Author: Tina Hope

The emergence of nettles scattered in patches among last year’s Golden Rod and towering Walnut trees and surrounding young Elder shrubs, is one of my favorite discoveries in late March as I walk the paths, searching for signs of spring, around our home. After a long winter, the hearty greens, poking out of the ground,…

It has been rainy for almost a week, as is often the case in April. At last, the sun peeked through the clouds this morning, briefly, and my daughter and I happily witnessed the bright yellow dandelions that began to appear in the lawns around town, on our way to school. Dandelions are an underappreciated…

It is early May and the Comfrey plants are in their full glory. They astound me each year in how fully present they become in the garden and surrounding tree guilds, towering over the clover, dandelion, and various docks; almost as if they embody the role of the garden guardians. Some of them look like…

As the long sunny days of summer are upon us, the bright orange and yellow flowers of Calendula begin to adorn our garden. They bloom along with St. John’s Wort, Yarrow, and Borage which are set amidst a bed of green milky oats ready for harvest. Mid to late June is a beautiful time of…

It is early June, and I have been keeping an eye on the changes in the distinctive highly segmented leaves of Yarrow, which resemble a squirrel’s tail in its early stages (the species name is millefolium, which translates to thousand leaves in Latin). Yarrow is making its appearance in the field, the yard and the…

As winter is fully upon us now and the snow capped cones of the tall, hardy, stems of Purple Coneflower are apparent in the landscape, the birds remind me to consider this plant as part of my winter wellness plan. Juncos and finches continue to be attracted to these plants now; and when the showy…