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Native Plant Series: Blazing Star (Liatris)
One of my favorite perennials is the Blazing Star, or commonly referred to as ‘Liatris’ as its latin name. It is also called Gay Feather as I’ve seen large nursery companies refer it to. There are a lot of varieties of Blazing Stars, about 30 total, but overall they have many similar characteristics. They are…
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Native Plant Series: Serviceberry
The Serviceberry is a beautiful flowering small tree or large shrub native to Kentucky and appear in other parts US. It is called serviceberry because about the time the fruit comes out, the waters of the creeks are warm enough to be baptized in. The genus Amelanchier, has several varieties. There is the Allegheny, Downy,…
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Native Plant Series: Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) A Spring Flowering Tree
Last summer I came across the Pussy Willow shrub somewhere among my research. I had always seen its stems put into floral arrangements (or even faux ones that light up!) but never really thought of it much as a plant. The native variety around Kentucky, and much of North America is Salix discolor. Of course different…
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Turning the Lawn into a Garden
Photo from http://www.thegardenglove.com I no longer have to mow my front yard and it’s wonderful! One problem I had with my front yard is that I could not get grass to grow. The previous summer I tried to revamp the lawn with no luck. I purchased a chemical recommended by a Home Depot employee…
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Plant Series: Snowdrops A Blooming Winter Flower Bulb
Snowdrops are one of the earliest flowers to bloom in late winter or early spring, they can even bloom when there is snow on the ground! They are a sure sign spring is near. Snowdrops naturalize and begin blooming heavily after a year. They can be divided and planted in other areas of your garden.…
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DIY Copper Rain Chain
A couple of months ago I got the notion that I wanted a rain chain. This notion lead to some great ideas on creating a water collection basin underneath it, and more ideas for rain gardens. What is the benefit of a rain chain? Rain chains were first used in Japan where they doubled as…
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Rethinking Urban Trees
It is said that Buddha found his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The tree is an ancient symbol and that has been highly symbolized as bringer of life to the planet. “For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers.” said Hermann Hesse. If that’s true, then I’d hate to hear some of the…
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Bleugrass Chevre: A Goat Cheese Farm Tour
This weekend the University of Kentucky Slow Foods group visited a local goat cheese farm, Bleugrass Chevre. Susan Miller, runs her farm just 20 miles outside Lexington in Clark County. We were greeted by all the baby goats when we arrived. We then met Susan and she took us to her kitchen and told us how…
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