The World of Everything that Grows.
“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don’t they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.†― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine  Bees make us happy. We need these tiny workers. The sound of bees going about the business of feeding the Continue Reading
Rain. There’s nothing like it to revive and add essential nitrogen to your garden. This post is dedicated to roses revived by and ensconced in the glory of rain. Central Illinois has been, according to the Palmer Drought Rating Index, under extreme drought conditions. I also have discovered another valuable Continue Reading
“Love You Best” was what she said. Mother made every person feel they were the person she loved best. Peonies were her favorite flower. Every year in northern Illinois in preparation for the spring bloom I would take the hand tool and cultivate around each peony bush, add peat moss Continue Reading
The transition from USDA planting zone 7b (Lower South) to 6a (N. & Central Midwest) was a big deal for me. Plano, TX planting zone 7b, where I had over 200 roses is home to places like Dallas, Austin & San Antonio with long hot & humid summers and mild Continue Reading
Something happened on my way to building the new rose garden. A memory so vivid it took my breath away. Fragrance triggers are like lightening bolts in our brain. The fragrance was the smell of a lilac bush just starting to bloom on a cool Continue Reading