Garden Notables- John Tradescant

Who are these people and why are they in my garden?

John Tradescant the elder (1570-1638)


John Tradescant was a naturalist, gardener, and collector who travelled the world collecting seeds and bulbs.  He introduced many plants into English gardens that, to this day, remain part of almost every garden designer's repertoire and, in a strange twist of fate, he has reached out from the grave to continue to shape the direction of English gardening.

Behind The Lens

Behind The Lens- Local Food and Giving Thanks


Giving thanks is what many of us do this time of year as we gather with our family and friends around the table on Thanksgiving day. Often we forget to remember the significance of all the hard work and effort given by our local farmers every day of the year. It is my hope that through my artwork, I will raise awareness regarding the importance of eating locally grown fresh foods not just for our own health, but also for the positive benefits that buying locally can have on our own communities both economically and socially.

The Gallery

Garden Art: Magic Carpets as Mobile Gardens

I don't usually think of carpets when I think of garden art but perhaps I should.

Rachel's Garden- Basket of Apples

For more art from Rachel's Garden, click here.

To see what this is all about, click here.

From The Garden Bookshelf

Garden People: The Photographs of Valerie Finnis

by Ursula Buchan with Anna Pavord and Brent Elliott
Thames & Hudson 2007

I simply loved this book!  Although not a recent release--it was published in 2007--it's a photographic history of a class of gardeners who pre-date the "age of the garden designer."  These were real plantsmen, as both men and women were referred to in those days, whose knowledge of horticulture was only complemented by their eccentricities.

Guest Blogger- Gordon Hayward

The Fall Garden on November 7

I was walking in the garden yesterday late afternoon. With sunlight raking in through a cloudless sky, I was struck by the fact that this is one of my favorite times of year out there. Leaves on native trees such as maples and ashes have fallen yet the garden glows. (In large part this is because so many garden worthy shrubs and trees hold their foliage in the autumn well beyond those of native plants.) We’ve cut back all herbaceous perennials and stored pots, garden ornaments and furniture in the barn. In doing so, we’ve revealed the pure structure of the garden: trees, shrubs, hedges and built structures all set on a much more apparent lawn. The garden at this point in the year is so spare that the clarity of the late afternoon light reaches every corner.

Winterberry

It's that time of year when the winterberries are beginning to stand out like bright red flags along the edges of many of the wetland areas.  I have already seen several people in their wellies, wading ankle deep into the marsh, with pruners in one hand and a copy of Martha Stewart Living in the other, cutting them for holiday decorations.

New Hampshire Wool Arts

photo by Andrea Geesaman 

Columbus Day weekend was the 28th annual New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour. This is a wonderful gathering of folks who get together every year to share with the public their love and knowledge of fiber and the animals that produce it.  New Hampshire has become a hot spot for the raising of fiber producing livestock, like sheep, goats and alpacas, as well as a center for hand-crafted fiber arts.  Most of these small farming, spinning and weaving enterprises are home-based operations and often involve the entire family.

Dig In- Tips from Nettie at Uncanoonuc

Wintering Roses in Colder Climates

Not all roses need winter protection.  Rugosas and their hybrids, ‘The Fairy’, the Meidiland Shrub Roses, the Canadian Explorer series roses, as well as the Redleaf Rose and many of the older roses are rock hardy and do not need any winter protection.  All the modern roses (Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and Grandifloras) and all of David Austin’s English roses do.  When in doubt about whether or not a particular variety needs protection, we err on the side of caution.