“Oh my!” I exclaimed as I stood with a friend admiring her latest garden addition. She was more creative than I and loved to experiment with uniquely new things. “What did you say it was called?” “It’s a donkey tail succulent,” she said — once again happy that she had impressed me with a new
Homestead Stories: The Festive and Whimsical Candy Cane Flower
It’s been one of those years. The pandemic of 2020, the uncertainty of life and all we hold dear, and even my garden struggled through the drought of early summer and flooding of early fall. I needed something positive to consider and plan for spring. Thoughts of my spring garden are what get me through
Homestead Stories: The Stinky and Captivating Konjac Plant
“What’s that smell?” I wrinkled my nose. “It smells like rotting meat.” “It’s my newest addition to the garden,” my friend explained. “I decided to plant it far away from the house.” “That thing over there?” I asked. “It’s huge!” “The world’s largest flower.” My friend was gleeful. “It’s called the konjac plant.” “Impressive.” My
Homestead Stories: Beautiful Wild Asters Galore
Generally speaking, I don’t like fall. Why? It precedes winter — which is a long, cold, nongrowing, nongardening season that seems to stretch on forever. However, I do enjoy some of the pretty colors and flowers of fall, particularly wild asters. The tiny, purple (both dark and light purple) and white flowers pop up everywhere
Homestead Stories: The Ghost Orchid
With Halloween around the corner and the thought of ghosts and goblins prowling the darkened nights, how about a real flower that looks like a ghost? Yes, that’s right. There is actually a flower called a ghost orchid, and its tiny, spindly flower with no leaves, looks eerily like a ghost clinging to the bark
Homestead Stories: My Great-Grandfather’s Gladiolus
I have fond memories of walking with my great-grandfather through his garden. In late August, the gladioli would be in full bloom and much taller than me. Of course, I was only a 6-year-old at the time. With clippers in hand, Great-Grandpa would cut stalks full of blooms, and carefully lay them in my outstretched
Creeping Thyme: A Beautiful Groundcover To Replace Your Lawn
“Is it edible?” I asked. I had to know. “Some say it is,” my friend replied. I bent down and ran a hand across the soft carpet of pink. A waft of something sweet filtered up to my nostrils. “It smells wonderful!” I exclaimed and stood up to further admire the display. “And oh, so
Homestead Stories: Yellow Bells
When I lived on Vancouver Island, I enjoyed countless hikes in the untamed (or so it was then) wilderness. Especially in the spring when the lower mountain slopes were covered in a carpet of luscious yellow bells. With narrow leaves that project along the length, every erect stem supported one, sometimes two, yellow, bell-shaped flowers.
Homestead Stories: Creeping Avens
“A rose?” I glanced at my friend. Was she pulling my leg? I knew she loved roses, but to claim this bloom as a rose? “No way! Too poofy. It looks more like cotton candy.” “Cotton candy?” She smiled. “Hardly. It’s called creeping avens (Geum reptans) and it’s definitely part of the rose family.” “No
12 Beneficial Plants That Attract Dragonflies To The Garden
Swat! My right hand slapped my arm. “One down, zillions more to go.” I wasn’t one for using bug spray, and these pesky mosquitoes were leaving their itchy mark — though I’d tried herbal alternatives to the chemically-based bug sprays. Even the mentholated smell of Vicks VapoRub had a minimal effect on these pests. Besides,
Homestead Stories: St. Benedict’s Herb
“A rose is a rose is a rose,” I muttered as I worked through my herb garden. “Unless, of course, it’s St. Benedict’s herb.” The shady perennial plant from the rose family (Rosaceae) has many names: Geum urbanum, Wood or City Avens, Herb Bennet, Colewort, Blessed herb, Goldy, Star of the Earth, and the one
Homestead Stories: Edible Wild Violets
“Don’t cut the grass over there!” My husband ran toward me as I was finishing the weekly lawn routine. “I wasn’t planning to,” I replied, and shut off the motor. “But why?” “All the violets are in bloom.” And they were. All through the grass in a patch in front of my garden window. Purple,
Homestead Stories: Alexander’s Great Siberian Bugloss
I love my hostas — large-leafed with many varieties of color (mostly green) combinations. Tall stems covered in tiny flowers; it’s a great ground cover. The only problem with hostas is the deer love them too. To say they eat them is an understatement. They devour them! Just as the plants are ready to shoot
How To Grow Victory Gardens
During both World War I and World War II, people with land (even small parcels) planted victory gardens — also known as war gardens or food gardens for defense. It was a means to feed the family, to supplement the restrictions enforced with rationing, and to ease the food chain. Victory gardens provided people with
Homestead Stories: Art And History In The Most Unusual Garden Topiary
Not too long ago, I saw a photograph online of a reclining human figure, larger than life, totally carved out of shrubs. Garden topiary. I was fascinated — and recalled years ago, when I visited classic gardens in England and France like Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, and the finely manicured acres of Chateau Versailles. I
How To Care For Easter Lilies
Walking into church Easter morning, the air is rich with the powerful scent of Easter lilies. But not just any lily, the prolific white lily, popularly known as the Easter lily. Its symbolic association with Christianity stems from Biblical references, but its association with Easter is evident in the shelves of blooming white lilies in
Homestead Stories: Pineapple Lilies
“Are those pineapples?” asked my friend. “Nope,” I replied (admiring the newest addition to my spring garden). “They’re actually called pineapple lilies.” “Fragile, I expect.” “Very,” I said. “They don’t tolerate frost at all. I’ve tried to start the bulbs for a few years now.” “But it’s indoors in a pot. Have you tried growing
Homestead Stories: The Mighty Oak Tree
The arborist was following me around the property. It had been a hard winter with several damaged trees and a lot of large limbs downed. Rather than use the chainsaw to clean up the mess, I preferred to bring in a professional. He knew the trees better than I did, and could tell me what
Homestead Stories: How Does It Grow?
I use a lot of cinnamon when baking. I love the smell it leaves in my cupboard, the aroma that wafts through the house when I’m baking, and of course, the flavor. That said, cinnamon is expensive. I think my last jar cost close to 15.00 USD. I use so much that I always buy
Homestead Stories: The Poison Garden
There are a lot of beautiful plants in the world. Some have medicinal purposes, others are edible, and there are those that are purely decorative. There are also many plants that are dangerously poisonous, “look, don’t touch” garden beauties. So what about planting a poison garden dedicated solely to them? While doing some recent research
Homestead Stories: What Color Is Your Bleeding Heart Flower?
“And what do we have here?” I shook my head as I worked around some sprouts that had poked through the ground. It was early spring and the garden was coming back to life. I wasn’t talking to anyone in particular — just myself. I do that a lot when I’m gardening. I hadn’t planted
Homestead Stories: Forget-Me-Not Flowers
I have a special affection for the tiny blue wildflower that appears every spring. Forget-me-not flowers, the state flower of Alaska, is known to have special meaning and reflect compassionate sentiments. For me, it is a symbol of connectedness with my husband of 38 years. As a recognized symbol of true and undying love, it
Homestead Stories: The Monkey Orchid
If my Insteading readers have been following the orchid stories, you’ll know how much I love this charming plant. There’s my general, informative article on orchids, the unusually-shaped bat flower, and the swaddled babies. I keep finding more orchid varieties as I browse the local nurseries or share my discoveries with friends. I want to
Homestead Stories: A Colorful Mosaic Of Nasturtiums
“I love my nasturtiums,” Mom declared years ago as she led me on a walk through her extensive garden. The nasturtiums were everywhere. Every color imaginable — from solids pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges, to multicolored mixes. The long stems wove through and around the other plants, cushioned by the large umbrella leaves that served
Homestead Stories: The Purple Passionflower
“Did you know there are hundreds of varieties of passionflowers?” I thought I was talking to my husband, but he had wandered off to another part of the nursery while I studied the array of color in front of me. Glancing around, I realized I’d been talking to myself with others giving me wary looks.
Homestead Stories: Swaddled Babies Or Baby In The Cradle?
“I have a swaddled baby to show you,” a friend said over the phone. “Like a baby in the cradle. Want to come over and see?” The words caught my curiosity. My friend was too old to have a baby in her arms — at least, not one of her own. And since she never
The Brazilian Grape Tree
I had spent another morning doing battle with the proliferous wild grape that grew across my rock wall border. I had nothing against grapevines, especially when they bore fruit (which these vines did), and I’d collected bunches to make into jelly. But once they climbed my rock wall, took aim at my lush tree line,
Rodgers Flower: A Shady Perennial
“What is that huge plant in your shade garden?” The large, leafy plant with tall spiky flowers (extremely tall — almost my height of 5 feet) really caught my attention. I was visiting a nursery that specialized in perennials, and they had a wide selection of shade garden plants from all over the world. I
Homestead Stories: I Love My Birds, But…
Several years ago, my daughter informed me (with great excitement) there was a mourning dove nesting in my hanging fuchsia on the front balcony. “No way,” I declared. “Come see,” she insisted. Sure enough, in the center of my prized fuchsia was a mourning dove, packing things down to make a nest. I wasn’t too
Mullein: An Herbal Remedy, Not A Weed
“Isn’t that a weed?” I asked my friend. I pointed to the pale green, hairy stem rising from the flannel-textured center rosette. “It grows tall, you know. I pulled one last week that was taller than me — at least 7 feet!” “No, it’s called mullein,” my friend replied. It’s actually a heritage plant, brought
Homestead Stories: The Kudzu Monster Plant and Other Invasive Species
“What are those creepy figures?” my youngest asked. We were driving the back roads to Florida for a family vacation. “I believe that’s what they call kudzu,” I explained. “They look like monsters.” “Yes, they do.” I had read about kudzu years ago but had never seen the plant this close. It was downright eerie.
Homestead Stories: The Spider Flower
“You know I don’t really like spiders.” I scowled as my friend led me around her garden. Large or small, spiders really do give me the creeps, and sometimes they bite. Yuck! I do know they have a purpose. Just as long as that purpose does not include me. My friend stopped in front of
Homestead Stories: Glass Gem Corn
“Oh my! That is colorful. And it’s really corn?” I was flabbergasted. I loved growing and eating corn on the cob. Usually the standard yellow corn or the peaches-and-cream which is a combination of a deep yellow and a pale yellow. I have eaten, though never grown, white corn, loving its tiny, sweet taste. I
Homestead Stories: The Tulip Tree
“Oh my! The flowers on those trees look like tulips.” I was taking a walk with my grandmother along a country road just north of Lake Erie. It was spring and the weather demanded some outside activity. “That’s why people call them tulip trees,” Gran said. “They’re also called poplars. In fact, other than in
A Green Rose for St. Patrick’s Day … Why Not?
“What’s wrong with your rosebush?” I asked. We were standing in front of my mother’s profuse garden of rosebushes. She loved her roses and was always adding a new color to the collection. “That’s a new one, isn’t it? Why is the flower all green?” I was convinced there had to be something wrong with
Homestead Stories: Strange Names for Beautiful Flowers
I have seen, grown, and written about some pretty unusual flowers – unusual in the fact they have unique names. There was the story I wrote about Jack-in-the-pulpit and the story about the black bat flower, but there are more unusual names for flowers, and some that might seem a little too bizarre. Like the flying duck
Homestead Stories: Forcing Indoor Flowering Bulbs
I looked at the display of potted tulips and daffodils in the grocery store and let out a deep sigh. Each flower was perfectly coiffed, the stems standing tall and pristine, the display awash with color. If only they were in my garden. Too early for that. With several feet of snow and ice, it
Homestead Stories: The Black Bat Flower
“What is that?” I exclaimed, pointing at the black thing that sat atop a tall stem. “Black thing” was the best way I could describe it, though perhaps some avid gardeners would refer to it as deep purple. Not me! It definitely was black. With two wide flower petals flattened back like wings around what
The Hosta Plant
“Oh my! That hosta is huge!” I was standing in my front drive, surveying what I called the circle garden. It was encased in a rock wall that outlined a circle around a gracious, old willow tree. And the hosta was huge. Not just the expanse of the plant itself, but the leaves rivaled those
Delphinium Flowers: Beautiful But Poisonous
“What is that tall blue flower? I can see it from my kitchen window.” My neighbor was intrigued by the bursts of growth and color in my ever-expanding garden. “Delphinium,” I said. “It was here when we moved in. Stunning, isn’t it?” “It certainly is.” I thought it was more purple than blue. But the
Homestead Stories: The Balloon Flower
“It’s a balloon flower, Mom.” My youngest jumped up and down with glee. “A what?” I asked. I have to admit, I’ve heard some pretty strange names for flowers but balloon flower was a new one to me. “A balloon flower,” my oldest confirmed. “That’s what the flower looks like when it blooms. A balloon.”
Homestead Stories: The Outhouse Flower
I have fond memories of the outhouse at the family cottage. Years ago. When I was a youngster. Dad had built it far enough from the cottage that it didn’t project its noxious odors into the place where we ate and slept. Mom planted tall, bushy flowers around the outhouse in an attempt to beautify
Marking The Way Naturally – Rustic Garden Edging
It really began with the secret garden. No, I’m not referring to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel by that name, though it is a favorite, and I’ve always wanted my own secret garden. Perhaps now I do. My secret garden really was a secret. At least initially. And hence its name which it holds to this
Weigela: A Flowering Shrub To Rival Your Rhododendrons
Moving to the country had its pros and cons. There were a lot of things to learn, especially in the garden. I tried to take my entire suburbia garden, one plant at a time, but some of my shrubs, sadly, had to be left behind. They were too big and the roots too deep to
Bee Balms Or Bee Bums?
“Mom,” my six-year-old called from the front walk where he had been riding his bike back and forth. He had paused in front of my display of red and purple, firework-like flowers and admired them. At an age where he wanted to know everything, it wasn’t unexpected that he would ask about the different flowers
Homestead Stories: The Holly And The Ivy
“The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown. Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.” I hummed the tune happily as I dialed my parents’ number. I would be going home in a few days to spend Christmas with the family. I was excited and
Jack-In-The-Pulpit: A Beautiful Flower With A Weird Name
Growing up in the 1960s, just about everyone in my class at school went to church, and most churches were similar in layout, including, at the front by the choir, a pulpit. So, when the lessons turned to studying the wildflowers of Ontario, the one plant which captured our attention was the Jack-in-the-pulpit. The teacher
Homestead Stories: What’s False About False Solomon’s Seal?
“False Solomon’s seal? What’s that? And why is it false? What’s the real thing?” Questions. Always lots of questions. Each new discovery on my country property opened up a new page of learning, understanding, and appreciating. I had been studying the knee-tall foliage that arched over my flower beds. With oval-shaped leaves draping along the
Homestead Stories: Growing Pussy Willows
“What is that yellow fluff covering the bush in the corner?” I asked. It was my first spring living in the country, and I still had a lot to learn. I had been watching the snowdrops and the crocuses do their early spring color display, and I was keeping an eye on my lilac bushes,
Homestead Stories: How I Accidentally Grew Trout Lilies
When I first moved to the country, I was amazed at the bounty of both wildlife and wildflowers. I had a big job ahead of me—tidying the forested part of our property. I wanted to clear out the brambles and remove the garbage that had been randomly dumped in a place the previous owners believed
