Author Archives: aheronsgarden

All That Glitters. . .

Posted on June 24, 2014 by aheronsgarden

The Delicious Appeal of Suncatchers The gloomy rainy snowy sleety icy windy days this past winter must have finally gotten to daughter Susan. She’s up there in New Hampshire where winters are either cold or colder or frigid enough to … Continue reading →

Posted in suncatchers, Uncategorized | Tagged beads, how to make a suncatcher, mirrors, mobiles, stones, suncatchers | Leave a comment

Turtles on the Log, All’s Well with Spring

Posted on April 6, 2014 by aheronsgarden

Greetings from A Heron’s Garden on this, the first glorious spring day of 2014. There’s a brisk breeze, but a kind sun and clear blue skies. I am exuberant. The soil is still cold and water still pools in the … Continue reading →

Posted in spring bloom, Spring shrubs, Uncategorized | Tagged bridal wreath spirea, Daffodils, forsythia, hellebores, lenten roses, lesser celandine, Magnolia 'Jane', Magnolia 'Leonard Messel', quince, Spirea 'Ogon', spring flowers, spring shrubs, turtles, viburnum carlesii, violets | Leave a comment

What Is Killing the Honeybee? Part IV

Posted on February 21, 2014 by aheronsgarden

Brinksmanship? Ignorance? Greed? Inertia? “It is ironic to think that man might determine his own future by something so seemingly trivial as the choice of an insect spray.”– Rachel Carson, Silent Spring Back in the seventies, Bob and I helped … Continue reading →

Posted in Honeybees, Neonicotinoids, Uncategorized | Tagged almonds, banning neonics, bee colony losses, bee-pollinated food, conditional registration, Demo beehive, EPA action, hazards from fungicides, hazards from pesticides, how to protect bees, lawsuits, pollinating apple orchards, Save America's Pollinators Act, Varroa destructor (mite) | Leave a comment

Who is Killing the Honeybee? Part III

Posted on February 20, 2014 by aheronsgarden

Two Beekeepers Tell Their Stories Betty and Steve are neighbors of mine. Of course, in northeastern North Carolina, where farm fields stretch for miles, neighbors can be a half hour or more away. Like other beekeepers I’ve met, they are … Continue reading →

Posted in Hobby Beekeeping, Honeybees, Uncategorized | Tagged bears and bees, bee medication, bee seasonal activities, drone bee, healthy hives, hobby beekeeping, honey harvest, mites, queen bee, swarming, varroa mites, wax moths, winter bees, worker bee | Leave a comment

Who Is Killing the Honeybee? Part II

Posted on February 14, 2014 by aheronsgarden

Pesticides and Who? Us Gardeners? Have you ever wondered why some nursery plants you buy look so perfect and stay that way all season? (Assuming they live through the season in your garden — they don’t always make it in … Continue reading →

Posted in Honeybees, Native pollinators, Neonicotinoids, Uncategorized | Tagged application of neonicotinoids, Bayer Advanced, bee fly, Colony Collapse Disorder, effects of neonicotinoids, gardening with nature, honeybees, hover flies, Japanese beetles, lace wing, native pollinators, neonics, nicotinoids, nursery sales, osmia riboflorus, Products with neonicotinoids, systemic pesticides, tachinid flies | Leave a comment

Who Is Killing the Honeybee? Part I

Posted on February 13, 2014 by aheronsgarden

Not I, says the gardener. Not I, says the farmer. Not I, says the Pesticide Maker. Not I, says the Garden Center. Certainly not I, says the EPA. Is there a problem? asks Congress. In the past six years an … Continue reading →

Posted in Honeybees, Native pollinators, Uncategorized | Tagged bumblebees, early honeybees in America, honeybees, loss of beehives, native pollinators, plants for pollinators, potter wasps, sweat bees | 1 Comment

Christmas Tulips

Posted on December 28, 2013 by aheronsgarden

Twas the day before Christmas and all through the yard We were setting out bulbs ere the ground got too hard When from down on my knees I saw, slowing en route, A rosy-cheeked elf in a natty red suit … Continue reading →

Posted in Planting Tulip bulbs | Tagged animal repellents, planting tulips, squirrels and tulips, tulips in gardens | Leave a comment

The Gentlest of Seasons

Posted on November 6, 2013 by aheronsgarden

Fall is settling in. I can feel it as I walk through the garden. The sun’s light is still sharp but it has lost its ferocious heat. On this bright day insects bob from daisy to daisy to find a … Continue reading →

Posted in fall bloom, garden maintenance, Uncategorized, Wildlife, wildlife in autumn | Tagged American Painted Lady butterflies, azalea caterpillars, camellia 'Hana Jiman', deer browsing, Edgeworthia, euonymus scale, gray fox, helianthemum maximiliani, knockout roses, limelight hydrangea, mushroom rot, perilla, roadside aster, sheffield chrysanthemum, viburnum carlesii | Leave a comment

The Invisible Coastline: Part IV

Posted on September 18, 2013 by aheronsgarden

Good Works and the Artful Dodge August 29, 2015 marks the tenth anniversary of one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States in recorded history. It was the wristwatch that caught me. I picked it out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, katrina recovery, Storm recovery, Uncategorized | Tagged Bay St. Louis MS, Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, Biloxi MS, Building Goodness Foundation, Casinos, Domino Sugar, Emergency Communities, Exxonmobil, Federal aid for Katrina recovery, FEMA, Fire Dog Saloon, Gulf Coast, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Horn Construction, HUD, Katrina recovery, New Waveland Cafe and Clinic, Pass Christian MS, Pearlington MS, Rainbow Family, St Bernard Project, St. Bernard Parish LA, State Farm, Steps Coalition, Waveland MS | Leave a comment

The Invisible Coastline: Part III

Posted on September 4, 2013 by aheronsgarden

Our Impressions, November 2006 August 29, 2015 marks the tenth anniversary of one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States in recorded history. It was the wristwatch that caught me. I picked it out of the sand … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Master Gardeners, Mississippi Coast, Storm recovery, Uncategorized | Tagged Belfry, Christ Episcopal Church, Hancock County Master Gardeners, Hancock County Schools, Katrina recovery, landscaping, Master Gardeners, Mockingbird Cafe, NC Master Gardeners, VA Master Gardeners, Waveland | Leave a comment