cold spells and some balmy ones. January was typical I suppose, cold, rain and a bit of snow, a bit warmer than some Januaries, but not excessively so.
Read MoreToday is bright and clear, but cold, winter has firmly settled in, inside the logs crackle in the wood stove as we linger a bit longer around its radiance. Outside, the world sparkles in the the early morning light, a lacy frost stretching across the sedum seed heads and fallen leaves, an icy crust crunching underfoot all throughout the garden.
Read MoreHappy Autumnal Equinox!
September is a month of immense transition, beginning in full summer, shorts and sandals, ocean swims and it all, but by the end fall has firmly settled in and we reach for our favorite sweater and a warm cup of tea. It is a month of changing light. The sun doesn’t arc above as it did at mid summer, it slants lower, through trees, casting new shadows where once there was sun.
Read MoreIt is early August and early in the morning, the sky is still waking up and a faint mist is in the air. Looking about the garden, walking here and there, I am planning for fall and beginning to sow the last crops to go in the veg garden. It is hard to believe we have come to August, the we are at the tail end of the growing season, now we are counting weeks to the first frost, where just 3 month back we were moving tender plants out in the garden.
Read MoreJune, what a lovely month is June, it has the warmth and fullness of summer, but the softness of spring and the greens are still so fresh and vibrant. It is late spring, it is summer before the heat. The days stretch out before us, the honey bees cover the catmint and creeping thyme, hummingbirds can be seen darting here and there around the garden, the magnificent peonies are blooming along with the spires of foxgloves and bobbles of Alliums.
Read MoreAs I write this, April is nearly gone by, and May is just around the corner. I suppose I say this nearly every month, it is a busy month in the garden, but April is even more so. There is simply so much to do, all the winter jobs to finish, seeds to start, perennials to move and divide, new plantings to add, general clean up from winter, the list goes on and on.
Read MoreHappy Spring! Winter is behind us, and this last week it has surely felt that way, the days have been warm and the nights quiet mild, we have had some sun, a bit of clouds and rain, but it is Spring!
Read MoreToday, warm breezes and overcast skies greet me this morning with a whisper of the coming spring. But when I had sat down to write the newsletter in earnest, snow was softly swirling out the widow, it didn’t come too much, but it felt like winter out there, overcast, decidedly cold, with a strong westerly wind. The end of February can be like that, snow one day, followed by handful of days that feel as if spring was just around the corner, then of course, back to crusty snow underfoot in the garden.
Read MoreWhile spring is still far off, January and the start of the new year fills me with hope. The days are starting to stretch out, there are many garden jobs to be done on good days and there is all the planning and dreaming of the garden to be done.
Read MoreDecember is a slow month in the garden, I think I do about as much “gardening” this month as I do in a single week in April. That is not to say I am not in my garden, or there aren’t numerous projects we are working on.
Read MoreNovember is a busy month in the garden, full of work to get done to set the garden right for the coming winter as well as setting yourself up for the coming spring. We can get a frost at the end of October, but more commonly it is sometime in early November, and that has held true this month.
Read MoreWe are well into September now, and a though we still are warmed by the noontime sun and tempted into thinking summer will stick around a bit longer, we know it is fading. Leaves have just begun to turn, there is a crispness and clear quality to the air, and a coolness in the morning and evening to calls for slippers or at least sweaters for morning coffee or a late night tea in the garden.
Read MoreAugust is a weighty month, many of the fruit and flowers , perennials, annual and veg are at their height, there is a semi wild fullness to the garden. In short, it is a glorious month. The zinnias, dahlias, sunflowers, scarlet runner beans, cannas, ect, are all putting forward their very best display.
Read MoreOne of my favorite fruit trees we grow are our two Asian Pears. They began blooming about a week ago, and I would say they are in their peak bloom as I write. They have the classic, delicate pear blossom, with bright green leaf growth following behind, then in September, delicious orb shaped pears hang from the boughs.
Read MoreMay is the month of the garden, the month of getting hands in the soil and planting things out! As we finish sorting out the structure in our annual gardens we start planting out, always watching the weather. Slowly we bring seedling out, let them test their wings a bit and covering them back up if it is going to be to chilly at night. We start planting out more and more, and by the end of the month the green house is cleared out of all the tables and trays and instead tomatoes create a jungle inside.
Read MoreApril is a month of immense growth. At the beginning ,the world around us is still relatively brown, the grass is sodden underfoot and many branches are yet bare, but by the end, Spring is sweeping away all the grey and brown, replacing it with a bright new green punctuated with blooms.
April is also a month of busy busy work. Where there is much to do in the garden. And what’s more, things done at this time of year pay you tenfold, the plants simply love having the full season to grow.
Read MoreThe winter garden depends on good evergreens, for their structure, their obvious greeness, and the host of life they bring to the garden even in our coldest months. They are without a doubt crucial in the winter, but they are just as important in the summer, but they move to the back then, letting other players take center stage. I have come to realize their sculptural structure shouldn’t be under valued in any season.
Read MoreEvery January I find myself reading a lot, thinking a lot, and dreaming a lot about my gardens. It feels simultaneously a time of reflection and introspection as well as a time dreaming and planning.
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