Living and gardening in an older Hudson Valley home
What a name – Celastrus obiculatus! Toxicodendron radicans is no better. Perhaps Vitis Sipp is easier. These three names are the scientific names for the three most dreaded vines in my yard. Celasrus obiculatus is oriental bittersweet vine – a native of China, Japan and Korea. It is believed to have stowed away on cargo […]
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.” Shakespeare famously wrote these lines in Romeo and Juliet. In my woodland garden I have altered them. A multiflora rose by any other name would still be a pest! New York has a list of invasive plants, […]
Living in the Hudson Valley has taught me a lot about nature. I am surrounded by an array of birds, foxes, chipmunks, squirrels, ground hogs and deer! The call of the cat bird is intriguing. I sincerely thought it was a kitten crying until I discovered, through the internet, this small bird has such an […]
The Harcourt’s installed a walled picnic area. The enclosure has a stone floor and short stone walls, with gates at each end. The former owners told me when they moved in it contained a 12 foot picnic table. The far end had a stone barbeque, the prior owners dismantled. The picnic table is long gone […]
