As I sit to write my annual I’m Gonnas, it occurs to me I have no immediate resolve. If I were a hotel room, I’d be skipping this floor. But the year must flip over. Normally I have plenty on my I’m Gonna list. Last year I was still working at editing my garden, Helen’s Haven [...]
The Sunday before Christmas and all through the house, The children are bouncing all over the couch. The presents were wrapped with some noticable tears, By the kids in hopes to see what will be theirs. The tree had fallen, and still laid on its back, It’s Christmastime, so there’s no use giving flack. Daddy [...]
First appeared in Fine Gardening. When I decided on a winter walk, it was at the point in the evening when dinner was done and sleep was still a ways away. I topdressed with a goofy hat, gloves, and scarf for a journey down the garden path. The evening was amazingly quiet. Of course, I [...]
The air of October is filled with fragrance. Off in a distance and next to the deck, designing with fall fragrance completes a fine design. The fall finds us in the garden more; relaxing, playing, dining. What better way to enhance these moments than with fragrance? As I travel down the herb garden path, the [...]
My blog has been a good friend for many years. We’ve had ups and downs, not visiting each other as often as we’d like, but I always knew I could write and she would respond–never judging, always validating–like a true friend would do. I’ve been blogging for almost seven years, and one might think that [...]
This first appeared in Fine Gardening. September delights. With the dog days of summer behind us, September opens with cooler air and less humidity, creating a fresh scent and a sense of excitement. The source of this excitement may be for no reason other than it is bearable to be outside once again. Indeed, September, [...]
I’m hoping March will be the start of the new year for me. So far this calendar year, I’ve tried to keep on up with a challenging schedule as I met deadlines, gave talks, and finished writing my book. As of this week, the draft of my book, 50 Ways to Garden With Confidence, is [...]
The analogy of communicating: I write a 1,000 word magazine story to a 600 word blog post to a 300 word Tumblr update to 440 character Facebook status to a 140 character Twitter tweet to Pinterest to pin a photo where a picture is worth a 1,000 words….. [...]
On February 22, 2012, I was asked to give the speech at the Initation banquet for Pi Alpha Xi Horticultural Honor Society. Just before I stepped up to the podium to give my speech Rebecca Pledger, JC Raulston Arboretum Graduate Student and president of the North Carolina State University Pi Alpha Xi (PAX) Horticultural Honor Society, [...]
Helen’s Haven 2012 — a humble beginning — Part Two — The Speech On February 22, 2012, I had the honor to give the keynote speech to the North Carolina State University Pi Alpha Xi (PAX) Horticultural Honor Society initiation banquet. At first, the thought of doing so was frightful, then delightful. It all started [...]
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