Jun 8
Trees are life giving plants. They feed other creatures at all levels of the food chain and modify the local environment in a positive way. Personally, they’ve provided us with wood for the shelter we call our home and firewood to keep us warm by the light of a wood stove in the early darkness of cold winter nights. Read more
Here’s a story about our maple tree that got too big, started to rot, and had to be chopped down. That part is sad but there are things to look forward to now that it’s gone. Read more
The following is Part II of a photo guide showing one method for building a raised planter out of masonry. You can find Part I of this article here. This example comes from our backyard. Please read the Disclaimers from Part I before even thinking about starting this project because some things you may want to do differently. Read more
To tie in with my article on the $42 million toilet,
here is a funny video created by Ric Sternberg
The following is a photo guide showing one method for building a raised planter out of masonry. This example comes from our house. Actually our backyard, I’m not crazy enough to put a planter inside the house just yet. But before we get to that, first some more words: Read more
In the previous article, I covered why growing food organically was so important for our everyday lives and our children’s future. We can apply the same principles at home to grow safe and healthy landscapes. Read more
Organic growing is about working with Nature. And I don’t mean beating drums in the middle of the night within a circle of candles during Read more
Is Organic farming really just about a getting in touch with Nature? Is it Organic farmers getting out their Gaia drums and random instruments, beating a rhythm as they march through their crop rows? Do tomatoes grow better to a salsa beat, potatoes to a Celtic jig? Does burning incense add flavor to crops? Read more
Great to have received such passionate comments to Part 2 of my article on Native Plants. Not so much that Read more
Part 1 of this series was about love and good feelings for Native Plants. In part 2, hold on to your garden pants, there’s going to be a bit of a native plant smackdown. In this article the unwarranted hype surrounding planting natives will be body-slammed in a Read more
The following NW native plants earned their status as favorites for having good foliage, all-around toughness, and ease of growth while still being beautiful and functional plants that will fit a smaller city garden.
One of the challenges of Pacific NW native plants is that they are typically, how shall we say this… subtle. Does this mean dull and depressing? This recently unearthed Haiku from an early Japanese settler may enlighten us to the beauty of the original NW landscape: Read more
This just in, garden writer Michael Nolan says the Dervaes family plagiarized his work on several occasions. Read the dirty details here: How the Dervaes Family Stole My Victory Garden, Earth Garden Blog. Oh the humanity!
The Northwest Flower and Garden show is coming! February 23rd thru 27th, Wednesday thru Sunday.
Despite its popularity, I believe the garden show tends to attract the same Read more
Below is the first column I wrote for MyEdmondsNews.com. I thought I’d repeat it here because readership doesn’t necessarily overlap with my blog and I’ve never really written about myself on this blog. Look for my next article coming out this Wednesday the 2nd about the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Hope you like it. Read more
Great news! I will be writing a column for our city online newspaper, MyEdmondsNews.com. The first column appears this Wednesday the 26th and will appear monthly thereafter. I might submit articles more often if I have something to write about. For example, the upcoming NW Flower and Garden Show.
The first article will be more of an introduction as this is the first time I’ll be writing for another publisher. I’ll have to feel my way a bit to see what people are interested in reading. In fact, I’m taking suggestions right now. So if you have a topic to suggest or a question, let’s hear it!
Send your suggestions or questions to me!
james@bluewheelbarrow.biz
It’s just over a week since the winter solstice. The days are getting longer from here on ’til summer. That doesn’t mean it’s getting warmer though. In fact, the gloomiest days are coming as winter promises to drag on for at least two more months. That’s why it’s so nice to find, amongst the snow that has fallen silently through last night’s sky, the flowers, all bright red and orange, blooming on the witch hazel in our back yard. Read more
Here is an interesting project that is looking for funding. The Kickstarter program officially ends today but you can still donate after the close.
In the category of ‘what’s old is new’, coppicing may become an important part of our near future as fossil fuel sources are reaching their peak availability. Coppicing can provide fuel crops for masonry stoves as well as material for sustainable crafts and many other uses. Read more
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