The Orchestra Tunes Up in Serendipity Gardens

Jo Ellen Roe March 25, 2016 0 Comments

Hellebores

Hellebore brightens an early spring landscape.

Garden Music Is about to Start

It’s almost time for the new gardening season to begin. I am excited.

Last spring, I was away from my garden. I did not see a single plant emerge from the soil — and I missed it terribly. Fellow gardeners will know how exciting it is to see the first snowdrops; to cut back the messy, winter-worn hellebore leaves and see the lovely flowers hidden beneath; or to see spring flowering bulbs pushing their way out of the earth. I always think it’s rather like an orchestra tuning up. A bit of horn here, a bit of violin over there, then various instruments becoming gradually louder and  more coordinated, and then, in May — the symphony begins in earnest! ... Read More

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Seven Reasons to Plant an Oak Tree

Jo Ellen Roe September 28, 2015 0 Comments

Red oak

My baby oak tree, in the fall.

The Value of Planting a Tree

When my grandparents married and moved into the home they lived in when I knew them, they planted an oak tree. Many years later, I played under the majestic spreading branches of that very tree, which shaded a good portion of their back yard and sported a swing that I loved. I suspect that this childhood experience was the beginning of my love of trees.

My own oak tree, planted from an Arbor Foundation seedling about four years ago, is growing well. It’s a red oak, and true to its name, the leaves are a beautiful rusty red in the fall. Although it will be years before it’s tall enough stand beneath or attach a swing to, I am enjoying watching it grow. ... Read More

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A-B-Cs for a Great Garden!

Jo Ellen Roe September 11, 2015 0 Comments

Sometimes, you might wonder what you can do to make your garden even better than it already is. Here is an A-B-C list to give you food for thought. Many of these suggestions will help attract wildlife to your garden, but some of them are just for your enjoyment as well — and some are just plants that I happen to like, some native, some not.

Many more items for each letter are available. I started to do at least two per letter here, then decided the post was getting too long. Perhaps I will do another A-B-C before long. ... Read More

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Five Good News Stories from the Environment

Jo Ellen Roe April 30, 2015 0 Comments

All 5 at slumber party

I read lots of articles about the environment, and sometimes I come away feeling depressed. The endless stream of issues seems so daunting. So many seem unwilling to admit we have a problem. I think of my sweet grandchildren and wonder what kind of world they will face.

To counter this feeling, I went looking for positive articles, and happily, I found quite a few. Here are summaries of and links to some of my favorites.

Ozone Layer Showing ‘Signs of Recovery’

The key point in this article is that the ozone layer is in the process of healing itself, and could perhaps return to its pre-1980 levels by mid-century. Complete healing may well not occur until even later, or even at all, but despite that caveat, this is good news. Even better news is perhaps the way in which this reversal of a problem occurred. People around the world agreed to ban man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used in spray cans and refrigerators, in the 1987 Montreal Protocol. Countries worked together. ... Read More

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Serendipity Gardens 2014 “Scorecard”

Jo Ellen Roe October 20, 2014 0 Comments

Businesses have scorecards to measure their goals against their accomplishments. These scorecards typically deal with several aspects of the business, such as financial performance and customer satisfaction.

Why not do the same in the garden? Of course, the parameters would be quite different. The scorecard could be a simple measure of goals versus accomplishments. With that in mind, here is the 2014 scorecard for Serendipity Gardens.

My Primary 2014 Goal

This year, we had one primary goal, to make Serendipity Gardens even more friendly to wildlife than it already was. To achieve this goal, we planned several activities. Each one is listed below, with a comment and a “grade.” ... Read More

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