Welcome, Joe!
A year ago we planted a stand of Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium dubium ‘Little Joe’) in a sunny spot on the path down to the garden. Fireworks of colorful purple blooms are the result this late summer. We love the late bloom time because of the color it adds to our garden and the pollinators […]

Fall Cleanup?
While our goal used to be leaf-free by Christmas, we’ve come to do much less fall cleanup. We now do one leaf gathering before Thanksgiving and let the remaining leaves (there are plenty of latecomers) rest on the beds until spring. This way we have minimal disruption and, as new growth emerges, we remove […]

In Praise of Hoses
In the 1990s, when our hillside was terraced and the gardens were transformed, no automatic irrigation system was installed. We made that decision, because sprinkler systems need frequent monitoring and maintenance. We were concerned that when we travelled, an automatic system might malfunction and flood the new gardens. Plants can drown where puddles form. Too […]