Forget-Me-Nots -- Great Ground Patterns

Sylvatica is the Latin Name for this plant. It's widely known as Forget Me Not, a beautiful name for a beautiful flower. The blooms are quite small, but highly intelligent, and a peculiar blue.

Plant them in a patch, in half-shade if possible, and they will grow in just about any kind of soil. From a distance, the lovely blue color will look like a cloudy carpet on the forest floor (assuming you are lucky enough to have a forest).

Sylvatic is self-seeding, so once you get them started, they jump all around the place. They're very festive, often given as gifts. Give me some.

Garden Tips: Renovate Your Strawberries Annually, Page 2 of 3 - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Garden Tips: Renovate Your Strawberries Annually, Page 2 of 3 - A very good article on strawberries. We planted some last year for the first time and were surpised at the output. According to this article, we have to take action for the fruits to develop this year.... Click on the headline--it will take you to Fern Fischer's great article....

In the Herb Garden: Grow Oregano

In the Herb Garden: Grow Oregano - Associated Content - associatedcontent.comSome great tips on growing Oregano by Fern Fischer...

Piliated Woodpeckers

 Piliated Woodpeckers are notoriously shy so it's rare to see them, let alone two of them at the same time. The photo is blurry but I thought I'd post it anyway. In our part of Pennsylvania, we are lucky to have so many of these large birds. I've encountered them up close several times, but those are fleeting moments. I'm not fast enough to get a close shot. These photos are blurred b/c they were taken from our living room window. The PIliated Woodpecker usually feeds on insects in dead trees, often on the ground. I've seen them at work tearing up the wood and sending chips flying. Do these birds know something I don't? I think that tree is still alive but maybe their appearance is prophetic. We'll see..

For Old, Rare Plants, Gardeners Turn to Seed Exchanges - WSJ.com

For Old, Rare Plants, Gardeners Turn to Seed Exchanges - WSJ.comThere's about a foot of snow on the ground here in Pennsylvania and it's still coming down so it seems a good time to think about seeds... Don't you think?

Beautiful birches: How to differentiate 5 birch types in Poconos | PoconoRecord.com

Beautiful birches: How to differentiate 5 birch types in Poconos | PoconoRecord.comAre you forever getting your birches mixed up? This article may help. We have a lot of what you may call "White Birch" in our nearby woods. In spite of being very white in color, these trees are actually "Gray Birch." The true White Birch grows to the North, generally, though I"ve seen a few specimens here and there in cold pockets of this forest.

Wood Burning Tips for a Happy Hearth

That warm flickering flame is a comfort, something that ignites the ancient DNA in all of us, descended from the early people who, bedecked in animal skins, gathered around the warmth of the hearth. Click on the headline to read a review about a real-life experience with a wood-burning stove.

Wood Burning Tips for a Happy Hearth - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Black Bear's Killing of Pennsylvania Woman Raises Questions - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Black Bear's Killing of Pennsylvania Woman Raises Questions - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Amy’s Journal » Blog Archive » Questions about Acorn Squashes

Amy’s Journal » Blog Archive » Questions about Acorn SquashesFinally, the great Acorn Squash mystery is solved, thanks to this bright-eyed California blogger and her one-eyed dog.

Ryobi Four-Ton Electric Log Splitter Review - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Ryobi Four-Ton Electric Log Splitter Review - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

How to Grow Dill, Page 2 of 2 - Associated Content

How to Grow Dill, Page 2 of 2 - Associated Content

Mosquito Repellents Stress Me Out-Why That's a Good Thing - Associated Content

Mosquito Repellents Stress Me Out-Why That's a Good Thing - Associated Content

Healthy Cookware#slide_1

Healthy Cookware#slide_1This article is a departure for me. While I'm a passable cuisine artiste, I've messed up many of our pots and pans by misuse and ignorance. Here's the definitive article from the Martha Stewart web site.

Martha Stewart and Julia Childs are two of the world's greatest women, IMHO.

Gardening 101: How to get a soil test

Pittsburgh Gardening Scene Examiner 101: How to get a soil testI have to say I need to do this. I think of it every year and then don't. It's like needing a map when you're lost--you hate to use one. I have to think of myself as a master gardener completely without help from science. No matter that, without science, I would probably starve or freeze to death. Anyway, here's the deal for getting a soil test--how much it costs, etc..

"Julie and Julia" : New Film Ignites Interest in Julia Child Biography - Associated Content

"Julie and Julia" : New Film Ignites Interest in Julia Child Biography - Associated Content

Financial Incentives for Installing a Windmill on Your Farm - Associated Content

Financial Incentives for Installing a Windmill on Your Farm - Associated ContentHere's an appealing and expensive idea...interesiting all the same.

How to Fry Zucchini and Serving Suggestions - Associated Content#comments

How to Fry Zucchini and Serving Suggestions - Associated Content#comments

Some City Folk Are Mad as Wet Hens When Chickens Come Home to Roost - WSJ.com

Some City Folk Are Mad as Wet Hens When Chickens Come Home to Roost - WSJ.comAre you thinking of raising chickens? Lots of people are. Here's a story from the Wall Street Journal which is worth reading--for fun and business...

Garden Bears Inspection

Animated Garden Ornaments Create Excitement