Hi! I am Michelle. I grew up in a garden near the Chesapeake Bay. Since then, I’ve lived all around this great state. After tending plots on the coast, and in the Piedmont, I am now living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am happy to tell you that no matter where you live in […]
Patience is a Slow Art…so is gardening Patience in gardening: I’d like to talk to new and also seasoned gardeners. Those of you that may have planted a lot of things recently or in the past, and just can’t believe things are just sitting there, and not growing. Not dying, but not popping up, either. […]
“…a few strategies that you can employ no matter where you are, (as long as you have a good nearby outdoor space). I call this approach “Porch Permaculture””…
Let’s get it started: grow great popcorn Presently, we’re perfecting the art of planting, growing, harvesting & popping popcorn. I ordered Japanese popcorn seed from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange for the student garden last Spring (2023). We have grown other organic popcorn, including Cherokee corn from Morven Kitchen Garden (thank you, Fiona!). We have planted […]
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) growing in a community garden in Charlottesville, VA Lately I have been on a kick, learning about how many great plants we have in Virginia. I especially appreciate ones that are not only native, but also ornamental, edible and/or medicinal. (This designation includes birds, any other pollinators and myself. This leads me […]
So close! This time of year, it’s good to take a delightful daytrip. My destination? The National Arboretum in Washington D.C. It is less than ten miles from Reagan International, and feels a world away from many of the other popular sites in the nation’s capital. Getting there From Charlottesville, Virginia, it’s an easy trip […]
There are many reasons to visit the beautiful children’s garden in the National Arboretum, Washington,D.C. Exploring in D.C. This is a description and list of the many reasons I had fun exploring the Washington Youth Garden in D.C. It’s only minutes from Virginia, so exploring at the National Arboretum (where the Washington Youth Garden is […]
What I learned turning my typical mundane Virginia front lawn into a meadow Recently I decided that mowing a lawn was a waste of my time. I had admittedly decided that on several other (yearly) occasions before. I was finally attempting to change the parameters of my typical lawn care in a neighborhood situation. I was […]
Unexpected delights Travelling to see the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum was an unexpected and surprising delight. Located adjacent to the administrative offices at the National Arboretum on the Northeast side of Washington, DC. I’d not spent much time on that side of the capital, but I had the opportunity to visit in early July. […]
An awesome Old World Estate finds appreciation and rebirth in a New World A long time ago (last century, even) I lived in Richmond. Agecroft Hall (also in Richmond) Virginia just didn’t seem worth it. There was a place that wasn’t far from where I lived. That had promises of a magnificent garden and an […]
