Along the Ohio River, the “Garden and Nursery Boat” Sold Plants
Photo from the 1924 film: The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln. I stared out my elementary school window for years, bored out of my skull, determined to forsake [...]
Allen Bush
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 [...]
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 [...]