The outside living season is short in New England, so it’s important to make the most of it. Follow these five maintenance tips to extend the life of your patio and ensure it lasts for years to come. When building a flagstone patio on a sand bed, you can make it hold up better over […]
garden
Gardens
How Long Do Seeds Last?
Before I buy new seeds, I’d like to know if I can use the ones I have left over from last year. How long do seeds last? Is there a general rule I can follow to tell if they are good? Seeds have widely differing useful lives. Onion, aster, and delphinium, for example, must be […]
The relationship between cats and tulips may seem obscure, but gardeners who are cat lovers would instantly understand…
Gardens
Wildflower Gardening
One of the best reasons to grow native plants is that they’re relatively easy to raise, because they’re so well adapted to our region (which isn’t to say they are immune from their natural insect and animal predators, but that’s the trade-off in ecological gardening). Like all plants, native species have differing soil and water […]
New England
The Best Beach in Each New England State
Longnook Beach, Truro, Massachusetts I like to arrive at Longnook in the early morning, while the fog still casts a hazy glaze over the water. Joined by surfers and dog walkers, I stroll down the sandy path to the soft, white beach. Then I glance back at the towering tan and red dunes, realizing instantly […]
Every June 1 since 1950, Dave Webster and his boat have confirmed the start of another season for residents of Great Pond, Maine. Excerpt from “The Summer Mailboat,” Yankee Magazine June 1988 In 1943, the summer Dave Webster turned 15, he began delivering mail by boat on Great Pond, an 8,000-acre lake about 15 miles […]
Gardens
The Dating Flowers
This is a photograph of my crocus garden. I challenged myself to take some macro images of my new sprouted crocus bulbs. I particularly like how the background has soft colors so the vibrant colors of the crocus bulbs stand out. Very happy with how this came out. I firmly believe that we do not […]
The Pine Tree State has plenty to offer in the Great Outdoors. Read our picks for the best outdoor attractions in Maine for 2014. BEST TOWN PARK: FORT WILLIAMS, Cape Elizabeth A former military base, Fort Williams’ 90 oceanfront acres are home to Portland Head Light, a small historical museum, tennis courts, Goddard Mansion ruins, […]
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Imogene Wolcott, Yankee’s first food editor, and her list of the “20 Most New Englandy Dishes.” Many readers wrote in to share their thoughts about what was worthy or missing on her list, and we loved reading their comments. Well, now I have another Imogene list for […]
Call it a fruit or call it a vegetable, rhubarb — an early bloomer — is the basis for cozy crumbles and delectable sauces. I have no quarrel with rhubarb. I love this plant.The tightly rolled green and pink leaves pushing out of the just-thawed ground, growing into firm stalks with little attention or care from me, […]
Magazine
The Pleasures of May
Maybe this month is called “May” because of all the new things that are possible. “A stick, a stone, it’s the end of the road…” so goes the catchy bossa nova song, “The Waters of March,” which lists an inventory of some lovely (and brutal) things unearthed in the torrents of spring. Following March and […]
Tower Hill Botanic Garden in the inviting town of Boylston, Massachusetts, earned a spot on Yankee’s “Best Public Gardens” list in the Mar/Apr 2014 issue, and was also named an “Editors’ Choice” selection in Yankee’s May/June 2014 issue. Hmm. Seems it must be worth a drive over to investigate, which is what I did, albeit […]