WE GARDENERS HAVE SPOKEN OUR FEELINGS OPENLY together here about mowing, but I guess The Andres hadn’t had the talk yet–the talk about how some lovers with macho names like Toro and Snapper are fair-weather friends. Uh-oh, the mower’s about to go into cold storage, and *she* isn’t ready for the separation. Or maybe the “such a look” is because *he* is supposed to be doing the mowing? Thanks, Andre Jordan, for another weekly garden doodle. Let us know how it all sorts out.
THE LECTURE that he’s been giving for a number of years is not-so-subtly called “Kill Your Lawn.” Ecological horticulturist Dan Jaffe Wilder knows that starting over and creating an entire native habitat instead of a lawn isn’t for everyone. But Dan just wants to grab our attention and get us to start to make some changes at least in the way we care for the turfgrass we do want in our landscapes. And maybe give up a little square footage of it to some other kind of more diverse planting, too, like the wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana, inset). Alternative, more eco-focused styles of lawn care, along with some lawn alternatives is what he and I talked about on the podcast. Dan is Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts, and its 8,000-acre sanctuary. He’s also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.”
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I have 7 leaves left so I guess I can wait to mow…….
Welcome, Cynthia. Oh, definitely…plenty of time left if there are 7 more to go. :) Nice to see you, and do visit again soon. We’ll be here not mowing.
Hi Margaret,
In response to your comment about pushing the “send” button and voila-you’re alone there with no sister or best friend to help celebrate.
When I sent my latest book into Workman I guess that I expected angels to trumpet. Instead I got the post librum blues and they’re hard to shake. Getting out into the garden is the ONLY way to cure them.
Good luck with your new book.
Garden blessings,
Sharon
Welcome, Sharon, and thank you. Post librum indeed. Love that phrase you coined. I did hand in the book yesterday (as per my one-liner on Twitter) and am spending today trying to clean up the debris its presence has left behind: bookkeeping, laundry, cooking and cleaning. That kind of therapeutic but dull stuff. May mow a little in a bit… Thanks for your kindness, and see you soon again.
all the leaves have fallen on our trees. And ‘WE’ are yet to mow the lawn.
Hope you’re not really “coking” but instead cooking one of your wonderful soups. (Sorry, the old editor in me can’t pass up a funny misspelling.)
Major congrats on getting the book in. Can’t wait for it to come out. Your story resonates with so many of us who have given up the fast lane for our rural paradises.
By the way, I too love “post librum.”
Welcome, Judy, and oops! Now I have to go fix that; thanks for the catch. Hard being chief cook and bottle washer and copy editor and photographer and staff writer. Never good to proof one’s own work, but the cat doesn’t read English (or so he swears). See you soon, and thanks also for the encouraging words.
We raked up most of the leaves Sunday on a 70-degree day in Tennessee. The fennel is putting out new leaves and the redbud has one bloom — seems to be some confusion about just what season it is. I look forward to your winter offerings, and I particularly look forward to your new book. Wish we didn’t have to wait a year.
Welcome, Jan. “Seems to be some confusion about just what season it is” here, too. It will get into the high 60s or more today, though two nights ago it was in the mid-20s. Not sure whether to get out extra blankets or open all the windows. Thanks for your nice words, and see you soon again.