July is here and I’m pulling the plug on the boxwood. It’s tough to do considering they’ve lined my front walk for over a decade and never once have they looked like this. A brutal winter left me with toasted boxwoods, otherwise known as winter burn. I’m not alone though and that’s some consolation. The…
Have you known parents who refuse to discipline their child for fear that they may “break their spirit?” I don’t know about you, but I generally like most children, until I cross paths with one who’s spirit has yet to be broken. I can’t get away fast enough. Their cuteness teeters on obnoxious, until their…
I live in the Chicago area, which more or less means I could start the day in a bikini and end it in a snowsuit. Case in point…on April 25, it was 73 degrees F, on April 27 it was snowing. Yes, snowing. On April 28, the rain was relentless and the thermometer barely reached…
In 2007, opportunity knocked in the form of a three-inch sliver in my four-year-old daughter’s little foot. It was as gruesome as it sounds. Despite that, I asked the surgeon to save the piece of wood for posterity. For now, it’s in her baby box that contains lots of “firsts.” First sippy cup. First favorite…
Calamintha nepeta wasn’t a plant I chose. It chose me. Several years ago, I attended a writer’s conference and received a plug pack that contained a mixture of Summer Beauty allium and Calamintha nepeta. Neither looked very impressive. But being the plant junkie that I am, I found a sunny sight for them and waited….
I have a love/hate relationship with dry shade. Love for the leaf textures that make the space interesting, hate for the time it’s taken me to discover what works in this most challenging of garden situations. I’ve killed a lot of stuff in my search for plants that can tough it out without much coddling….
