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Nature Journaling

Naturalist, John Muir used his journals to record detailed sketches and information about the plants, animals, and landscapes he observed on his daily treks. Muir’s journals provided him with a wealth of recorded experiences from which ten books and over two hundred...

How to Make a Spore Print

There are lots of ways to enjoy mushrooms. You can put them on your pizza, hunt for them in the woods, study them under a microscope, or make art with them. Mushrooms are fungi. Fungi make their food by eating dead leaves and wood (organic matter). They can not make their...

Create a Cyanotype

The cyanotype process was developed in 1842 as a photographic method to produce or duplicate images. Cyanotypes or sun prints make use of two photosensitive chemicals (ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide) that become fixed and insoluble when exposed to ultraviolet...

Sanctuary, Gardening for the Soul book excerpt

It creeps softly across the window panes. A grayish brown branch resembling a grandmother’s beautiful, aged hand bends inward with Time’s lean. Each granite colored digit lifts awkwardly from brown, knotted, swollen joints. As months tumble into each other, the days...

Copper in the Garden

Copper foliage is a popular trend in gardening right now, with lots of new and exciting options for your backyard. The dark leaf color is actually the result of a higher amount of the pigment, Anthocyanin, in the leaf. The pigment, Anthocyanin, is present in all plants, but in...

Enjoying your Garden at Night

A hectic schedule might prevent you from enjoying your garden during the day, but with some planning you can extend the enjoyment of your garden into the evening. Moonlit flowers, fragrance, and night sounds all combine to make an evening garden calming and soothing, a wonderful...

Birches

Colorful and unique bark is synonymous with Birches. They are a popular choice among gardeners, the pristine white bark of the paper birch, the golden-bronze colors of the yellow birch, and the salmon and creams of the river birch’s bark, make these trees a striking...

Making a Twig Trellis

Tomato plants bear delicious results but are a lanky vine often too weak to carry the weight of their fruit. Stakes may do the trick, but a twig trellis is easy to make and a great way to use branches from a recent pruning job. Estate manager and arborist, Phil Fournier creates...

Why Clotheslines Should make a Comeback!

Everyone knows that clothes dryers are one of the top energy users in a home. Many people think of a clothesline as old fashioned – BUT, there are many advantages to using the wind to dry your clothes. • Clothesline drying saves you money –AND it is better for your...

Small Space Vegetable Gardening with blogger, Gayla Trail

Have you ever thought that you don’t have enough space to have a garden? Well, think again, you can grow delicious fresh tomatoes, beans, squash, and bountiful herbs. Best of all, you can do it in any small space. Gayla Trail, author of the popular book and website,...

Learning to Clam Like a New Englander

At low tide, you will find locals and visitors walking the beaches in Newport with their shovels and buckets looking to dig fresh clams for dinner. Todd Corayer, a local fisherman and quahogger from Gardner’s Wharf Seafood in Wickford, Rhode Island shares with us his tips...

Heirloom Potatoes with Apartment Therapy’s Kitchn

The potato is one of the most grown vegetables in the world. There are thousands of varieties and so many uses the world over that you can’t even imagine. Food writer, Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan from the food blog kitch is here to tell us about some of the potato varieties...

Secrets to Growing Lavendar

Lavender is an extraordinarily versatile plant, known mostly for its numerous herbal applications, but it also has great value as a garden plant. Lavender farmer, Cynthia Sutphin from the Cape Cod Lavender Farm provided us with numerous tips for growing lavender in your...

Homemade Grills

Learning how to build a grill can be an adventure that brings you back to the true roots of grilling. You can build a grill with repurposed supplies found in any hardware store, it is actually easier than you think. STEEL DRUM BBQ GRILL Materials: 55 gal or similar steel...

Making a Mason Bee House

There are more than 3,500 species of native bees in North America, many do not sting or make honey. But they do have the important task of pollinating crops and gardens. So it’s important to encourage and protect them in your backyard. To create a safe spot for them to nest,...

Alternative Pollinators with Author and Radio Host Jessica Walliser

Most of us probably do not associate our medicine, food or clothing with bees, but bees, insects, and even small animals do the important work of pollinating plants. Author and horticulturist, Jessica Walliser explains why attracting and caring for pollinators in your garden is...

Exploring Nature with Kids

It’s easy for kids to read books about wildflowers and birds. But children can tap into an entirely new level of learning given some simple tools and the opportunity to connect with nature. Here are a few ideas for creating a nature backpack to encourage your little explorer...

Recycling Concrete for Planters

Concrete is the world’s most commonly used building material, but most do not know that it is actually a very green material. Instead of ending up in the landfills, most concrete today is reused, ground into gravel or remade into cement mix. With a little creativity, you...

The Botany of Pruning

It’s important to know something about how plants grow before you head for the garden armed with loppers and a saw. In a nutshell, pruning doesn’t just affect a plant’s size it affects the way a plant grows. If you have a little understanding of plant anatomy and...

Rustic Log Planter

When we think of the Adirondacks we think of deep forest, and rustic cabins and furniture. The Adirondack style celebrates the honesty of all-natural, local materials such as wood, twig, stone, and bark. Adirondack furniture typically uses every bit of the tree, from root and...