Author Archives: talesofanashvillegardener

I am a 70 year old semi retired nurse. I work a few times a week in a nursing home. This past Saturday CVS came to the facility and gave the staff the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. They were professional and very organized. I had a sore arm, but no other reaction .Continue reading “A Public Service Announcement About the Covid Vaccine”

In the snowless months my bird feeders were well away from the front door and the flower beds. Now -when a fall could shatter my hip- I have moved them nearer the door. I will pay for the safety in April, when I will have to rake up the debris. I find watching the feedersContinue reading “Out in the Dooryard”

More than snow and cold are keeping us inside this year, and long hours in front of screens and streaming do not feed the soul. I would like to recommend a book that will. “Mountain Meadow” a book by John Buchan written in the last century, is the story of Sir Edward Leithen, who travelsContinue reading “Inside”

My first visit to Plum Island yesterday. Birders and Bicyclists out in numbers on a warm, calm day. There were only a few late asters blooming, but the leaves and grasses were resplendent. On the muddy flats on the marsh side we saw many Greater Yellowlegs dashing, swimming, and spinning. No pictures, alas. Birds stymieContinue reading “Plum Island October 18, 2020”

This is Isodon effusus, the Japanese Spur Flower- a late bloomer. Here it is in the Bow Garden. In the South it is a re seeder.It is sold as Zone 6a. This garden is Zone 5b, but plants can do surprising things. And another striking blue late bloom- “Blue Monday” annual salvia.

What a difficult year to start a new garden. A darkness over everyday life. A terrible drought. An early frost. Yet here is the African Mallow I bought from Annie’s Annuals. An optimistic plant, if there ever was one. It was about 10 inches tall when it went into its container, and now is 4ftContinue reading “Lessons, not Mistakes”

This garden was spared by the frost that blighted my garden in mid-September. It is at a high elevation, and cold air sinks right down into the Merrimack Valley. My garden, in New Boston is on a small river, and is in a frost pocket. The asters in the photo are self seeders and canContinue reading “October Garden”

The marsh flooded behind us on this day. All you see here- became a lake in under 20 minutes. We walked out on a trail that had water almost to our knees. These photos were taken at Sandy Neck, Cape Cod. The four photos above were taken in Orleans,Cape Cod. A view toward Nauset Marsh.Continue reading “Sea Deserts and Marsh Prairies”

Above: In the dry garden. The blue Mistflower, the only blue eupatorium. Not native to New Hampshire, but hardy and a late summer fall bloomer. Photos never give its color true justice! It likes good, well watered soil. Salvia “Amistad”, Salvia “Ember’s Wishes”, Euphorbia “Diamond Frost”.

It is everywhere. Along the roads. In waste places. In an Audubon preserve in Concord. The Japanese Knotweed. Sometime in the past someone introduced it, thinking it was an ornamental, and in small clumps, it might be. If my eye was unbiased, I would find it attractive. But I know better, having seen it smotherContinue reading “New Hampshire’s Kudzu”