Bee habitats

I've been thinking about doing some interpretive work around native bees and other pollinators.I was reminded of this wonderful "bee habitat" exhibit that I saw last year in the University of Osnabruck Botanical Garden just over a year ago.  I was a post-doc there (three decades ago) and it was...

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Biltmore walled garden (2)

I've loved seeing how the Biltmore Estate has expanded and experimented with their horticulture over the last few years.  Hooray!It's always been a great place to enjoy the expansive grounds, the wonderful landscape, and preserved viewscapes of the surrounding mountains, thanks to the stewardship...

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A sedum wall planting

A lovely display outside the Biltmore Garden Shop -- I love sedums and it's always great to see how they can be used.Although, they can get around -- they can get established very easily in mulch from fragments -- I just scooped up some last weekend in that category.  H...

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Biltmore walled garden

I never would have thought I'd be blown away by mums, but Biltmore's horticultural staff created an over-the-top design for their walled garden fall display.This photo doesn't really do justice to the extraordinary colors and textures that they've created, and the color patterns, too. (Click to get...

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Vase with dried flowers

I had refreshed this arrangement recently -- it looked so pleasing in this light, I couldn't pass on a photo.  (The flash version washed out the color, so this is the hand-held, non-flash, blurry on...

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View towards the forest (ravine)

We love this view, converted from weedy overgrown ivy-ridden trees to developing native woodland garden.The view from this window convinced us to buy our small house in the mountains, within walking distance of downtown Asheville (and it wasn't even cleared of invasives, then).  We'll eventually...

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Edging project: risks & rewards

Some ongoing fall projects are re-edging the lawn along the back yard and weeding out the shady triangle area. I last edged the shady triangle in the spring, but it's been a couple of years since I edged along the lawn east of the triangle.Risks of weeding with beggar lice or tick-trefoil.Rewards of...

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