Warum feiert Ottawa das Tulpenfest?  read more »

After more than a month of waiting, my asparagus seeds finally started to germinate. They are truly some of the most unimpressive sprouts I have ever seen!
I’m growing two kinds of asparagus this year, Mary Washington from purchased seeds and wild asparagus from seeds Gintoino sent me.
Most people probably prefer to grow asparagus from [...]

In case you're wondering, no, that isn't a typo: A team of botanists from London's Kew Gardens has discovered a new species of "self-destructing" palm in Madagascar; the tree is so large that it is clearly visible in satellite images. The long-lived, 60 foot high palm - named Tahina spectabilis (Malagasy for "blessed" or "to be protected") - had never before been seen flowering until this past year, when the botanists caught a glimpse of its spectacular flowering pattern.

"At first there's only a very long shoot like asparagus from the top of the tree and then, a few weeks later, this unique shoot starts to spread. At the end of this pr...  read more »

Not shown in the sketch is a 1.5 meter high hedge on the N, E and S sides. Lined out areas are structures or permanent paths. Garden is roughly 19 x 15 meters, and each square represents about 50cm. Background If you go back a few hundred years this part of Amsterdam was a peat bog, probably either under water or regularly flooded. A system of dikes and canals were built to drain the land, which then caused another problem, the land sank probably a few meters further below sea level. No one in the garden complex seems to know the exact history of our land, but apparently within the last few decades, they decided the land was too low.  read more »

While my less-than-half-an-acre suburban lot is primarily a flower garden, I do enjoy growing the vegetables and herbs for which I have room. A few years ago, I visited the working organic farm at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and learned that it would take approximately one acre to feed my entire family of seven for the year.  read more »

Mel & I visited Stockton Bury Gardens today and both loved the way they have planted the cosmos in the asparagus bed which keeps it looking good long after the harvest.  read more »

:: Spend a rainy day inside making this addictive Carmelized Red Onion Relish.

:: Spare the planet and skip the stirrer when preparing your coffee or tea.

:: Use up the last of this season's asparagus in this versatile, vegan Asparagus Spinach Dip....

 read more »

While my less-than-half-an-acre suburban lot is primarily a flower garden, I do enjoy growing the vegetables and herbs for which I have room. A few years ago, I visited the working organic farm at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and learned that it would take approximately one acre to feed my entire family of seven for the year.  read more »