The Silent Night Memorial Chapel in Oberndorf, Austria. (Photo credit: Austrian National Tourist Office) Legend has it that the world has a hungry mouse to thank for the creation of one of its most beloved and enduring Christmas carols. “Silent Night! Holy Night!,” translated into over 300 languages and dialects, is marking its 200th anniversary … Continue Reading →
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Digging dahlia tubers late
Last week I talked about the potatoes that I dug up very late in the season. What I didn’t mention was that same day I also dug my dahlia tubers that were still in the ground. Turns out they where in fine shape as well. It makes perfect sense that the tubers would look so … Continue Reading →
Too late to dig potatoes?
Earlier this week I was out working in my vegetable garden. I finished off the season by digging the last of my potatoes. Since we’ve had a cold November, I was somewhat concerned about the shape they might be in. Now, I have occasionally found potatoes in the spring that have gone through an entire … Continue Reading →
Fall leaf burning, another vanishing tradition
I’m running behind in my fall garden projects, including taking care of the fallen leaves all over my lawn. Maybe it just feels like I’m behind because of the snow we’ve been having recently. This past weekend while driving back from up north, I spotted several people catching up on their fall tree leaf clean … Continue Reading →
Are you kidding me?
My range of emotions while working in my childhood neighborhood during the past 11-plus years has touched nearly every point along the way from elated to despair. The feeling you get after putting on a successful event at the park — after watching people come together for a common good, seeing deprived children feel happy … Continue Reading →
What side of the debate will you be on this November?
While much of the country is focused on the mid-term elections, two opposing camps of gardeners are lining up against each other this fall. Each side has compelling reasons why they are right and the other side is wrong. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. One side is more, you might say, traditional … Continue Reading →
Time to plant garlic
Since I ordered my garlic bulbs way back in the spring, I was not thinking of them at all when they arrived in the mail several days ago. I got those garlic cloves into the ground right away even though they could have been planted anytime from October through November. Getting them in earlier gives … Continue Reading →
National Veterans Memorial and Museum set to open Saturday in Columbus
From the outside, the curved, white-concrete structure is visually stunning, living up to its designation by Architectural Digest as one of “the 12 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2018.” Fittingly for the nation’s first museum dedicated to U.S. veterans from all conflicts and all five branches of the military, the building’s intersecting, concentric rings represent all … Continue Reading →
Saving an heirloom zinnia
This gardening season, I adopted another unique heirloom seed to try to save from extinction. Currently, I’m saving four dry bean varieties that are not available commercially plus my own heirloom variety of tomato. Now I’m adding the first flower to my growing collection of unique heirlooms, a variety of zinnia. It was given to … Continue Reading →
Turtlehead flowers add color to your fall garden
During an afternoon walk while visiting our daughter Robin, we came across a grouping of Chelone, more commonly known as turtleheads. We found them growing in a park planted by the city’s talented landscapers. You don’t need much imagination to see why they are called turtle heads; their flowers really resemble a turtle’s head, especially … Continue Reading →
