CLEARLY THIS PERSON needs a 12-Step program, and right now (I’ll post the address and time of the meetings for the rest of us, too, promise). And by the way, dear Andre Jordan, my friend: Is the woman in this week’s illustration a nail-biter? Those fingers of hers are, well, missing. Here’s to a growing pile of seed catalogs in the mailbox (the new Resource Links page has plenty, by the way) leading to a harvest of seed packets under the tree.
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.”
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
Seems too early for this level of desperation! We only said good-bye to our flowers a little while ago…
Much winter to go through, still. Have a muffin, or a glass of wine, or a muffin and a glass of wine…
Relax, breathe deeply…
Can’t wait for those long January nights, cuddled on the couch with a glass of wine and my seed catalogs!
Can it ever be too early to crave the seeds?
Oh yes!!! GIVE ME CATALOGUES, and then GIVE ME SEEDS. That is exactly what I told my family I need this year.
I always invest in a pound of local wildflower seed this time of year and have found that stepping on them after I broadcast them is the perfect way to get great results.
Love the catalogue season when dreams and ideas blossom and grow.
All joys,
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
Are you talking about me?
Welcome, Vegetable Garden Cook. No, I’m pretty certain he was talking about *me*. :) See you soon again, fellow seedaholic.
Start some paperwhites. Water an amaryllis.
Seed shopping is one of the cheapest thrills one can find. Besides, they are so easy to mail and they are already wrapped.
No way! It’s not be too early. I received 30 packs of seed in the mail in the last 3 days!
Welcome, Theresa. Well, you are some early bird (who as the saying go gets the worm, right?). I am impressed. I have to grapple with the last bits of holiday to-do’s and a few hundred pre-book-launch tasks and then it’s seed catalog time here, too.