I am finally reading The Secret Garden, one of my all-time childhood favorites, to my own kids. I've been almost reluctant to do so, since I wasn't sure they'd like it, but I'm pleased to find they do so far, and that the writing has held up wonderfully over time. It's crisp and wry and intriguing, and a delight to read aloud.


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My mom called me the other day to tell me about this Underworld-ish place she suddenly remembered: the Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, California ( Read more... )

Edible plant spotlight: Like fresh spinach, but don't like how it bolts and gives up in hot weather? Plant Malabar spinach instead. It likes to climb or form vines, loves sun and warmth, and tastes similar to fresh spinach. Grows robust shiny leaves, not limp like regular spinach leaves. I planted some from seed here in Seattle, and it didn't even ( Read more... )

Grossest smell of entire week: I hosed out the yard waste cart today. Here in Seattle we get to throw food scraps into the yard waste as well, and we haven't cleaned our bin all summer, so you can imagine the grossness. There was this *sludge* formed at the bottom, which gave off noxious gases as I hosed it out and dumped it on the garden. The cart ( Read more... )

Upon noting with friends how both botany and Harry-Potter-verse utilize a fair amount of faux Latin, I thought it might be fun to make up a quiz similar to that "IKEA product or Lord of the Rings character?" one that was going around a while back. We can call this one...

Houseplant or Hogwarts spell?Let's go! What are the following--plants or ( Read more... )

Some writers are unable to write a story without including a recipe. Others can't resist reciting song lyrics. Others always insert a dog or a cat or an exotic animal. For me, my random habit appears to be plants--flowers and trees in particular. It isn't intentional, but it's an accurate reflection of my gardening hobby. Here's a quick review of ( Read more... )

Congratulations to 3secondfish for winning the wee sample of Shalimar! I'll offer up another scent for a lucky recipient next week.

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Today we got a new plant. Here it is:


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Try what I'm doing: growing flowers indoors from seed!


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This morning I glanced at one of the jade plants growing in our garden window, and immediately did a double-take, because there was something huge and puffy and yellow between the plant pot and the metal bowl it sits in. I looked closer, and holy crap it's two gigantic bright yellow mushrooms! Seriously, the cap of each one was probably five inches ( Read more... )

The other month we tried some Oreo knockoffs from a brand called Back to Nature. The name spawned many jokes: ah yes, nature, where chocolate sandwich cookies grow on trees. Monkeys flinging them at each other, squirrels carrying them off to their nests. A real bitch when you park your car underneath one, though; the filling smears all over the ( Read more... )