The Arboretum is located in Sandpoint, Idaho on Lake Pend Oreille. In addition to the beautiful lake, there is a mountain resort for winter skiing. Locals often observe, “we’re almost in Canada,” in an area referred to as the Panhandle. It has stunning scenery, four seasons, and residents who cherish the quality of life. It […]
Nestled within the thirty acres of one of the most beautiful zoos sits a small parcel of land dedicated to education, conservation and promotion of gardening at the Santa Barbara Zoo. The idea of an onsite garden had been bounced back and forth among staff for a number of years. After the completion of a […]
The MGG, begun in 1988, honors the Ojibwe culture and features flora used by the Ojibwe Native Americans. Artist Susan Swerda Foss has studied the flora for over twenty nine years. The garden is in the shape of a Canadian Goose, measuring 830 feet long, and the flora is planted so that in the future […]
The Poquoson Learning Garden is located at the Poquoson Museum, the former sixteen acre William Freeman Dryden farm in the City of Poquoson, Virginia. The museum campus contains a circa 1900 farm house, agricultural out buildings, frontage along the marshes of Topping Creek and a country store known as ‘Miss Becky’s Store’ that served local […]
I have been raising Monarch butterflies in my kitchen for years. They do not usually survive if I leave them outside on the milkweed plants in my yard. Success inside is 99%. I released seven in the spring. I had one caterpillar in July this year. Currently (8/18/2017) I have twenty-one caterpillars in my kitchen. […]
Intro: Marianne S.Narrative: (Sheryl) Sherry M.All photos: Marianne S. We may not normally think of our national parks as community gardens, but consider that Yellowstone Park itself, an ecosystem protected for the enjoyment of the public, averages 3-4 million visitors a year. And as a counterpoint consider the day-to-day experience of this world by a […]
Woodend Sanctuary is a 40 acre property in Chevy Chase, Maryland, bequeathed to and now headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Mid-Atlantic States. The mission of the Audubon Naturalist Society is to inspire residents of the greater Washington, DC, region to appreciate, understand, and protect their natural environment through outdoor experiences, education, and […]
The best part about having an urban pollinator garden? Relaxing in the swing, admiring the rabbits, squirrels, birds, butterflies and bees, all the while answering questions from patrons visiting the Peacemaker and Sidney Street Cafe. The guests continually stop to ask about the unfamiliar native plants… Ironically, these plant species are strangers to our community, […]
This year was the first full growing season at this house with my garden of Missouri native wildflowers and plants. I couldn’t have been happier and I’d venture to say that the butterflies, bees, and birds enjoyed it as well. Sure, I like the occasional mums on my porch next to the pumpkins in the […]
When I was pregnant with my first child, I began to plant. I think that I wanted to see whether anything would really grow. Honestly, I didn’t expect much to happen. But in the Spring, just before my daughter made her appearance, magically my tulips, anemones, and daffodils appeared. I was hooked. My mom casually […]
I’ve always lived what I’ve considered an environmentally conscious life-style; living in a dense, urban neighborhood, biking or taking transit to work, shopping local, eating a primarily plant-based diet, recycling, composting and much, much more. I’ve kept a vegetable garden for years and recently started raising backyard chickens, (which has been fun for me and […]
Holly Walker is a Plant Health Specialist at Smithsonian Gardens. I sat down to talk with her on November 27, 2017 about entomology, her background and some of her current undertakings with Smithsonian Gardens. Could you tell me about your role with Smithsonian Gardens? My title is Plant Health Specialist, but it’s a wide umbrella […]
Opened in 2007, this “People’s Garden” invites visitors of all ages and abilities to create and to explore meaningful connections to plants and nature at their own pace. The journey began in 1991 when a small group of midcoast Maine residents dreamed of building a world-class public garden on 148 acres of rocky coastal forest […]
Note: This story contains reference to school and gun violence. As the principal and I watched the heavy machinery level the last of the dilapidated portable classrooms, an idea flitted across my mind. On a whim, I asked if a portion of the land being cleared might be set aside for Science purposes—perhaps a garden? […]
Located in the neighborhood of Central Tacoma, Washington, Franklin Park serves its community well—there are numerous opportunities for recreation for children and adults, including a community garden. It has served its purpose for the elementary school and the numerous homeowners who live nearby since its opening in 1941. There is also space for wildlife, with […]