It’s only a slight stretch to say that the skin of America’s women depends on a handful of New England woodsmen with rough hands and weathered faces. Without these “brush cutters,” as they call themselves, there would be no witch hazel to put into the dozens of lotions, creams, gels, moisturizers, cleansers, conditioners, and shampoos […]
Gardens
Green to Orange and Red: The green we see in tree leaves is the pigment chlorophyll. Stored in chloroplasts in the watery cytoplasm of plant cells, it is responsible for creating food for the plants. Chlorophyll uses the sun’s energy to split water molecules and recombine them with carbon dioxide in the air to make […]
Gardens
Ask the Naturalist: Foliage
This question isn’t as silly as it might sound at first. Unlike the orange and yellow pigments that are present in a leaf all summer (but are revealed only when green chlorophyll starts to break down and fade), the red pigments, anthocyanins, aren’t produced until autumn. It takes a significant amount of energy to produce […]
Gardens
Defense of the Norway maple
I live in a small house with many windows. From mid-October to Thanksgiving, the front and sides bathe in a fierce yellow light, thanks to the leaves of the Norway maple that grows in the eastern tree zone. Its leaves hold the light of the sun; even at dusk and on overcast days, there’s a […]
Are there trees and shrubs that flower in the fall that I can use in my landscape? — R.M., Lincoln, MA A good number of herbaceous perennials (soft-stem plants that die to the ground in winter) bloom during the fall in New England — including Aconitum, Aster, Chrysanthemum, Sedum, and Filipendula, among others — but […]
Like the forest itself, these New England trees are diverse. Our ten favorites are unique for their role in history, jaw-dropping size, or simple beauty.
To understand the problem with lawns, it’s helpful to understand that diversity is essential to the natural world. Great energy expenditure is required to maintain a monoculture, whether it’s a field of corn or a lawn. A nonessential “crop” with a combined national acreage larger than Pennsylvania, our lawns require more water, insecticides, fungicides, weed […]
We recently painted our house and found wood rot, which necessitated a lot of repair and replacement work on the clapboards. What can we do to prevent wood rot? — J.T., Swanzey, NH Homeowners should inspect for wood rot annually. This is a good time of the year to check the condition of exterior trim, […]
Gardens
Seaside Garden Plants
Bunny O’Callahan’s years of gardening on the New England coast have taught her which plants love a seaside setting. Here’s a selection of her recommendations: WOODY PLANTS Hydrangea macrophylla and Buddleia (butterfly bush) are easy, deciduous shrubs that bloom from July onward. The hydrangeas feature large “popcorn ball” or flat-topped “lacecap” flowers in vivid blue […]
This seaside garden in Connecticut is an oasis for birds and butterflies. “I choose plants to feed the birds or attract the butterflies,” says Bunny O’Callahan, explaining the composition of her seaside garden in Connecticut. “Sunflowers really draw the goldfinches in. I like to float on my back in the pool and listen to them […]
When I was a little girl, I had a three-block walk to school. On these walks in the fall I played a game, a treasure hunt of sorts, where I would find the tiniest perfect leaf and the largest perfect leaf and present them to my mom before lunch. I walked those three blocks with […]
When simply deadheading isn’t enough, here’s how to prune lilacs and rhododendrons that have become too tall.