Morning glory is also called bindweed, for its habit of twining around other plants. Traditionally, it has few practical uses, though medicinally it is reputed to be a drastic purgative, and the leaves have been used in poultices to relieve swollen feet. It traveled here from the gardens of Europe, and it thrives in disturbed [...]
Entries Tagged as 'garden'
Use Invasive Morning Glory for DIY Garden Twine
May 17th, 2009 · 2 Comments
Tags: garden, invasive plants
A Wee Bit O’ Madness in the Garden
May 12th, 2009 · 20 Comments
Well, my snap peas were behaving in typical early-spring fashion–growing a lush, green, six or seven inches, then just sitting there. But one night last week all of us were away, scattered to the winds. Claire was on a camping trip, I was spending the night at my sister’s after an Indigo Girls show, and [...]
Tags: garden
Quid Pro Crow: Gardening Alongside Wildlife
April 23rd, 2009 · 8 Comments
When I planted our peas in March, I chased the crows out of the cherry tree before I started. I was thinking of all the crows I’d seen watching gray squirrels bury their peanuts. The squirrels are so busy-busy, patting down the soil over their treasure with those bad little paws. Then as soon as [...]
Tags: birds, crows, garden, urban nature
The Perfect Backyard Fruit Tree–Four Asian Pears in One
March 30th, 2009 · 2 Comments
Fruiting trees offer such a wonderful way to reclaim and rebuild the fertility of our urban yards–if all goes well, one planting will provide sweet food for years to come. This weekend we planted our newest fruit tree, a little four-way Asian pear. Four varieties are grafted onto one tree. The varieties cross-pollinate one another, [...]
Tags: fruit trees, garden, indoor gardening, urban farming
Celebrate the Equinox! (Seeds, Eggs, and a Sweet Pea Teepee)
March 19th, 2009 · No Comments
The vernal equinox is finally here! After a long, dark Seattle winter full of freak snow storms, I am so ready. It’s easy to understand why this day has been celebrated across cultures for thousands of years. The literal translation of equinox is “equal night.” At 11:44 Universal Time on March 20, 2009, the sun [...]
Tags: garden
Mounded-earth Raised Beds (and Wheelbarrow Advice)
March 15th, 2009 · 8 Comments
When we finished digging up the yard for more vegetable garden space, I looked around me and started to cry. My yard used to be pretty, with a perfectly reasonable-sized bed for growing food, and now it’s an expanse of mud. When my friend Karen called and I told her about my little garden seizure, [...]
Tags: garden
Home Restoration–Phase II
February 28th, 2009 · 4 Comments
We live in a West Seattle farmhouse that was built in the 1920s. Over the decades the fruit orchards that surrounded it were removed and replaced with houses—most of them in the 1940s, some in the 70s. The interior suffered many bad remodels, and was restored a couple of years ago by the previous owner, [...]
Tags: garden, restoration
