Annie's Gardening Corner

Thursday, November 13, 2014

‘Locally Grown’ for the Holidays

A Rose still in bloom on 11/13/14

This beautiful Rose was still awake and very much alive this chilly November morning. It’s a reminder that some things are still kicking in the garden but not for long.

Speaking of what’s still in blossom, this just in from the November MassGrown and Fresher News. It’s a handy list of holiday farmers’ markets in Massachusetts; what a great way to celebrate ‘locally grown.’ Just an FYI – there are many farm stands that stay open until the end of December so keep your holidays locally grown.

November 22: Braintree Holiday Farmers’ Market, Braintree Town Hall, 1 JFK Memorial Drive.
November 22: Wellfleet Thanksgiving Market, Wellfleet Preservation Hall.
November 22 & 23: 12^th Annual Thanksgiving Harvest Festival , Red Apple Farm, Phillipston.
November 22: Berkshire Grown Holiday Farmers’ Market, Great Barrington, Monument Valley Middle School.
November 23: Berkshire Grown Holiday Farmers’ Market, Williams College Towne Field House, Williamstown.
November 23: Norwell Holiday Farmers’ Market, South Shore Natural Science Center.
November 23: America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration Harvest Market, DCR Pilgrim Memorial Park, Plymouth.
November 24: Beverly Holiday Farmers’ Market, 200 Rantoul Street.
November 25: Lexington Farmers’ Market FEASTival, Seasons Four, 1265 Mass Avenue.

There is so much going on, and we can’t list it all here, but for a complete list check out our Culinary & Agriculture Events calendar.

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Visual Beauty

#imagery of a favorite tree, Acer griseum, Paperbark Maple

On this foggy #WordlessWednesday, it’s #imagery taken yesterday of a favorite tree, Acer griseum, Paperbark Maple. As mentioned in Monday’s post, Take Two what you plant and what you leave for late fall to winter interest can make all the colorful difference in your garden when days turn bleak. As David Attenborough points out, "It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."

© Image by Ann Bilowz - Acer griseum, Paperbark Maple

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Monday, November 10, 2014

Take Two

Protect your trees

In last Friday’s post, the November/December Checklist included a boatload of garden ‘must-do’s’. But before you gasp, yes, there’s always one or two more for the list so take a peek. These may or may not apply to your pre-winter inspection but just in case, take two!

If you planted any new trees this past growing season, you want to protect them with rodent guards. As was stated in the November/December Checklist, rodent damage can often cause the most winter damage in your garden. To protect mature trees, look online for some creative ways to make and custom fit protective gear to your specimen tree’s trunk.

For those who planted garlic and strawberries, mulch them with a protective layer of straw or salt marsh hay. This layer of insulation protects the crowns from severe cold. And if you don’t compost, now is the time to start. It’s amazing what can make wonderful soil in your garden.

Make wonderful soil in your garden - compost.

Berries for the birds and winter interest

Seed heads for color, winter interest and more.

And always enjoy the late fall to winter interest from colorful bark to berries to seed heads from a few of your choice perennials. As the late Robin Williams quipped, “What’s right is what’s left if you do everything else wrong.” Speaking of Robin Williams and his tragic death, it brings to mind a group of men and women who often are forgotten - our veterans. It is their day tomorrow. Remember, a simple thank you can make all the difference in the world.