Savor the Waning Days of Summer

by Ruth S. Foster | Aug 18, 2014 | Garden, HowTo, Lawn & Garden

The flowers of summer are in full bloom, here and there, thought not everywhere. A garden is never perfection. It is an idea, a picture in one’s mind. As the flowers bloom in their designated succession, the picture changes.  Add something here. Prune something...

Time to Relish the Tomato Harvest

by Ruth S. Foster | Aug 28, 2012 | Garden, HowTo, Lawn & Garden

This is the season they produce with abundance, and sweeten our meals with their red, ripe, juicy deliciousness.  Their red color is provocative. Just like females.When brought back from Peru in the 15th century, the tomato upset the Church of Rome.  Called an evil...

Remembering the Garden on Mother’s Day

by Ruth S. Foster | May 7, 2012 | Garden, HowTo, Lawn & Garden

The many flowers that bloom around Mother’s Day suggest that maybe the day wasn’t chosen randomly. A few decades ago I wrote a column that started with my daughter asking what she should plant in her first vegetable garden. Since then, we have had a most...

Spring Pruning Primer

by Ruth S. Foster | May 4, 2012 | Garden, HowTo, Lawn & Garden

Don’t be too hasty to trim and prune every flower and bush in the garden. There is a disease that gardeners get in spring. It’s called itchy fingers. When the new shoots and thick leafing out makes everything seem overgrown, itchy fingers want to prune it...

The Vistas of Wintertime

by Ruth S. Foster | Feb 28, 2012 | Garden, HowTo, Lawn & Garden

Though the branches may be bare and the grass brown, wintertime vistas have a beauty of their own which should be cherished. There is an old landscape theory. Open space is only as big as you can see. Through the woods – lovely dark and deep. Through the fields....

Man-made Planting Pockets

by Ruth S. Foster | Aug 10, 2011 | Garden, HowTo, Lawn & Garden

A well-planned planting pocket will add to the use and aesthetic of the outdoor living space. Man-made earthworks create areas with special microenvironments, just as natural land forms do. These can be warm spots for chilly weather use, cool hideaways for escaping...