ENOUGH ABOUT ME…well, maybe one last thing. And then I will put a sock in it for awhile (maybe). A young blogger who was among those to inspire me to start on this path honored me yesterday with a profile. It has the bits The Times didn’t tell you, and since I seem to be outing myself with full force this week, why not show you this one, too?
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.)
I loved your interview, thanks for sharing!
Excellent profile! I loved the movie/music revelations. You must also like Joni Mitchell. You must. Her entire oeuvre is about love, gardens and the history of human emotion. As Good As It Gets is one of my top ten, too! But, really, anything with Jack hits it out of the park.
Margaret: Hey, another Dylan fan – I used to be immune to the charms of his music, but recently I’ve gone on such a Dylan bender that I have filled a 2gb MP3 player with his songs.
As for your blog, over the past few (drought-ridden years) I’ve gotten a bit overwhelmed by my garden on its 10 acres, but reading your thoughts and seeing the wonderful pictures of your garden has rekindled my at times flagging enthusiam for the gardening life. Thanks so much for sharing. Your blog is a regular must-read for me now. Best wishes, YC
Re: Music, ‘Blue’ is my favorite Joni Mitchell album and ‘Blood on the Tracks’ my favorite Dylan, I think. And thanks, Country Gardener, for the kind words. We all want to throw in the trowel some seasons, and it does help to hear that others are plodding onward (crazy or not). ;-)