by Rachel Sargent Mirus DUXBURY – Bright red, soft, and velvety: no, I’m not describing a Valentine’s Day decoration, but a red velvet mite. Built like eight-legged, scarlet Beanie Babies, red velvet mites are hard to miss, even though most of them are no bigger than an eighth of an[Read More…]
Columns
Growing Perennials from Seed
by Amy Simone, Extension Master Gardener, University of Vermont SOUTH BURLINGTON – Many gardeners start vegetables, annual flowers and herbs from seeds, either indoors or directly in the garden. However, have you ever considered growing your own perennials from seed? Perennial plants are defined as plants that live for[Read More…]
The Unmistakable Aroma of Low Tide
EAST MONTPELIER – Hagar and I drove into the big rotary at the foot of the Nahant Causeway, trying to judge the volume of traffic on a Sunday noon. The friendly voice of Siri spoke to me in her Irish accent from the dashboard: “At the roundabout, take the first[Read More…]
Discovering the Science Behind Orion
by Timothy Loftus You know Orion always comes up sideways. Throwing a leg up over our fence of mountains, And rising on his hands, he looks in on me… WEBSTER, Mass. – So wrote Robert Frost in his poem, “The Star-splitter.” The aesthetic wonder of this easy-to-find constellation and its[Read More…]
Gardening with Kids
by Henry Homeyer CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – If you’re a gardener, chances are that you had a parent or grandparent that introduced you to the joys of gardening. I was introduced to gardening by my maternal grandfather, John Lenat, of Spencer, Mass. He was an organic gardener and a wise[Read More…]
Getting a Head Start on the Growing Season
by Amy Simone, Extension Master Gardener, University of Vermont SOUTH BURLINGTON – The holidays are over, and we find ourselves in the cold, dark days of mid-winter. As a gardener, you may feel that the planting season is so far away. Don’t worry as you can start many plants indoors by[Read More…]
They Tell me I Ended up Sitting on the Floor
EAST MONTPELIER – It had been a lovely weekend, courtesy of Martin Luther King Jr.: lots of pleasant conversation and snacks in the two chairs in the office, supper at Julio’s Friday, lunch at the Wayside Saturday, shopping for groceries at the Chopper. Icy cold outside, but snug inside. Bea[Read More…]
Visiting an Outdoor Sculpture Garden in Winter
CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – January is generally an all-white month in my garden, though this year (2012) the snow has been off to a slow start. I love the curves of drifts, the smoothness of open spaces, the contrast between snow and the outlines of my trees, shrubs, arbors and[Read More…]
The Phenomenon of Winter Light
by Michael J. Caduto READING – In mid-winter 1988, I went contra-dancing at the Congregational Church in Lyme, N.H. During intermission, I joined other dancers who stepped out of the overheated hall into a star-studded night alive with shimmering waves of color, from blue to pinkish-red. We stood in awe,[Read More…]
You Get Your First Pinch Hitter
EAST MONTPELIER – Clack, clack, clackety, ding, zzzzut, clunk. Clackclack clackety-clack… That onomatopoetic rhythm is tattooed in my memory of the 1970s more clearly than the Vietnam War, the Peanut Farmer President, or even the Beatles. Up in the attic loft there was a man possessed of ideas, a primitive[Read More…]
American Tree Sparrows: Hardy Winter Visitors
by Susan Shea RANDOLPH – Most winters, a few sparrows visit my yard, feeding on the seeds I scatter on the ground near my bird feeder. These particular sparrows have long tails, rusty crowns and eye-lines on their gray heads, and a distinctive dark breast spot. Looking more closely, I’ve[Read More…]
Garden Helpline open this Winter
by Debra Heleba, Extension Community Horticulture Program director, University of Vermont BURLINGTON – As we begin a new year, many Vermonters may have lingering questions about their garden’s performance this past year or new questions as they plan to start or improve a garden in 2024. The University of Vermont[Read More…]
