Recent Henry Homeyer Columns

Eating local involves a lot of principles and knowledge

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I love the flavors of spring. In 2007, Barbara Kingsolver wrote “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life,” a wonderful account of eating only …

Warm start to garden cleanup; right time to admire

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, May 1, 2012

April was a busy month for most gardeners because it was warm and sunny. Our flower gardens and trees have awakened early, allowing us to …

Use wood-based mulch carefully around tree trunks

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, April 17, 2012

For more than a month, small trucks laden with chipped bark or wood chips have been scurrying around, unloading piles of mulch. Mulch (from the …

It’s quick, easy to build folding wooden plant stand

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, April 3, 2012

It’s time to start planting seeds indoors for late-spring planting. Depending where you are (and what this crazy weather does), late May or early June …

It’s time now to decide what will your garden grow

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Spring is coming, spring is coming! The robins and red-winged blackbirds are back. Cardinals are singing their mating songs. It’s too early to do anything …

Proper light, moisture, temperature key for seedlings

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, March 6, 2012

As winter morphs into spring, I get antsy. I want to start growing things. Even though it is still too early for starting most things …

He’ll put moon’s possible effects on plants to the test

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The moon attracts me the way my porch light attracts moths. I am drawn to it. I love to stare at it, and I can …

This time of year his thoughts are going to seeds

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, February 7, 2012

I love thumbing through the seed catalogs and look forward to their arrival every year. On the other hand, I do wonder about the environmental …

Nearly time for region’s flower shows to blossom

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Each year, I rejoice at the coming of the flower shows; they bring a taste of spring. By the time they arrive, I’m more than …

Visit deCordova Sculpture Park to brighten your winter

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, January 17, 2012

January is generally an all-white month in my garden, though this year the snow has been off to a slow start. I love the curves …

Use your Christmas tree in the garden

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I know people who take down their Christmas trees right after Christmas. I am not one. I think of my tree as a holiday tree, …

Get your soil tested before the ground freezes

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, December 20, 2011

I have a confession to make: I added soil amendments last week without first getting my soil tested. I teach gardening, and the first thing …

Interesting stems begging to be part of arrangements

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Once again, my garden is just about out of steam. Winter is upon us – not by the calendar, but with temperatures dropping into the …

Sunny, late fall days good for going after invasives

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, November 29, 2011

There are still a few nice days left before cold rain, snow and cold take over our weather systems, and I try to take advantage …

New way of trimming trees crops up on trip to France

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, November 15, 2011

On a recent trip to southern France, I was fascinated by what some people might term “tree abuse.” The French love to turn certain trees …

Harvests offer payoffs for gardeners at many levels

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, November 1, 2011

There is, I believe, great value in gardening. I am healthier for the exercise I get gardening and for the food from it. I believe …

So much to do, these time savers can help get it done

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, October 18, 2011

There is always so much to do in the garden that sometimes I can’t keep up with it. Right now, there is weeding, pruning, dividing, …

Nice lawn takes work; now’s time to plant grass seed

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I love a little bit of lawn. It sets off the flowers, walkways, stones, shrubs and trees of my garden. I think it looks good, …

Fall flowers plentiful with lots of life left

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Big yellow buses are lumbering around everywhere I look, stopping and starting and making a morning car trip seem to take forever. A few trees …

Nutritious local weeds might be just your cup of tea

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, September 6, 2011

One of the advantages of being an organic gardener is that you can eat any edible plant on your property – whether you planted it …

Henry Homeyer | Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I’ve been doing some sort of garden work every day since March 1, when I planted my first seeds indoors (artichokes, leeks and onions). That’s …

Invincible daylilies one of midsummer’s heroines

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, August 16, 2011

August can be a tough month in the flower garden. Generally, it’s hot and dry. Even the annual flowers that are supposed to bloom like …

Offer a drink to parched plants; you’ll get payback

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, August 2, 2011

It sure has been awfully hot here for the past week or more. Not only am I starting to feel limp, some of my plants …

Garden, like life, gives opportunity to take some risks

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Gardening can be considered a metaphor for life. Some gardeners like their gardens – and their lives – simple and predictable. They plant things that …

Gardeners in need of space should think vertically

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Most of us think we need more garden space. But once we have carved out a garden and removed the grass from the lawn or …

Steps gardeners should take for watering, mulching

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, June 21, 2011

It seems as if the weather is getting more extreme: tornadoes, floods, drought, heat waves and cold spells. What’s a gardener to do? Well, stop …

Introducing Melba, scariest friend that crows could have

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Back in the 1950s when my grandfather grew Golden Bantam sweet corn, scarecrows were pretty basic: a fence post for a backbone, pants, a shirt, …

Maples, birches, others decide to make statements

Henry Homeyer | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

If you have traveled a mile from your house this past month, you have passed plenty of blooming trees and shrubs. Some, like those bold, …