“Looking for inspiration and relaxation? It’s all in your own backyard.”
Report From PIA – July 10 I had members of the Garden Writers Association at my house tonight, and we sat around the table talking about what we’re cultivating…not so much in our gardens, but in our lives. One member talked of how time consuming it was to speak to garden clubs: driving off Cape, [...]
Report From PIA – July 9 I’ve started three landscapes “from scratch.” We purchased all three houses already finished, but they had minimal to non-existent landscaping. I made all the usual beginners mistakes on the mid-Hudson valley property: I planted things too close together, I didn’t have a plan but would plunk anything in any [...]
Report From PIA – July 6 A recent post on a garden writers listserv asked people to weigh in on an article about statements made by the Royal Horticultural Society’s new president. It seems she thinks that the BBC is “dumbing down” their garden programs, and she wants it to stop. While most of us [...]
Report From PIA – June 7 Last night I woke up at 1 AM and glanced out the window as I walked to the bathroom. There were huge fireflies outside, moving fast, and blinking five rapid flashes followed by a pause. No, I was not dreaming. I stayed up for some time watching them, making [...]
Report From PIA – May 28 When I got home tonight, I told my mother-in-law that I was going outside to do some planting. “Oh, please don’t,” she said. “You must be tired…you worked with plants all day.” She was right – I was at the garden center, and doing consultations, from 8 until 5 [...]
Report From PIA – May 24 I have so much to do, and little time to do it all in. I’m so very blessed. There are tomato plants waiting to go into the ground, mulch to be spread and weeds to pull. No rain is forecast in the coming week so I need to be [...]
Report From PIA – April 18 I spoke at a Spring Planting Festival at the garden center today, helping people learn about vegetable gardening. Other speakers talked about the effect of too much synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, how to make compost, and other aspects of home landscaping. There was a sizeable, appreciative crowd who took notes [...]
Report From PIA – March 30 Today was too stormy to work in the garden, but I could have used some meditative weeding, that’s for sure. Did you ever have a day that seems to have a theme to it? Say the morning starts with the carton of eggs falling out of the refrigerator and [...]
Report From PIA – March 12 Today I spoke about perennial bed maintenance at a Backyard Horticulture class, and when I got home, read Tim Wood’s post at his Plant Hunter blog. The class was a group of about 45 people who’ve signed on to a series of talks about all aspects of home landscaping. [...]
Report From PIA – December 5 It’s one of the times of the year when I’m at the garden center in a concentrated way. The three weeks after Thanksgiving are important for wreaths, arrangements and other custom work, so I’m one of the “elves” who create beautiful holiday arrangements for the garden center’s customers. This [...]
