A customer of Erica's found a butterfly had hatched in her Christmas tree. What to do? But of course, Erica took the sweet swallowtail home with her. What a totally magnificent thing, a butterfly. We watch them flutter by in our summer gardens, but what a treat to have the opportunity to see her up close, really observe. full story
Starting today, I will be one of several Garden Gurus working with Proven Winners. I am honored to be part of Proven Winners family. full story
Plant breeders strive to introduce the shiniest, ‘must have’ perennial. We are lucky to be able to share The Perennial Diva’s current picks of promising plants. Stephanie Cohen says it’s getting more and more difficult to pick winners and losers. She’s brave and kind enough to offer a few suggestions here full story
There’s an exciting new place to explore sustainability visually in PA. Husband and wife photography team, Florence and Anthony Rodale have launched a groundbreaking photo gallery in Emmaus, PA, focusing on promotion of sustainability through photography. The first exhibit, open now, is the fascinating collection of work dubbed the Lexicon of Sustainability by Douglas Gayeton. full story
Financiers have dirt on their hands. Thanks to the Slow Money Alliance, some of that dirt is now lovely and fertile soil. As evidenced by the Occupy Wall Street movement, there is much distrust of financial institutions. After decades of big banks and investment companies criminally increasing profit margins at any cost, they are viewed [...] full story
Every year new perennials tempt customers to buy them. Some become instant successes, others never achieve notoriety, and some really bad plants hang around forever. It gets more and more difficult to pick the winners and losers. I am either brave or foolhardy for attempting to do this. Let’s have a drum roll. We are [...] full story
Printed catalogs mixed with new media create hope of rescuing D. Landreth Seed located in New Freedom, PA. Innovation in seed catalogs were one of many firsts the company brought to the business. Now, the catalog may save the company. That, and social media. You can order the catalog on line. full story
A nearly Wordless Wednesday with a few words about achieving biodiversity. full story
Pickling may seem like a frightening black art practiced only by women of the past with extraordinary quantities of home economic mojo, but it’s actually much less complex than say, maintaining a quality compost pile. With attention to a couple important things, pickling is easy full story
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Lecturing Liberty on Food Security
by Laura Mathews · February 16, 2012
I lectured a statue of liberty on food. Not the same Lady Liberty who greeted many of our ancestors as they came to Ellis Island, but fittingly, a hot air-filled replica. The real Lady Liberty holds out hope for a better life of justice, freedom and democracy. We need to work for those qualities in our food system, now. full story