April is such an industrious month! Birds are busy building nests, bees are out and about pollinating and building up their colonies, and slugs are on the warpath once again. It’s all happening in tune with the drone of the gardener’s lawn mowers and the creak of sore backs bent low over the garden beds. …
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist Over the winter I took advantage of the “off” season by taking a few classes (actually, a lot of classes!) in hopes of honing my skills as a gardener and exposing myself to new ideas. They ranged from raising goats to keeping honey bees, and from identifying garden pests…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist In February, I am all optimism! Spring is not far off, and I look forward to it as though I am anticipating a long awaited party. (Or for the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl-GO HAWKS!) I see spring in the green tips of daffodils pushing up from…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist Most people try pretty hard to not go outside in the winter around here. I can’t blame them too much; after all, it’s usually wet, cold, dark, blustery, or any combination of said winter weather (sometimes it’s all at the same time and then some!) However, I’ve really…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist It seems to me that the sunrise in winter is so much more beautiful than at other times of the year. Maybe it’s because the sun is so seldom seen here in December, that when the clouds part and I am able see the peach and rose hues of…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist We’ve entered into the blustery wet month of November. I don’t know about you, but I always feel energized and uplifted when the wind is blowing and the leaves are flying like spinning dervishes all around. The wildness of it makes me want to smile and get silly…
1 1/3 cup butter 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup molasses (dark) 4 cups flour 4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 tsps cinnamon 2 tsps ginger Beat butter until soft and add sugar; add one egg at a time, then molasses. Combine all dry ingredients together and sift. Add several tablespoons…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist October in the garden is so quintessentially autumnal for me. Mornings are cool and drippy with dew (if not down right soggy from the rain the night before) and spider webs are draped artfully from shrub to tree, each strand beaded with moisture. Colors stand out vividly despite being…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist We have been blessed this year with one of the very best summers that I can remember. At my house, you know it’s a good summer when: The house hasn’t been cleaned in months. Seriously, if we have guests, we just reroute them through the garden gate and onto…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist It’s a rare day that I don’t come home with a few plants from the Nursery. My sweet and understanding husband kindly points out that our yard is getting pretty full, but it sure is lovely! My stepsons have both observed that there may not be any more space…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist I was on my way out to the chicken coop one morning, when I noticed that the new growth on my apple tree was curled and distorted in the way that only an aphid infestation can do. Usually aphids are on the bottom of my ‘bad bugs’ list,…
By Rachel Anderson, Certified Professional Horticulturalist June to me really means one thing: roses! I love roses, and this past month I have been watching carefully as their flower buds have gotten fatter and more numerous. As June gets closer I go out daily (yes, every day) to see if any have popped open, and…