Every season has its golden child. Its pride and joy, the thing we celebrate above all else. Spring has her cheerful bulbs poking their heads out of the ground after a long sleep, and bright, succulent greens. Summer has the warm breezes, serious … read more

“It’s very purple,” one visitor commented about Glee Palmer-Davis and Dennis Johnson’s Hansville A-frame cottage and garden. The color of the body of the house is an intense purple that leans toward violent red-violet. Called “Fabulous Grape,” the color suggests a grape candy … read more

Garden fashion leans toward fickleness when it comes to color. Do you remember gardens before the turn of the century? Pastel flowers filled the borders, while mauve, pink and gray ruled the color palette of both interior and exterior spaces. If you vowed … read more

A few years after Ruth and Brian* built their home on Haven Lake, Ruth decided she really needed a potting shed to house her books, seeds and vintage family garden tools. She drew up a concept picture and turned to her every-handy husband. … read more

Verdant moss carpeting the ground and draping the trees enchants us and adds a depth of beauty to woods and gardens. A world with moss pleases the eye, but for those who take the time, there is a second world to enjoy. The … read more

Do you have a problem structure in your garden? Perhaps there is an ugly shed or very functional fence calling for a color pop on your property? Clematis could be the answer to your design needs. They are available in many colors and … read more

Jan Bahr, who is a pond-plants expert at Roadhouse Nursery, says that outdoor pond maintenance is somewhat similar to keeping an aquarium. In maintaining an aquarium that houses fish and plants, the key element is the pump and filtering system. Fish and plants … read more

Sustainability is not a word generally used to describe pruning practices. Wikipedia has a more accepted use of the word: “Sustainable development is the organizing principle for sustaining finite resources necessary to provide for the needs of future generations of life on the … read more

Bats Eat Insects Galore Bats were a topic in this column in fall of 2008. Since a horribly devastating disease called “white nose syndrome” or WNS is decimating bat populations nationwide, it’s appropriate to revisit information about one of nature’s most awesome weapons … read more