All Entries in the "Henry Homeyer’s Notes from the Garden" Category
Henry Homeyer: Grand dreams of tomorrow’s trees
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I was recently thumbing through my first book, Notes from the Garden, looking for an inspiration for yet another winter article. In it I read that I had planted my ‘Merrill’ magnolia in 2001. I had forgotten that I planted it just 20 years ago this spring – […]
Henry Homeyer: Building your garden library
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I know that many people, especially gardeners under the age of 40, use the internet to find the answers to their questions. That is fine, but the internet is full of “fake news” and spurious assertions. I do use the web, but if I want to learn about […]
Henry Homeyer: mid-winter care for your houseplants
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Are you suffering from the mid-winter blahs? More importantly, are your houseplants? We can’t be in our gardens outside now – except for a few stalwarts who are pruning, I suppose – but we can take good care of our houseplants. Although I have not the passion for […]
Henry Homeyer: A winter soup for you, from your garden
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC There is something about a bowl of warm soup on a cold winter day that warms the heart and soul as well as filling the tummy. And if the ingredients are from your own garden, the soup tastes even better! Here is a soup I made largely with […]
Henry Homeyer: Winter arbor favorites, as shared by readers & experts
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I recently asked a few readers, garden friends and tree experts a question: “What is your favorite tree in winter?” It’s not easy to pick just one, any more than most of us would be willing to name a favorite child. I invite you to think about the […]
Henry Homeyer: starting at the seeds, now we’re here
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I hate to be the one to give you bad news, but some seed companies are already running out of seeds. Don’t panic: there are, in fact, plenty of seeds out there. And if one company doesn’t have your favorite tomato or zinnia variety, chances are that some […]
Henry Homeyer: the importance of eating organic
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I have been growing vegetables organically all my life. I use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. I don’t often think about the reasons I do so, any more than I think about breathing – it’s just something I do. I recently picked up a book written by Maria […]
Henry Homeyer: Helping your plants to survive the winter
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC If you are like me, you buy new perennials, trees and shrubs every year. Most plants sold locally are hardy, but not all. It’s good to know the “zone hardiness” of plants before you buy them, and how the zone maps work. In a nutshell, the colder the […]
Henry Homeyer: Lessons from ‘A Guide to Nature in Winter’
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC This is a good time to be outdoors exploring the fields and woods. There is so much to see that will be buried in snow later on. But you may ask, what is there to see? Trees, winter weeds, animal footprints, signs of insects, shelf fungi on trees, […]
Henry Homeyer: Looking back at 2020
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC This past year was a tough one for many of us: isolation due to Covid-19, political turmoil, employment interruptions and more. But in the garden, it was pretty good, overall. It was a very dry summer, but that meant that there were fewer fungal diseases on my tomatoes […]
Henry Homeyer: How to make your cut flowers last
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Snow is finally here in Cornish Flat. The cardinals and blue jays are providing a little color to an otherwise unremarkable world. The sun is lurking behind gray clouds, and on a good day we get nine hours of light. I really do miss the colors of summer. […]
Henry Homeyer: the last of your vital pre-winter chores
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Our gardens are put to bed for the winter: Veggie stalks are pulled and composted, perennials are cut back, weeds pulled, leaves raked. Everything is a snug as a bug in a rug. But I’m not done quite yet – and you might have a few chores to […]
Henry Homeyer: natural ways to feed the birds
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC By now many of us are providing seeds to the neighborhood birds. Of course the seeds we provide are just a part of the diet of a wild bird. It’s important to grow a diverse selection of native trees, shrubs and perennials to help provide shelter and nesting […]
Henry Homeyer: Holiday gifts for your gardener
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I love everything about the holiday season, from the lights, the carols, the cookies and more. It’s a good antidote to the news and to the gray and chilly weather. Last summer many gardening necessities sold out as so many people were quarantined at home and took to […]
Henry Homeyer: Ensure your trees survive and thrive
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I have to admit that I see many fewer volcanoes of mulch snuggling up to trees in public places. I think the word is out, at least with municipal workers, that trees can be damaged or killed by over-exuberant mulching. But among homeowners, I’m not so sure. Let’s take […]
Henry Homeyer: Stop deer from dining on your garden
(Editor’s Note: Due to a technical glitch, Henry’s column was delayed until today.) By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing Winter is near and, for most of us, so are the deer. They need extra food now to get ready for winter, and some of what they eat – green leaves and grasses– are not readily […]
Henry Homeyer: Giving thanks
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I think it’s important to take time to count my blessings. I try to set aside time each day to reflect on how grateful I am for living the life I do. And on a sunny afternoon near Thanksgiving I like to sit outside and reflect on everything […]
Henry Homeyer: blooming blossoms, but take it indoors
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC November is the gloomiest month of all. It’s cold and raw, but usually without enough snow to XC-ski on. It rains nearly every day, or seems like it does. The garden is put to bed, or if I‘ve neglected to do something, it probably won’t happen until spring. […]
Henry Homeyer: October’s prospering veggies
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Granted, I have a vegetable garden mainly so I can have fresh, succulent tomatoes from July until some time in October. But I’ve grown all vegetables that will grow in our climate, I think. Now in late October, my saved tomatoes are all eaten, but I am enjoying […]
Henry Homeyer: It’s time to plant your garlic!
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC When I was growing up, my mom served meat and potatoes nearly every night. Our vegetable was peas or cooked carrots, and once a week or so we had an iceberg lettuce salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots with dressing from a bottle. So I don’t really know […]
