GardenRant
In late 2022 I received an invitation to become an official member of the GardenRant publishing team. Of course I was thrilled. Since 2006 GardenRant has been regularly publishing a fresh, often quite frank look at the garden world. Plants, yes — but also books, tools, public and private gardens, as well as the public and private opinions of those of us who live our lives fully and deeply within the realm of growing.
Here are a few of my favorite posts on GardenRant. Click here to view more.
Colchicum autumnale in my fall garden.
Navigating the Late Season
My garden is parched and defeated. And so am I. Clearly, I’m not the only gardener burnt out on attending to the needs of my plot. Yet this year’s bout feels especially personal. Like, if this were another type of relationship, we might be contacting an attorney.
Margi Beyers, former Beyers’ Bulldog Garden owner, and Joyce Moty GROW board member with canine companions. Photo: courtesy of GROW
My Neighborhood is GROWing
The new: Beyers’ Bulldog Garden is named for the Beyers family who for generations owned and gardened the undeveloped West Seattle property a few doors down from my house. The property was left to a local nonprofit in partnership with the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods P Patch Program. GROW, a 501(c)(3) organization is dedicated to preserving existing gardens and coaching neighbors through the process of creating new community gardens, orchards or open space. As a land conservancy that can own property, GROW is able to hold these valuable spaces in perpetuity. Our neighborhood hit the jackpot!
A posey of nasturtiums in a family vase.
more flowers, more plants, more life
I like to turn hardy annuals loose in my garden, for the flowers of course, but just as much for the chance to observe how subsequent generations play out. It’s not often we get to watch evolution in real time.
Wolf Willow (Eleagnus commutata)
Wolf Willow, Flower, Farmers & Friends
Even more than lilacs (!!) in late June and a remarkable run on my wildlife Bingo card, my most treasured takeaway from this year’s Slow Flowers Summit is the scent of wolf willow (Eleagnus commutata), a sturdy shrub clothed in silvery, sage-green foliage. The plant’s tiny, almost obscure yellow flowers emit an alluring alpine fragrance that travels on a breeze.
(Please don’t) take me out to the ballgame.
Gardening with the Boys of Summer
I’m not a baseball buff. I am a gardener standing alone in a family of die-hard fans. “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” is a hymn in our family —both the soundtrack of the Father/Daughter Dance at the wedding of our first born, and now a lullaby sung to her twins. My beloveds are true fans.
I am a fan of fans.