Author Archives: Cathy

It was only a few years ago that our 27 year old American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) began to display its imperfect dioecious flowers, male and female separate on the same tree, and produce beechnuts. The pendant, globose flowers at the … Continue reading →

Early Spring, Sprung wire, Daffodils all mixed up. The daffodils are all mixed up this year. As we staple up the fallen wire on the vegetable garden fence, I see ‘Ice Follies’ out first instead of the usual little ‘Tete-a-Tetes’ … Continue reading →

After a week or so of intermittent rain we found the perfect window to burn our three-year-old brushpile. John and Milo are watching over some large old logs left from the Derecho wind damage as well as smaller twigs and … Continue reading →

Over the years as Christmas trees have become a bit much, we celebrate the season with swags, a simple old-fashioned way to decorate with outdoor greenery. Placed in prominent spots around the potting shed and porches, they brighten the month … Continue reading →

Even the bad gardener can reap riches. Malabar spinach, tomatoes, garlic chives, basil, parsley and jalapenos fight their way through the weeds. Self-seeded zinnias, marigold (an old single French type that approaches 3′), globe amaranth (purple and cherry red) and … Continue reading →

Summer simmers in the hollow. We’ve just gone through a week of temps in the  upper 90’s steeped in soupy humidity. Thunderstorms reverberate around the hills more afternoons than not and we’ve measured just under a half inch this week … Continue reading →

Carpenter bees humming in their vertical mating frenzy – saw dust falls on the paper as I write beneath the roof of the old front porch – the beech unfurling her glorious curls: this is the time to stalk through … Continue reading →

Spring in the hollow means the ides of March and birthdays for its mistress, Milo, and the east meadow beech. Milo turns 14, I turn 66, and the beech, planted for my fiftieth, turns 16. We are all thriving. Spring … Continue reading →

The new year swept into the hollow with the great blizzard of ’16 which proceeded to dump 2 feet and more here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge but has proven to be a benevolent storm, with no power … Continue reading →

The new moon is waxing, accumulating size like a burning candle, as we prepare to leave the hollow for the coast. I watched it rise yesterday evening and will watch again tonight its almost tropical aspect above the tulip poplars … Continue reading →