Living and gardening in an older Hudson Valley home
Posts about the yard and gardening
Outside the wind is howling fiercely, the sun is shining brightly, the temperature is hovering around 19 degrees fahrenheit, with a wind chill factor of 5 degrees, snow lies everywhere on the ground, just as it has since our big snow storm on February 1, 2021. Late winter is always tiresome, like a guest who […]
A fluffy snow arrived last night. The snow fell in thick clusters of flakes. The temperature was quite chilly. The result is trees and bushes with what appears to be a generous dusting of powder sugar coating everything. It reminds me of childhood and the wonder of waking up to a snow covered yard, hoping […]
Mention Autumn gardening and everyone thinks of raking and gathering leaves. Without a doubt falling leaves generate the most work in my yard. Instead of thinking of the onerous task of picking up millions of leaves, for me Autumn conjures up days of collecting seeds. It is through the harvest of seeds in the Fall […]
There is almost nothing better than nurturing plants and watching them grow. It is exciting to see a burst of growth mid-summer or a plant covered in blossoms. However, the thrill of eating what you have planted is perhaps, to me, the greatest satisfaction. Our vegetable garden fence is covered in lovely purple and pink […]
When the remnants of hurricane Isaias blew through New York on August 4, 2020, it made an unwelcome stop in Newburgh. One of the old willows, in a part of the woodland garden that will remain wild, broke in half and came tumbling down. Fortunately, the tree fell in a convenient place to just leave […]
Summertime and the livin is easy! – the enduring classic by Ella Fitzgerald resonates at my home. Work projects are less intense as the heat of the day encourages me to stop early and enjoy the pool in the afternoon or stroll around the yard to observe summer blooms and new growth. Here are a […]
A rock, A river, A tree. So begins Maya Angelou’s famous poem, On The Pulse of Morning. As Spring moves to Summer, the pulse in my yard shifts. The days of delicate spring temperatures, when a jacket might be desired in the morning and then cast off in the heat of the afternoon, are gone. […]
Planning and constructing a garden is exhilarating. There is no end to the possibilities, challenges and rewards from the garden. Gardens are nothing if not surprising places. A gardener can plan, plant, sculpt and otherwise attempt to influence nature, but it is ultimately nature herself who will decide what works best. Each generation of property […]
Spring cleaning in the yard can produce dramatic results, as demonstrated by my last big project on the property. Before and after photos render such an interesting, and for me, satisfying look back. Along the south western edge of the property is part of the old Catalpa Road that had not been uncovered in many […]
Nearly all aspects of creating the woodland garden have been challenging. From digging out large bushes to moving big rocks, every task has required not only muscle, but also some forethought – ingenuity if I may lay claim to such a skill. The old adage “where there’s a will, there’s a way” is something I […]
