My Mentors: Alberta Coleman and Omer Barber
Photo courtesy of Joseph Hillenmeyer. While I wait for my first social security check to arrive later this month, I have been thinking about two crucial mentors. Alberta [...]
Allen Bush
Take the Sting Out with Nutritious Nettles
A rich seam of stinging nettles in Salvisa, Kentucky. My daughter, Molly, decided to harvest nettles on our farm in Salvisa last year. I wondered, Why? I must [...]
The Mysterious Case of the Orange Petunia
Outlawed orange-red petunia If you’re growing an orange petunia this summer, you may be one of the lucky ones. Or the afflicted ones. Orangish petunias were taken off [...]
Spring in Kentucky, and the Run from the Roses
Fallen dogwood petals at home, Louisville, KY. April 23. I run from roses until mid-April, when my mood changes, as the Kentucky Derby grows near. The Run for [...]
Pollen, Politics and Doomsday Prep
Dead nettles in bloom along VanArsdall Road in Salvisa, KY on March 26th. Molly Bush photo. I’ve been a careless victim of too many late nights in my [...]
The One and Only Poison Ivy Horticulturist
Superman was the most thrilling comic book hero of my boyhood. “Look… Up in the sky…It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!” I felt better knowing that good would [...]
Noah’s Ark Encounter Stalled in Dry Dock
The re-creation of Noah’s ark, sitting in dry dock, six miles from Dry Ridge, Kentucky, looks like a gargantuan Pez dispenser laid on its side. The ark sits in the [...]
The Fantabulous Tomato Sandwiches of Ralph Haas and Sarah Owens
Heirloom tomatoes, Sarah Owens photo. I’ll never forget the moment I tasted my first tomato sandwich. Mrs. Dumesnil grew a half-dozen tomato plants in her back yard. I [...]
How ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Aster Became a Hit
I received a letter from Raydon Alexander 25 years ago. A passalong plant was on the road to distinction. Aster 'Raydon's Favorite' at the National Arboretum. Photo courtesy of [...]
On Sanibel Island, Thoughts of Trump, Mondale, and Cabbage Palms
Photo courtesy of Andrew Cline and shutterstock.com I had no idea it was National Margarita Day. A Sanibel Island waitress mentioned it to us a few weeks ago. [...]
My Granddaughter and I Take On Johnny Appleseed
Should we strive for a “blemish-free, plastic-red saccharine orb” in Salvisa? I don't think so. Shutterstock photo. As a young boy, I would have chosen a gumdrop tree [...]
Kelly Norris, Gilles Clément and Allen Lacy Occupy my Mind over Christmas
We had heavy rains this Christmas season, with eerily warm temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The Salt River was swollen, while winter jasmines and even a few Asian cherries [...]