Author Archive for Henry Homeyer
Henry Homeyer is a lifetime organic gardener living in Cornish Flat, N.H. He is the author of four gardening books including The Vermont Gardener's Companion. You may reach him by e-mail at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or by snail mail at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, N.H. 03746. Please include a SASE if you wish an answer to a question by mail.
Henry Homeyer: Feeling stuck in a room? Take to the trees and prune
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC We are lucky this March: no deep snow to keep us from approaching our fruit trees, ladder and clippers in hand. Some years we still have thigh-deep snow in March, which is the traditional time to prune our apples, pears, peaches and more. There is nothing magical about […]
Henry Homeyer: DIY spring decor to do at home
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The world seems to be in turmoil, recent news is disconcerting at best. But I stay cheerful, and you can too, by being creative and/or by enjoying the outdoors. Being outside always perks me up. I love looking at my snowdrops, winter aconite and crocus. For creativity, I […]
Henry Homeyer: naturalistic landscaping, at a glance
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I recently attended a lecture and slide show by Dan Jaffe, horticulturalist at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales, Massachusetts. Dan Jaffe is a talented and passionate gardener who single handedly maintains 75 acres of woodland, meadow and bog garden. Although building self-sustaining gardens on 75 acres sounds like […]
Henry Homeyer: Bring it on! Spring flower edition
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC This year I went to my vegetable garden with a snow shovel, in late February. It was a warm, sunny day, and I was ready for spring. Now people say that old timers like me are more patient than young whipper-snappers, but I’m not sure that’s true. We […]
Henry Homeyer: Staying sane, starting your seedlings
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Winter is long, and for a gardening guy like me, winter can be oppressive. I keep sane, in part, by starting seeds indoors. I am just now getting ready to start a few plants that need a long head start before they go outside. Starting plants now means […]
Henry Homeyer: When you enjoy it so much, it doesn’t feel like work
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ruth Stout, born in Topeka, Kansas in 1884, lived to the ripe old age of 96. She was an early proponent of organic gardening and was also (as seen from her writing) a sweet, funny, intelligent and common-sense person. I recently read her book, Gardening without Work, from cover […]
Henry Homeyer: the global impact of your green thumb
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC There is much talk these days about global warming. It’s easy to feel hopeless and to think there is nothing we can do, but a few small steps can add up to a big difference. A gardener can do a lot to help the environment. Start by growing […]
Henry Homeyer: Spring birds signal seed orders
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ground Hog Day has come and gone. The big, fat rodent has made their proclamation about the arrival of spring, and of course, I paid no attention. I think the birds are better about announcing spring, but so far the cardinals are not singing their spring songs, and […]
Henry Homeyer: Flower shows to get into spring swing
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC In Lewis Carroll’s poem, The Jabberwocky, the hero exalts, after killing the ferocious mythical beast, “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” That’s the way I feel when I think about the upcoming spring flowers shows. Thinking about the shows I am known to exclaim, “Oh Boy!” at random moments, […]
Henry Homeyer: getting rid of invasives
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC My mother used to say, “The road to hades is paved with good intentions.” That is particularly true for gardeners and plant collectors. Most of those nasty invasive plants we struggle to eliminate from our landscape were brought here from abroad by people who didn’t know better. They […]
Henry Homeyer: A gardener’s cookbook
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I can’t wait till spring. Don’t get me wrong: I love winter. But I look forward to trying a recipe I just found for pea, leek and sorrel soup while reading Deborah Madison’s fabulous cookbook: Vegetable Literacy (10-Speed Press, 2013, $40). And sorrel, a leafy perennial, is one of […]
Henry Homeyer: tips for making winter arrangements
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Finding things to place in vases, now, in winter, is not easy. It takes some imagination, but there really are some nice stems available. Before the snow flew I went outside and picked stems of pachysandra, a green vine that is mostly used in shade, though also grows […]
Henry Homeyer: Time to nestle in with a good book
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC It’s cold outside, and nothing is happening in my garden. Well, I guess deep beneath the soil surface there are microbes and worms and moles alive and doing whatever they do in winter. But I am doing nothing in the garden, so this is a time to read […]
Henry Homeyer: Looking back at 2019
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC This past year was, overall, a good one in the garden. It started off cold and wet in early summer, but then turned hot and dry. Most vegetables and perennial flowers did fine for me. I finally splurged and got an Itoh hybrid peony, one called ‘Garden Treasure’ […]
Henry Homeyer: Reflections on a gardener’s life
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC During the holidays I try to take time from the humdrum of festivities to sit quietly and reflect on how happy and grateful I am for my life here in rural New England. Much of what I appreciate is linked to a life that allows me to spend […]
Henry Homeyer: It’s time to plant acorns
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC You may think that the planting season is over. Not for me. I recently planted 8 giant red oaks. Or, I should say, potentially giant oaks. I planted eight acorns. I’m hoping that at least one will begin growing next spring, and that it will eventually provide shade, […]
Henry Homeyer: Are living Christmas trees a good idea?
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I know people who say we shouldn’t be cutting down trees just to brighten our homes for the holidays. Trees are, after all, sequestering carbon and making our environment cleaner, greener, and all that. I disagree and will cut a fresh tree from my neighborhood tree farmer. I […]
Henry Homeyer: Holiday gifts for the gardener
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Bad news: I hear you can’t depend on Santa to deliver presents to your favorite gardener this year as he is vastly overworked – and pretty cranky. Last I heard, he is planning on give coal to almost everyone over the age of 8. But here are some […]
Henry Homeyer: tips for extending the life of your tools
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC By now most of us have put our gardens to bed – or done as much as we will this season. The morning of the first snow storm I finished cutting back the perennials in my last two flower beds. Whew, just in time. The vegetable garden has […]
Henry Homeyer: Pruning, a late fall garden chore
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Fall is here, and winter is not far behind. I’ve seen some snow and scraped frost from my windshield. The sun is slow to get above the hills in the morning and quick to disappear in the afternoon. The sky is often gray and gloomy. These things take […]
