During the late-Winter of 2021, I wrote a piece on Van Berkum Nursery, a wholesale nursery based in southern New Hampshire that propagates a broad range of perennials. Their founder’s DNA, Leslie and Peter Van Berkum, is rooted in native and woodland plants, so I reached out recently to John Gedratis, the current nursery owner, to ask aboutContinue reading “Popular Native Plants At Van Berkum Nursery”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Work in the Spring Garden
Two weeks ago, I taught my ‘Work in the Spring Garden’ class, and thought I would share some of the concepts that I covered as we are preparing to get out into the gardens. Each one of these is a significant topic and I spend a lot of time educating people about these important ideas.Continue reading “Work in the Spring Garden”
Importance Of Having a Quality, Certified Arborist
I spend a lot of time helping client’s understand the importance and value of a high quality, certified Arborist. We have a tendency to ignore or not pay close attention to our larger woody plants and trees. They are always there and appear to reliably leaf out every Spring and change color in the fall.Continue reading “Importance Of Having a Quality, Certified Arborist”
Growing Degree Day Meaning for Plants and Insects
As a follow-up to the previous piece on pollinators and native plants, I thought a brief discussion of Growing Degree Days (GDD) would be interesting. I seem to do this every year or two, but it really helps to reinforce our previous discussion on the relationship between plants and pollinators. Nature provides plants at the right timeContinue reading “Growing Degree Day Meaning for Plants and Insects”
Discussion with Dr Robert Gegear about Pollinators and Healthy, Native Ecosystems
I try to provide information to help people learn and be prepared to make informed decisions. Over a number of recent posts, I have been discussing native plants, pollinators and healthy ecosystems. If any one part of the system is out of balance it can have a significant impact on the system as a whole.Continue reading “Discussion with Dr Robert Gegear about Pollinators and Healthy, Native Ecosystems”
2023 New England Weather Summary from Blue Hill Observatory
I know everyone who reads this isn’t a horticultural geek or numbers nerd like me, but take a few minutes and learn about this incredible resource we have in the Boston area called the Blue Hill Observatory. When I talk about weather, in my in-season newsletters, I am often linking to and using data from BlueContinue reading “2023 New England Weather Summary from Blue Hill Observatory”
Native Plants As Part Of The Ecosystem
I hardly meet with a client now who doesn’t ask about native plants, and it is exciting that people want to start planting some natives. However, plants are just part of the whole picture, the ecosystem, that is a space in which plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms interact with each other. Following is a series of linksContinue reading “Native Plants As Part Of The Ecosystem”
2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Meaning
The new Plant Hardiness Zone Map is here, the new Plant Hardiness Zone Map is here! 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map You have probably been seeing this image during the fall, as the 2023 map was released. Lots of people have been writing about it, but I find few are actually talking about howContinue reading “2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Meaning”
Amazing Story of an Industrious Youth
This past weekend, I was on my weekly trip to our town’s Transfer Station to drop off my garbage and recycling, a New England rite of passage. While driving though my old neighborhood, I saw, from a distance, what looked like a large cart on the opposite side of the street. Was it being pushed…was itContinue reading “Amazing Story of an Industrious Youth”
Gifts for the Gardener or Plant Lover
Here are some gift ideas this season for the gardener or plant lover in your life. Certainly not an exhaustive list, but this is a list of some favorites from over the years. New England Botanic Garden – How about a membership to this substantial and growing botanic garden that works hard to create reasons to visit year-round. ItContinue reading “Gifts for the Gardener or Plant Lover”
Barking Dog Gardens - Gardening in New England 