tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28968672405515899052012-01-27T14:00:12.249-05:00Thoughts on Garden Design and Environmental IssuesLois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.comBlogger1701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-60297714100654867542012-01-27T14:00:00.000-05:002012-01-27T14:00:12.258-05:00

Plotting out gardening resolutions during the long, dull, gray days of winter, is a pleasant way to stay connected to our gardening hopes and dreams when cabin fever sets in and we pine for the glorious colors and smells of spring.Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it’s smart to start a gardening resolution list by checking in with the inner gardener. Set aside all the flashy photos

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-79025343471296716772011-12-09T15:54:00.000-05:002011-12-09T15:54:47.070-05:00

December means it’s time to look back across the past 12 months to see how much progress has been made on integrating the inner gardener’s 2011 resolutions into the garden sanctuary. It’s a good way to stay on track with those gardening hopes and dreams and come up with some new resolutions next month. The unfinished, or never-started, projects from 2010. The fallen cherry tree was removed

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-5199125131861666082011-11-15T14:48:00.000-05:002011-11-15T14:48:02.526-05:00

Garden lifestyle speaker and coach Lois J. de Vries was recently appointed chair of the Garden Writers of America's Sustainability Task Force. GWA, headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, has 1,800 members worldwide including book authors, staff editors, syndicated columnists, free-lance writers, photographers, landscape designers, television and radio personalities, extension service agents,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-41333227493730675302011-10-17T16:14:00.002-04:002011-11-12T13:10:32.315-05:00

This septic system's mounded leach field is planted as a perennial garden. Working on the garden landscape is such an exciting pastime that it’s hard not to jump right in with every next big idea that comes along. In some ways, the garden industry is not very different from the fashion industry – styles come and go; this year’s “in” color is “out” next year; breeders are constantly tweaking

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-27680024990794017182011-09-14T11:58:00.001-04:002011-09-14T12:00:25.320-04:00

The restored pool at Bamboo Brook The sixteen clubs that make up District 4 of The Garden Club of New Jersey have collaborated on a period flower show scheduled for Friday, September 16th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, and Saturday, September 17th  from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Floral design entries will be on display in the Stone Barn at Willowwood Arboretum; horticultural submissions can be seen in the

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-13333964464370648772011-09-09T16:18:00.004-04:002011-09-09T16:24:07.499-04:00

Connect with Nature from inside the house as well as from outside of it! Every gardener fails at something It goes with the territory. Even the best of us have plants beset by insects, fungi, bacteria and other pests that are difficult to control and can wipe out an entire growing season’s work. Then there is the weather – early snows, late ice storms,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-23738138751890211542011-08-14T11:45:00.001-04:002011-08-14T11:52:51.046-04:00

Rustic cedar boundary fence repaired! Mid-August is already upon us, so it’s time to check how much progress has been made on integrating my inner gardener’s 2011 resolutions into our garden sanctuary. It’s a good way to stay on track with gardening hopes and dreams and make any necessary mid-season corrections.  First, the unfinished, or never-started, projects from 2010. The

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-45398170721886595872011-07-30T16:25:00.001-04:002011-09-09T16:24:49.127-04:00

Tour your garden just the way it is now. If you had never seen your garden before, what would you think? Do you like it? Not like it? If not, take the time to figure out why. Sometimes it’s as simple as the fact that you don’t like some of the plants, ornaments, or structures that are there. Perhaps they were put in by a former homeowner whose vision of the garden was very different from your

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-50067145121520292882011-06-22T17:24:00.000-04:002011-06-22T17:24:42.551-04:00

Once you’ve settled on a garden style, it’s time to break out the reference books and plant catalogs to create a list of what to buy and how much it all will cost. That's your wish list. Next, add up the cost of everything on your wish list. Even if you can afford everything on the list, think about how much time and effort it will take to install it all. Can you get it done in one growing

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-78507654628449636352011-06-14T15:30:00.000-04:002011-06-14T15:30:48.361-04:00

 If you feel unsure about where or how to invest your time, energy, or money, you're not alone. Making choices about how much money to spend, whether to grow your own plants from seed or cuttings, which plants to choose, etc., must also take into consideration where you are in your own life cycle. For example, if you want to plant oak trees in order to enjoy watching wildlife eat the acorns,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-39029092000646456002011-06-01T13:18:00.001-04:002011-06-14T15:31:49.077-04:00

Meet me at Perennial Fest on June 4th at Donaldson's Greenhouse and Nursery, 178 Airport Rd., in Hackettstown, NJ for the debut of my latest hands-on program, Garden Sanctuary a la Carte. The program starts at 1:00pm.  Wear your walking shoes and bring your wallet for this "Try and Buy" workshop designed specifically to make purchasing the basics of a garden sanctuary easier.We'll start

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-71689600198582206902011-05-14T09:25:00.003-04:002011-06-13T11:21:52.878-04:00

Secret #2: Reconnect to Your Inner Gardener I enjoy Garden Writers conferences. What's your favorite gardening thing? Do you feel like you’re going through the motions of gardening without getting much enjoyment? The sense of satisfaction we experience from gardening comes from within. Dissatisfaction is a symptom that we've become disconnected from our inner gardener. This discontent can

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-82529167678558617742011-05-09T13:07:00.000-04:002011-05-09T13:07:29.704-04:00

Secret #1: How to Generate That Magical Quality What's your ideal dream garden? Have you been to other people’s gardens that seem to have a magical quality to them, but can’t seem to create it in your own? What may be missing is you. The heady atmosphere we encounter in certain very special gardens is a direct expression of their gardeners' inner being. A fortunate few are able to garden this

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-26643050631526991262011-04-23T11:43:00.001-04:002011-04-23T16:08:54.849-04:00

My first post for Diggin' It, The Christian Science Monitor's garden blog, appeared at the beginning of February 2011, when I joined Judy Lowe's team of garden writers to share my knowledge about gardening in the stony clay of northwestern New Jersey and my thoughts about gardening from the inside out. It's been both challenging and fun to come up with topics during the dead of winter, when

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-23455441048690455742011-04-01T11:23:00.001-04:002011-04-23T16:07:56.014-04:00

It's hard to believe that the April issue of the Cultivating the Inner Gardener newsletter marks a full year of sharing my ideas about garden design with spirit in mind with my readers. I'd love for you to join these gardening enthusiasts and discover a new approach to your favorite pastime.Ground-breaking IdeasEach monthly issue offers subscribers innovative ideas about how to design a garden

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-36235008490864377542011-03-19T15:12:00.002-04:002011-04-23T16:08:15.224-04:00

Meet me at Flower Fest on April 9th at the Ocean County Library, 101 Washington St, in Toms River, NJ, where I'll be presenting Cultivating the Inner Gardener, an illustrated talk that focuses on how gardening from the inside out creates a personal space that is not only beautiful and healthy, but also provides a sanctuary from today's hectic world. The presentation includes photos of gardens

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-24364391698907806422011-03-10T11:30:00.001-05:002011-03-10T11:35:39.394-05:00

 Informal design and balance  The irregular, curved lines of beds and paths in informal gardens contrast sharply with the geometrical lines of formal gardens. Similarly, the look conveyed by overflowing sprays of flowers, shrubs, and ornamental grasses left to grow into their natural sizes and shapes is strikingly softer than that of a formal box hedge smartly clipped into a perfect

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-28636184289443959772011-02-21T12:21:00.000-05:002011-02-21T12:21:15.484-05:00

Formal design can display  symmetrical or asymmetrical balance Classic formal design at  the Strickland Arms Bed and Breakfast, Austin, TX. Most people think of formal landscape design in terms of symmetrical balance. For example, in the first photo, at the Strickland Arms bed and breakfast in Austin, when you draw an imaginary line down the middle of the walk (the main axis), each side

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-62438136586280832152011-02-11T16:59:00.000-05:002011-02-11T16:59:01.524-05:00

Snow is good for houseplants, but not in the way you might imagine. We've had a continuous cover of snow on the ground since the holidays and the increase in reflected light has had a very salutary effect on my houseplants, particularly the yellow Clivia 'Golden Dragon,' which I purchased in 2008.In the summer of 2009, following advice from members of the Garden Writer's Listserv, I moved it

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-63308040822911665542011-01-28T14:28:00.001-05:002011-01-28T14:32:38.853-05:00

While I will be glued to the TV set next Wednesday awaiting the weather prognostications of that most famous of all woodchucks, Punxsutawney Phil, my own herd of marmots will have to dig through an additional two feet of snow before they can see the light of day. Chubby Chuck and his kin hang out around the compost pile during the growing season, eating the discarded remnants of such exotic

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-77286481858889730922011-01-21T12:14:00.000-05:002011-01-21T12:14:41.238-05:00

Gardeners and garden-related professionals, environmental consultants, and government officials won’t want to miss the 11th Annual Land Ethics Symposium, sponsored by Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (New Hope, PA). The symposium focuses on ways to create economical and ecologically balanced landscapes using native plants and restoration techniques. By combining sustainability and

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-88722779900214777842011-01-15T13:18:00.001-05:002011-01-16T08:53:10.502-05:00

A bird feeder that is really squirrel-proof is something you have to see to believe, especially if you've been disappointed by baffles and other squirrel-proofing ideas that just don't work. And that's exactly what happened to us. We spend every Thanksgiving with my life-long friend who lives in Virginia. The prior year she had received a Duncraft squirrel-proof bird feeder as a Christmas

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-50930791028991390532011-01-07T11:11:00.000-05:002011-01-07T11:11:57.241-05:00

One pleasant way to stay connected to our gardening hopes and dreams during the dull, gray days of winter, is to start visualizing gardening projects we're happy to complete: Gardening Resolutions.First, re-examine unfinished, or never-started, projects from the previous year. Try to understand why those projects were not completed – did you simply run out of time, or was the project just not

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-1309499012480552492010-12-05T14:57:00.000-05:002010-12-05T14:57:04.550-05:00

While deer will eat just about anything in late winter and early spring when there are few other foods left, they pretty much ignore ferns. If portions of your garden are in partial or full shade, these four ferns can add a lush woodland, or even tropical, look to your space with little upkeep. In contemporary and classical-style landscapes, clumps of ferns can be planted in pairs, in ground or

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-54369537199782698992010-11-20T08:48:00.002-05:002010-11-22T10:28:36.575-05:00

How do you know what your gardener wants most? Listen for clues by paying close attention to the gardener's running commentary throughout the year. Among the mumbling and grumbling, you'll hear things such as, "If I just had one more (fill in the blank), it would look perfect," or "One of these days, I'm going to have to get a (fill in the blank)" or the far more subtle, "I really liked how

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-55224792578055105492010-11-15T13:34:00.000-05:002010-11-15T13:34:25.781-05:00

Late in the 2009 growing season, I fell in love with the picture on a plant tag and bought five "gentians" at a home improvement store, even though they were marked as annuals. My intention was to use them in my blue garden to replace some native closed indigo that had succumbed to an unknown rust-like disease. I hoped the plants would flower, set seed, and come up again.I got nothing.This

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-4397743796269748612010-11-06T11:00:00.000-04:002010-11-06T11:00:19.705-04:00

On our last day in Texas Hill Country, we tagged along with cousin Brenda, whose band had a gig for the town of Stonewall's 150-year celebration. Stonewall is the birthplace (and final resting place) of President Lyndon B. Johnson and much of the LBJ ranch is now a National Historic Park. Stonewall's population is about 526. Folks were at the

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-39157970767832000462010-10-22T12:11:00.000-04:002010-10-22T12:11:03.673-04:00

If you've grown some of your own vegetables or herbs within the past five years, in a dedicated veggie garden, in containers, or spotted amongst ornamentals, George Weigel and Steve Bogash want to hear from you. George is the garden writer for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, PA, and Steve is a regional vegetable specialist for Penn State's Extension Service. They want to hear about newbies'

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-13204869708471101132010-10-09T13:32:00.000-04:002010-10-09T13:32:23.108-04:00

It was gratifying to hear Garden Writers of America (GWA) annual symposium keynote speaker Kierstin De West describe a developing cultural shift in which consumer attitudes about sustainability encompass more than just the idea of "green" products.Her data support my position that gardeners want something "more" from their gardening experiences. De West's presentation on sustainability was

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-40921170373614871602010-10-04T16:35:00.003-04:002010-10-05T11:02:07.558-04:00

We’re just back from the Garden Writers Association 62nd  Annual Symposium in Dallas, Texas and in the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing some product, plant, gardening, and travel information from our trip. Kudos to all who were involved with pulling together the four day whirlwind of seminars and garden tours, complete with meals and side trips, that had us up by 6:00am but not even close to a

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-25617119380324452692010-09-24T16:01:00.000-04:002010-09-24T16:01:07.427-04:00

Gardener-centric coach Lois J. de Vries helps gardeners create a personal space that is not only beautiful and healthy, but also a sanctuary for the soul. She was recently appointed to the Garden Writers of America's (GWA) Sustainability Task Force. She was selected based on her familiarity with land use law, environmental regulations, and invasive plants.   GWA has 1,800 members worldwide

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-40190970049876099312010-09-05T11:01:00.000-04:002010-09-05T11:01:02.224-04:00

(PHOTO: Red Butte Garden, Utah uses red flagstones for paths and paved terraces throughout the garden.) With such an interesting variety of hardscape materials and plants available to work with in the garden today, homeowners may be tempted to use several of them, rather than engage with the effort of choosing among them. Coupled with the popularity of creating multiple garden rooms with

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-46536034512783580852010-08-30T12:34:00.001-04:002010-08-30T12:36:18.797-04:00

The idiosyncratic combination of bricks with arroyo stone that became a hallmark of Greene and Greene landscape design is one example of how to use contrast to create drama or emphasis in the garden. The two materials couldn't be more different: The dark-colored bricks are uniform in size and shape, while the nearly-white stones and boulders exhibit a variety of rounded shapes and sizes.

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-40462318344007390022010-08-20T17:19:00.001-04:002010-08-20T17:21:49.425-04:00

Recently we traveled to Pasadena to tour the famous Arts and Crafts Style Gambel House. The three-hour woodworkers' tour focused on the joinery of the house's construction, but I had my own agenda, concentrating on the views and the construction of the outdoor spaces. The distinctive Greene and Greene architectural style is instantly recognizable, as is their idiosyncratic combination of

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-54557584048943044722010-08-13T11:35:00.000-04:002010-08-13T11:35:13.647-04:00

This elegant dancer at the Quail Botanical Garden in Encinitas, California is made entirely of succulent plants mounted in moss, on a wire frame. Nearby is a mariachi band covered in variegated ivy and several other dancers, whose hats, boots, and vest are made of copper. I love artwork in the garden and what could be more wonderful for avid gardeners than artworks made of plants!The

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-80714252478956245792010-08-06T14:09:00.000-04:002010-08-06T16:13:28.174-04:00

I'm just back from a whirlwind trip to San Diego and Pasadena, part business and part mini-vacation. More about that later, because I first want to share with you a great recipe while my readers in New Jersey and nearby areas can still get fresh, ripe tomatoes. This was a salad I nearly swooned over at the Red Pearl Kitchen in the Gas Lamp District of San Diego. And it's soooo simple, just

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-67470945755893593602010-08-01T12:37:00.000-04:002010-08-01T12:37:35.683-04:00

Did you make some New Year’s gardening resolutions in January like I did, or fantasize about a series of projects to complete before summer’s end? (See mine at http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2009/12/gardening-resolutions-for-2010.html). Well, it’s the end of July and we’re halfway through the gardening season. Time to check progress against plans. My primary goal was to stay on track with

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-41119988353604713332010-07-23T15:39:00.000-04:002010-07-23T15:39:04.515-04:00

This year I received three field-trial roses: The previously-described Pink Home Run™, Dick Clark, and Candy Oh™. I'm guessing at the Weeks floribunda Dick Clark, since it arrived with only its trial number. The description of its cherry picotee blushing to burgundy didn't hold for my individual plant. It did start out as creamy white. It did form the cherry picotee, but as it opened out,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-10235960822890421262010-07-09T12:06:00.002-04:002010-07-20T08:39:05.587-04:00

My field trial roses include Weeks' original Home Run™ and this year, Pink Home Run™, both bred from the KnockOut™ strain. Dan raves about the original's dark red color, which seemed to me a little off. Just goes to show you that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. I quickly discovered, however, that it's unaffected by dogs, handymen, clay soil, drought, and disease (it doesn’t seem

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-11911978842364357492010-06-27T11:17:00.000-04:002010-06-27T11:17:10.616-04:00

One of the first trial roses I was ever offered was the Red Double Knockout landscape rose and later, Pink Double Knockout. These are reliable, disease-free plants that rebloom again and again throughout the growing season, starting in early June. In 2009, I cut the last blossoms at the end of the third week in October (Zone 5B). The plants can look a little ratty between bloom events if you

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-33811951877547667832010-06-20T07:52:00.001-04:002010-06-20T08:50:54.237-04:00

Another rose with odd-but-endearing coloration is Cinqo de Mayo, a 2009 AARS winner. It's a Floribunda with a lovely bloom, but you need to be careful what you put it near to avoid color clashes. I happened to have an empty spot next to my Sambucus Black Lace, whose dark leaves provide a perfect foil for it. Pink Promise is another 2009 AARS winner. A Hybrid Tea Rose, its pale fragrant

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-43097898300469731332010-06-14T12:45:00.002-04:002010-06-20T07:23:30.886-04:00

Whether it was all of the rain last year, or the combination of hot days and rain this year, the roses in my garden are doing really, really well. I'm blessed to receive trial roses from growers and, while you never know what you're going to get, some of them are a very pleasant surprise. One of these is Mardi Gras, a 2008 AARS Winner. I am not fond of orange-colored anything and was

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-66469466282184615562010-06-07T14:38:00.003-04:002010-06-07T15:37:24.475-04:00

Dan and I spent Sunday at the Watnong Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society meeting admiring club members' handsome hypertufa alpine troughs, viewing slides of troughs and alpine rock gardens, attending a workshop about creating an appropriate soil mix for the troughs, and learning about the giant alpine trough at the Haggerty Education Center at Frelinghuysen Arboretum. The

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-27390928200559633662010-05-28T09:37:00.000-04:002010-05-28T09:37:56.240-04:00

Save the date. I’m scheduled to present an overview of Cultivating the Inner Gardener: Gardening for Personal Growth (http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com ) on June 5th, 2010 at 1:30pm, at Donaldson's Greenhouse and Nursery 's Perennial Fest in Hackettstown, NJ . Come by and say “hello” if you’re in the area. I'll review what it means to garden for personal growth, why gardeners

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-26849857368485561142010-05-23T09:56:00.000-04:002010-05-23T09:56:38.393-04:00

Sometimes. With Papyrus. I keep my Papyrus in a plastic pot that I can bring indoors and snug into a copper cachepot to carry it over the winter (see http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2007/12/papyrus-prolonged.html and http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2008/07/papyrus-daydream.html). By the end of last year's unusually rainy summer, the roots extended six inches beyond the rim of the pot, so I had

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-79699319014781213842010-05-14T11:42:00.002-04:002010-05-14T11:45:09.552-04:00

I recently purchased a cordless electric push mower. It weighs 93 pounds. My friends, most of whom haven't used anything but a self-propelled or riding mower in the last 25 years, are incredulous. I have always used a push mower for the exercise, but the rip-cord style one tied my mowing hours to Dan being home to start it for me. Now I'm free to mow as I please, when I please.Let me

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-66213901007546848622010-05-08T15:23:00.001-04:002010-05-08T15:52:05.789-04:00

Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki popularized the term "Beginner's Mind" in America. He tells us: "In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few." This is also true in gardening, as I learned just the other day. Dan had joined me in my evening garden rounds, during which I point out what has bloomed since last time (usually yesterday), and what difficult

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-73218390904035437292010-05-02T10:08:00.003-04:002010-05-02T10:12:22.444-04:00

This week, I attended a press event for the Mansion in May, a designer showhouse and gardens presented by the Women’s Association of Morristown Memorial Hospital. The designers have done a spectacular job and the $30 ticket price goes to support a good cause --- the expansion of the Emergency Department at Morristown Memorial Hospital. The mansion and grounds, Fawn Hill, are open now through

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-91213356898052260272010-04-22T09:34:00.000-04:002010-04-22T09:34:15.357-04:00

Join me on Monday, April 26th at 7:45pm, when I’ll be talking live to host Bonnie Graham (Radio Red) on her show Up Close and Personal about cultivating the inner gardener, gardening for relaxation, how people can turn their brown thumbs into green ones, how to select plants that make you feel alive and brighten your day, how gardening can provide relief from the stress of dating (really), and

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-1050412727963155262010-04-17T13:11:00.000-04:002010-04-17T13:11:52.244-04:00

A significant number of gardeners are returning to their local garden centers to purchase their plants after having deserted them in favor of the mass merchandise home stores, according to the Garden Writers of America early spring survey completed in March. Apparently the honeymoon is over. Garden centers’ and local retail stores’ market share rebounded from a low of 39% in 2006 to a

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-86955025576217466082010-04-11T10:25:00.001-04:002010-04-11T10:25:47.453-04:00

Does anyone else feel like this last two weeks of warm weather has somehow put you two months behind in your gardening chores? Here in the northeast, temperatures were pushing close to 90ºF even in my mini-zone 5B. Plants that hadn’t poked their heads above the ground two days before were somehow in bloom two days later. Who could keep up? Now that we’re back to something more like normal

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-28835271480418956862010-04-03T16:16:00.003-04:002010-04-03T16:20:18.950-04:00

Restorative gardens, such as the one at NYU Medical Center (see previous post) may be soothing or stimulating, energizing, engaging, and produce a sense of peace, tranquility, or solace, all qualities that can help heal the spirit, as well as the bodies of hospital patients. In the 1980s, Dr. Roger Ulrich a Professor of Architecture at Texas A&M University and a faculty fellow of the Center

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-90993999855214701912010-03-26T11:13:00.000-04:002010-03-26T11:13:46.610-04:00

Last weekend I attended a Garden Writers of America regional meeting at NYU Medical Center’s Enid Haupt Glass Garden at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation. Director Nancy Chambers (top photo) presented the keynote on the hospital’s horticultural therapy program.The Glass Garden (greenhouse) offers year-round programs for the hospital’s patients as well as the general public. The

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-11806618208793224912010-03-19T15:20:00.001-04:002010-03-19T15:21:55.957-04:00

The gardening season unofficially launched in the Northeast this week, with temps predicted to swell to near 70º on Saturday. The (really hot) sunshine has brought out the best of my very early bloomers: Snowdrops, purple hybrid and yellow species crocus, Winter Aconite, Christmas Rose, and Lenten Rose. I was surprised to also see some of the Hydrangea leaf buds bursting out of their brown,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-87320635076547288522010-03-14T09:12:00.001-04:002010-03-14T09:12:52.431-04:00

Donna Dawson over at Gardening Tours tells me that there are only a couple of weeks left to sign up for the fabulous Blooms of Bressingham Celebration of English Gardens tour. Bookings close April 3rd. While the tour is designed primarily for garden writers and horticultural professionals, all hort-heads are welcome.In addition to the 16 acres of perennial gardens of Alan and Adrian Bloom,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-15623668417678492102010-03-05T10:22:00.000-05:002010-03-05T10:22:23.495-05:00

I’ll be speaking on Cultivating the Inner Gardener: Gardening for Personal Growth (http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com ) on March 12, 2010 at 3:30pm, at this year’s Springfest Flower and Garden Show in Augusta, NJ at the Sussex County Fairgrounds (http://bit.ly/a6W29O). Come by and say “hello” if you’re in the area. As the flower and garden show season swings into high gear, garden

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-85660978805091833092010-02-26T11:59:00.001-05:002010-02-26T12:01:27.244-05:00

For those who garden with orchids, it sometimes seems impossible to say why one is a success and another a failure. So it was with the precious Rhynchostylis gigantea orchid that mesmerized me at a small local show in Florida more than five years ago. Who could resist the intoxicating perfume of two enormous racemes in full bloom?In all, I carefully wrapped and packed five different orchids

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-69998440744701925692010-02-19T10:51:00.000-05:002010-02-19T10:51:22.387-05:00

Save the date. I’m scheduled to present an overview of Cultivating the Inner Gardener: Gardening for Personal Growth (http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com )on March 12, 2010 at 3:30pm, at this year’s Springfest Flower and Garden Show in Augusta, NJ at the Sussex County Fairgrounds (http://bit.ly/a6W29O ). Come by and say “hello” if you’re in the area. Springfest started out as a

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-5458858018674002612010-02-12T09:59:00.001-05:002010-02-12T10:06:23.570-05:00

Gardening can be a hobby, a business, a teaching tool, a learning experience, a science experiment, the setting for a novel, movie, or ballet, the subject matter of photography, painting, or poetry, and much more. But without its connection with you, the gardener, a garden will be nothing more than a well-designed, controlled imitation of nature. It will have no soul.And, as we are critical to

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-63481121965528748502010-02-06T11:36:00.001-05:002010-02-06T11:37:37.191-05:00

Eighteenth-century gardener, poet, and acerbic critic Alexander Pope’s phrase “the genius of the place” is often quoted by garden writers, landscape architects, and environmental advocates to urge us to respect what Nature herself provides.But, it’s important to understand Pope’s phrase in context: The context of the times, the context of Pope’s rebellion against the excesses of the wealthy,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-6897882806923900942010-01-23T11:48:00.004-05:002010-01-23T15:58:13.561-05:00

Guest Blog The Gardener’s Psychiatric Hotline has been a perennial favorite for garden humor, which those of us in the Northeast could use a little of right now. Thanks to Ron Vanderhoff of Roger’s Gardens for his version: “Many who read this column will soon retreat to their gardens for long periods of time. Once there, may will find peace, harmony, and beauty. But a few, some of whom I’ve

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-32527717997100379072010-01-08T15:39:00.002-05:002010-01-08T15:40:35.688-05:00

Gardeners and garden-related professionals, environmental consultants, and government officials won’t want to miss the 10th Annual Land Ethics Symposium, sponsored by Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (New Hope, PA). This year, the symposium focuses on ways to create economical and ecologically balanced landscapes using native plants and restoration techniques.In years past, the Land Ethics

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-77176447182434620742009-12-26T08:57:00.000-05:002009-12-26T08:57:11.513-05:00

We spent part of Christmas Day talking about our plans for 2010, the majority of which have to do with gardening. First on the list is building my gardener-coaching practice, something new that I’ll be debuting this spring, provided I can stay on schedule (see http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com ). There’s still that 75-foot cherry tree trunk in the east garden that needs to be

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-35191604777379769152009-12-18T12:57:00.001-05:002009-12-18T16:33:02.291-05:00

Have you ever walked away from the perfect garden picture without realizing it? I almost did last weekend when we had air temperatures above 32°F and ground temperatures below 32°F. As mist fell, it condensed onto the pumpkins that I hadn’t gotten around to removing from the porch steps. Initially, there was just a faint film. But as the sun set and temperatures continued to drop, sparkling

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-83531812760686789802009-12-07T13:01:00.000-05:002009-12-07T13:01:00.137-05:00

My friend Mary Ann Newcomer at Gardens of the Wild Wild West (formerly Idaho Gardener) is running a contest on why people garden http://www.gardensofthewildwildwest.com/index.php/2009/11/08/why-i-garden-a-contest/ . This one is right up my alley, since I’ve been giving serious thought to how and why people garden for the past five years. But enough about them. Here’s why I garden: Because it

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-53277653774778655992009-11-20T14:25:00.002-05:002009-11-20T14:31:35.832-05:00

The other day I was asked what my favorite gardening websites are and why. The first one that popped into my mind was Gardening Gone Wild http://www.gardeninggonewild.com/?p=9088 because of its pieces on photography and design, the ability to interact and cross-blog, and the hosts’ ability to generally stir up the imagination of gardeners everywhere.So this post is an entry in GGW’s Picture

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-90831058156545384472009-11-14T13:08:00.000-05:002009-11-14T13:08:10.354-05:00

Here’s a contemporary pavilion with a Japanese flair that’s produced by the unusual treatment of the beams at the eaves and the decorative detailing at the gable ends. The simple lines of the slat roof and the supporting columns create interesting reflections in the water and shadows on the decking.While the construction of a similar structure is not for the faint of heart, the basic form is

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-40748437824489396862009-11-06T14:28:00.001-05:002009-11-06T14:31:27.628-05:00

Floral sculpture: Inta Krombolz, ikrombolz@comcast.net  Want some insight into what your favorite gardener might be dreaming about during the long, cold winter? It’s not likely to be another trowel or pair of mud gloves. For something your gardener won’t soon forget, choose something from my fantasy gift list:Wind Sculptures – We bought one during our trip to Utah this year and just love

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-37702111815772754572009-10-31T12:07:00.001-04:002009-10-31T12:19:18.778-04:00

For those interested in following my Pinky Winky™  Hydrangea field trials (see earlier post at http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2008/08/pinky-winky-hydrangea.html), here is an update. Those planted in part sun in Spring 2007 are now over five feet tall, even though they were “trimmed” by a doe that had gotten inside our exclosure last summer. She had consumed a huge number of leaves, as well

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-87064339388112086702009-10-22T17:31:00.001-04:002009-10-22T17:33:15.165-04:00

A couple of years ago, I was invited to scout Chef James Laird’s vegetable garden. Like many upscale restauranteurs, James and wife Nancy who operate Restaurant Serenade in Chatham, NJ, wanted access to fresh, organic produce. So they grew their own.Rows of vari-colored leaf lettuce and peas had given way to heirloom and specialty tomatoes, green beans, and a wide variety of basil, parsley and

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-43650790567080417092009-10-03T10:26:00.004-04:002009-10-03T10:35:29.946-04:00

The combination of unprecedented amounts of rain and unanticipated life events combined to put the kibosh on this year’s gardening resolutions. The trunk of the 75-foot cherry tree still lies among the rhododendrons (perhaps I can make it a feature). It’s been tough to even keep this area weeded, although my Hay-scented ferns and Allegheny spurge have started to take off (this is their first

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-16490639037095924542009-09-25T14:57:00.000-04:002009-09-25T14:57:53.393-04:00

Fall is the time to plant the tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths and other bulbs that bloom in the spring. The good news is that flower bulbs are among the easiest plants for any gardener to grow. They are perfect for beginners and prized by expert gardeners, lending themselves to a simple planting by a lamppost, or a massive naturalized planting on a hillside.    Visit

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-87796690626351941082009-09-19T09:54:00.001-04:002009-09-19T09:59:18.206-04:00

Here’s a great example of rustic log benches in Red Butte Gardens in Utah. Half-sawn logs are surprisingly comfortable but, of course, you need to get the logs. In less urbanized areas, you can generally find a commercial sawmill, or a woodworker with a portable sawmill, to cut the logs for you. The beefy uprights of these benches are sunk into the ground, but in a more humid climate, you’d

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-89916841522922532362009-09-04T13:31:00.000-04:002009-09-04T13:31:51.787-04:00

American Spikenard (Aralia racemosa) is an easy-to-grow native plant that sports colorful berries beginning in late summer and continuing into fall.  The berries, beloved by birds, start out a light green, progress to a pinkish tone, and when mature, are deep purple. All three colors can appear simultaneously on the large panicles.This month, the Garden Bloggers’ Design Workshop over at 

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-50193817162079143802009-08-22T15:51:00.005-04:002009-08-22T16:10:23.103-04:00

I began my ascent in Mill Creek Canyon. Anyone who has ever suffered from altitude sickness will understand that the sensible way to arrive at our destination in Utah (altitude 8,300 ft.), was to ascend the Wasatch Mountains a little at a time. I’d never gotten sick in Salt Lake City (altitude 4,300 ft.), so we spent a day there. Next day, we bought our lunch and drove about half way up Mill

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-77060083070562722492009-08-17T11:25:00.004-04:002009-08-18T13:55:41.486-04:00

We’re just back from a trip to Utah, where we visited the Red Butte Botanical Garden on the campus of the University of Utah http://www.redbuttegarden.org . While there were many interesting things to see there, my favorite was the Fragrance Garden.Here, you’ll find enormous plants of lavender combined with flowering tobacco and a variety of other annuals and perennials. But it’s the lavender

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-38962367500562227242009-08-02T10:39:00.004-04:002009-08-02T10:43:21.374-04:00

The two gates shown here were hand- crafted: One, a traditional bronze, oriental-style marsh scene with a crane; the other, a contemporary abstract rendered in a variety of metals. Of course, custom gates can be made of wood or other materials, as well. Most custom gates are works of art in their own right, but they are functional art and must be able to withstand the rigors not only of the

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-63903474880843729902009-07-25T10:17:00.003-04:002009-07-25T10:42:59.446-04:00

This antique gate stands at the end of a wisteria-covered pergola and is attached to concrete pillars although, since the pergola itself is constructed of cedar logs, the gates could have been hung from cedar posts, as well. It is a formal exclamation point at the end of a traditional garden structure. It serves the practical purpose of separating this part of the garden from the county road,

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-17727883770099102632009-07-20T16:43:00.001-04:002009-07-20T16:45:36.968-04:00

Would Valley Dog (in PA) please re-contact me by clicking on the e-mail button at right, or re-posting your comment? When I went to publish it, it disappeared.Thanks,Lois

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-17745287701404460742009-07-17T10:51:00.002-04:002009-07-17T11:13:19.439-04:00

Here’s a simple rustic gate that acts more as a visual boundary than an actual barrier. Its purpose is to stop the eye and separate the pleasure garden from the driveway and the working part of the farm beyond. In this case, it provides access for the lawn tractor, wagons, and other impedimentia of garden maintenance, but works equally well for any transition area in a naturalistic setting.The

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-74816418177817794042009-07-10T11:24:00.002-04:002009-07-10T12:04:14.721-04:00

After 29 days and 29 nights of rain in June, it’s great to see some sunshine and be able to get back out into the garden to work. Watch out though, the poison ivy looks like elephant ears! There are other perils, as well. Last weekend, I put an ungloved hand under some perennials to yank weeds out nearer to the root and got a handful of slime. Never did figure out what that was.Most of the garden

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-43521455347010034982009-05-20T08:09:00.003-04:002009-10-08T11:08:40.337-04:00

In the middle of her election campaign for Township Committee, Lois took a day “off” on May 8th to head a group of volunteers who planted more than 300 bare-root shrubs during Andover Township’s Spring Detention Basin Planting Day. “Nature doesn’t wait until it’s convenient,” she said. Planting conditions were perfect: An overcast day that had been preceded by a week of rain. NJ Department of

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-26983367288117587022009-05-04T07:52:00.002-04:002009-05-04T07:58:16.155-04:00

Do you have an annual cleanup day in your town? This is the third year for Andover and about 200 people participated, including girl and boy scout troops, as well as a local track team. In New Jersey, grant funds are available for towns to purchase gloves, T-shirts, vests, road signs, etc. for the volunteers. A bagel breakfast and pizza lunch were served. I can tell you from experience, food

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-41460607099410928802009-04-17T13:07:00.002-04:002009-04-19T07:33:51.710-04:00

Using repetition and focal points to draw the eye through the garden makes it seem larger. We combined both techniques last fall and fulfilled a dream of many years by filling the middle space between the deer exclosure and the garden house with bulbs. We’ve tried small experiments in the past, such as planting Grape Hyacinths, but these were quickly nibbled to the nubs before they even had time

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-33034013883060865602009-04-03T11:39:00.002-04:002009-04-03T12:40:32.945-04:00

Within the past year, I’ve been trying to improve my food choices, both for health reasons and to control my weight. In the course of substituting apples for chips and cheese crackers (it was the crunch I craved), I’ve rediscovered a childhood fondness for fruit.For years, we’ve muddled along with our single McIntosh apple tree, one of a pair planted by my parents 60 years ago. They were supposed

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-38923306724018567742009-03-29T08:04:00.004-04:002009-04-02T07:58:26.123-04:00

Sometimes, we need to take matters into our own hands; in the garden, in life, and in politics. After eight years of banging my head against the brick wall of indifference and hostility towards conservation and environmental issues at the Environmental Commission and Land Use Board level, I’m raising the bar.I’ve thrown my hat in the ring for elected office --- our Township Committee. With luck

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-72477748217404054402009-03-20T15:53:00.001-04:002009-03-20T16:33:12.506-04:00

Happy Spring everybody! Let the gardening season begin. This year I decided to grow more plants from seed and I’m having a blast. I know I started too early, the first weekend in February, but cabin fever was at such a pitch that it overcame my better judgment.My seed-starter kit has a water-reservoir in the bottom that keeps the soiless mix moist. It sits on my desk in front of an east-facing

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-71447283692675184512009-03-13T11:30:00.002-04:002009-03-13T11:40:24.947-04:00

As the daffodil leaves push up and buds start puffing out on trees and shrubs, ground hogs and chipmunks are waking from their winter sleep and making sporadic appearances. In two more months, our perennial herd of deer will be birthing fawns, cottontails will multiply, and the flying squirrels will have moved out of our shed and into the telephone cable connector cover. The latter will be

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-33882294539924427172009-03-07T11:26:00.001-05:002009-03-07T11:32:59.008-05:00

Those of us whose parents lived through The Great Depression and/or the Dust Bowl know that they survived, went on to marry, raise families, and lead normal lives. Despite the dismal economic forecasts, we will too.But what should we do in the meantime? How do we decide what is necessary and what is frivolous in the garden? That depends on why we garden.Here’s an example. Last year, as an

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-86762372574827149152009-02-27T10:28:00.001-05:002009-02-27T10:32:05.452-05:00

Just when I think I can’t stand another minute of winter, the smiling faces and heady fragrance of primroses appear in stores everywhere. These came in their own cache pots, but I’ve also used the plants in small tabletop troughs, indoor window boxes, and ornamental bowls, to make attractive centerpieces.Many primroses are not scented. As with roses, I wonder, “What’s the point?” Yellow and

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-40440826507304466822009-02-20T10:29:00.002-05:002009-02-20T10:51:53.879-05:00

We’re just back from Bowman’s Hill’s annual Land Ethics Symposium (http://www.bhwp.org/educational/Symposium.htm) and I’m all fired up to jump back into the fray and change the world. But what had the biggest effect on me was that two of the presenters spoke of mothers who threw them out the door every morning, pockets stuffed with sandwiches or fruit, and told them to go play outdoors.It

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-89230138701880404362009-02-13T10:35:00.016-05:002009-02-13T11:42:20.932-05:00

A parade of Seeing Eye pups has passed through our garden during the past six years. They arrive, cute as a button at a mere 7 – 10 pounds (that’s Christine), but grow quickly into full-sized Labrador Retrievers that top the scales at 50+ pounds. Our own Emma weighs in at 70.Because a human life may ultimately depend upon a Seeing Eye dog guide, these puppies must be raised in a somewhat more

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-63774640504799178002009-02-07T09:41:00.002-05:002009-02-07T10:02:10.467-05:00

These gloves are green in more ways than one, since they’re made from recycled water bottles. They are constructed with a high-tech spandex mesh fabric derived from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) beverage bottles that have been ground up and spun into recycled yarn. Each pair of the new West County Gardener Work and Landscape gloves removes one 8-ounce beverage bottle from landfills.

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-42600241654791527062009-01-30T10:37:00.005-05:002009-01-30T11:48:52.983-05:00

My latest article, Plant Pests, is featured in the Green Thumb Guide of the Spring 2009 issue of Nature’s Garden, one of the most popular Better Homes and Gardens gardening magazines, on newsstands now. The Nature’s Garden website http://bhgnaturesgarden.com/ offers a place to share your nature photos, to keep a journal, or to participate in garden forums. Take a few minutes now to check it out.

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-67885477479737960562009-01-16T14:24:00.002-05:002009-01-16T16:50:55.568-05:00

At this point, you should have a bubble diagram that shows: Your planned activity areas, both hardscape and plantscape; an inventory of what will be left once you’ve moved, or removed, what you don’t like; and a rough indication of where you want various types of new features and plants --- trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals.For some, the next step is the most difficult: Choosing how you want

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-81284241276174930932009-01-09T16:54:00.002-05:002009-01-09T17:00:35.699-05:00

Over time, we change, our taste changes, the availability of various plants changes, the amount of time we want to spend in the garden changes and, most telling, our capabilities to manage the physical tasks of gardening changes. What this means to every gardener is that the garden should be periodically edited.When? When it no longer functions as intended, when the flower beds have grown too

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-53864924559903451302009-01-03T13:46:00.003-05:002009-01-04T07:57:43.635-05:00

Whether your garden is old or new, part of the planning process needs to be defining your destination so that you not only know how to get there, but also when you’ve arrived. And many of us don’t get more than six to eight months to do it, because our “year” is the growing season. So let’s get started!Stuff happens. This fall, a 75-foot wild cherry tree blew down across our newly-installed

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-9542582596096841842008-12-26T13:32:00.005-05:002010-08-06T16:16:48.357-04:00

Families who have to cope with a nightly struggle over who won’t eat what vegetable might be interested in the Love Your Veggies™ Campaign (LoveYourVeggies.com). Readers may also want to check out Chef Art Smith’s (photo) commonthreads.org to read about getting children involved with vegetable gardening and healthy cooking. I’m sure kids are not the only ones falling short of the recommended 2

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-88117158868207821522008-12-19T11:04:00.003-05:002008-12-19T11:12:17.635-05:00

Once you’ve defined your activity areas, it’s time to take inventory of the plants you already have. At one extreme, a relatively new house will have next to nothing. At the other, your house, like mine, may be in the middle of the woods. On an open lot, you’ll probably want to plot every tree, large or small. In a mature garden, scalloped-edged bubbles can indicate a stand of deciduous trees;

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2896867240551589905.post-15884562799076137722008-12-13T12:37:00.005-05:002009-07-17T11:14:52.087-04:00

The next step in creating a garden is to map out what goes where. This can be as simple or complex as you like. You can purchase a computer-based design program, buy a plastic landscape template, or just make a bubble diagram. I prefer to start with a bubble diagram on 11” x 17” quadrille paper, which allows you to work on the larger scale needed to envision an entire yard. Use pencil and get a

Lois J. de Vrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406972093676416909noreply@blogger.com0