When winter approaches, I love to be able to go out-of-doors to bring nature in. Take a winter walk to collect materials for holiday decorations.
Author: Lorraine Kiefer

Pickled in Poland
The smell of dill pickles is reminiscent of many things, but mostly of my two visits to Poland in mid-summer.

Strawberries – The Fragrant Fruit
There is something about the fragrance of a field of strawberries with the warm June sun, the blue skies and butterflies floating lazily over the berries that stays in one’s memory.

Grow Your Own Jersey Fresh Tomatoes
Everyone loves a big, thick juicy slice of a Jersey tomato on a sandwich!

Apples are in season
Trees laden with glossy red apples are a beautiful sight in orchards along country roads throughout southern New Jersey. Stands are heaped high with baskets of apples and customers flock to buy and taste those first crispy, juicy delicious apples of the season. Apples have come a long way from the sour, little fruits on… Read more »

Add perennials for years of bloom!
Whether you garden in a pot or a plot, it is time to take notice and give the plants one last feeding, if you do not already have time-release fertilizer on the plants. Clip or deadhead blooming plants so they will continue to flower. Trim back vegetables if they need it and plant some fall… Read more »

Plant Lindera Benzoin to Lure Butterflies
A few years back I became serious about growing the native plant Lindera benzoin for wildlife. Although it was a plant that I would only get a request for from time to time in our nursery, all that I read about the plant fascinated me. The plant was not one I knew and I did not… Read more »

Dandelion – Really the bad boy on the block?
Most folks would laugh if someone said they planted this common weed in their garden, yet today’s supermarkets buy vast amounts of dandelion from farmers who grow it for market.

Pressed Posies: Give your Valentine a Victorian remembrance
This is the time of the year when thoughts may turn to that which is sentimental or romantic. The Victorians were known for their attachment to that which is pretty and reflective of special times.

Making Your Backyard a Birding Mecca
Do you have birds gobbling up seeds and insect pests in your garden? If not, you should consider adding a bird feeder and planning to plant some bird friendly plants this spring