The Urban Bestiary: a Book Review from Serendipity Gardens

Jo Ellen Roe June 20, 2014 0 Comments

Urban Bestiary Cover2

Serendipity Gardens is home to several squirrels. Because it is “out in the country,” the squirrels are not a bother, just fun to watch.

I ran across this book recently on a rare visit to a bookstore. Written by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, an award-winning author, speaker, and naturalist based in Seattle, it caught my eye immediately, not only because of its interesting-looking cover, but also its title.

What is a bestiary? I wondered. And an urban bestiary to boot?

I was intrigued enough to toy with purchasing the book. I even sat down on a bookstore bench to peruse it, but in the end, I did the modern thing. I went home and ordered the Kindle version ... Read More

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Have a Seat — or Lots of Seats — in Your Garden!

Jo Ellen Roe June 11, 2014 0 Comments

You have lots of beautiful flowers in your garden.

You have birds, butterflies, bees, frogs and toads to watch.

Now, you need seats, since one of the great benefits of having a garden is the opportunity to enjoy it.

Seats can be expensive, but they don’t have to be. They can range from a high-end bench to simple bales of straw. Look at second-hand stores or visit garage and estate sales, where you will likely find an old or rusty bench that you can paint or restore. You can also let loved ones know that you’d love a nice garden bench for your birthday! ... Read More

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Sowing a Butterfly Habitat at Serendipity Gardens

Jo Ellen Roe June 2, 2014 2 Comments

One of the things I resolved to do this spring to attract more wildlife to Serendipity Gardens was to plant more wildflowers. My husband had long said that he would like to convert the field behind our house to a prairie, replete with wildflowers. Who wouldn’t like to gaze upon nearly two acres of beautiful flowers? But the process and the work required for a project this size made that an elusive goal.

However, we did have a small area, roughly 20′ X 15′ that we used last year for vegetables. This year, we decided to convert just that area to wildflowers … food for the critters rather than food for us! ... Read More

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Mourning Winter Losses in Serendipity Gardens … and Moving On

Jo Ellen Roe May 14, 2014 0 Comments

Michigan had one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record in 2014. It was a winter quite hard on Serendipity Gardens, though the cold and snow were not the only causes of the damage.

“Wabbit” Season

Here in Serendipity Gardens, the snow was piled two feet high for nearly three months, and this gave the hundreds of rabbits that make their home in nearby fields and hedgerows an unusual perch for snacking. And snack they did, leaving behind their little brown pellets as a testimony — and, on the bright side, fertilizer. ... Read More

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Serendipity Gardens’ New Spiral Herb Garden

Jo Ellen Roe May 6, 2014 3 Comments

Spiral 7

On Sunday, May 4, we built an herb spiral in Serendipity Gardens. Altogether, it took about five hours, but we rested between hauling wheelbarrows full of edging pavers to the site of the spiral. Other than that lifting and hauling chore, it was an easy project.

Here is what the finished product looks like, pre-planting. This view is from the top. The spiral is five feet in diameter. At the bottom, the dirt is two pavers high. We added a row of pavers every three and a half pavers. At the top, the spiral is seven pavers high. The soil stays level with the pavers by sloping up from the bottom row to the top. ... Read More

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