November 2, 2015
My friend Crystal once dubbed me the “Dahlia Whisperer” after spotting me in my front flower field. And while I basked in the glory of her kindly title and her stealthy skills as island paparazzo, I hated to tell her I was really more of a dahlia waterer. Every evening and by hand, I would water, and water, and water […]
March 20, 2015
Fresh start: honeycomb, pea vines, and a little luck… The robins, crows, tree frogs and barred owls, raucous little alarm clocks that they are, have sounded off to alert me that winter is officially over, and it’s time to leave the comfort of my cave (both figuratively, and literally). I’m not one to argue with Mother Nature, so may […]
May 16, 2014
Keeping up with the Weedashians… If I kept a diary, no doubt I would scribe the same words of panic each spring, “Everything is growing so fast; I can’t keep up with it.” Ah but then, when my brain kicks in, I remember the verdant explosion of spring is merely a sprint lasting a month […]
May 1, 2014
May Day, May Day… The sun is rising with a gusto usually reserved for July, and I’m just about to take the last good swig of coffee before heading out to seize the day and the to-do list. But before I do the to-do’s, let me share a few pics from around the farm, a little photo array to celebrate the first […]
April 26, 2013
Outside my window, bluebells lap at the trunk of a bigleaf maple. A few warms days on the island, and Mother Nature takes notice. The orchard trees are set to bloom, the days get longer (just like my chore list) and the memories of a chilly wet winter fade with each flower’s bloom and every […]
March 28, 2013
Garden Photos of a Seasons Past I thought a break in the drizzle and my labor camp duties would be a fine time to revisit some garden curiosities with my camera, especially before the tiller tines erased all clues. Nature is beautiful even in decay, and the remnants of seasons past make for artful subjects. A […]
February 19, 2013
Sticks and stones never looked so good. Sticks and Stones may break my bones, and render my lawnmower useless. Not quite the child’s rhyme, but with soil that heaves up glacial rubble and trees that sneeze sticks, I’m constantly dodging the byproducts of Mother Nature’s whimsies, and as a result working on ways to dispose […]
June 23, 2012
Regale Lily, one of my favorite flowers, beautiful, fragrant and easy to grow. As a guest speaker at the Vashon Island Garden Tour, I’m about to grab my gardening soapbox and expound on the wonders of my favorite flowers: Roses, Peonies, Lilies and Dahlias. I call them the Grand Dames of the Garden, but that […]
April 17, 2012
Vulcan Magnolia front and center, taking its long-awaited bow The old place is draped in spring, and may I say it’s most becoming. Thanks to some unseasonably sunny days and my need to plant more spring bulbs each year, the garden has never looked more cheery in April. And after five years of nurturing, coaxing, […]
Tom Conway here – A man, a dog, a farmhouse on five acres, countless projects and a hankering to grow and cook good food on Vashon Island. Join me, and my bulldog Buddy, as I share what I know, what I love, and what I’m learning along the way!
March 21, 2016
First Day of Spring, the Flowers All Sing {20}
The first day of spring couldn’t have come soon enough, although winter’s waning days were nothing short of halcyon — those teaser days when waterlogged memories of drenching, consuming rain evaporate from my consciousness merely by a rise in temperature, an extension of daylight, and the welcome return of blue skies and fluffy clouds. Rain? What Rain? […]
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By Category: Gardening Tags: camellias, daffodils, Garden, leucojum, maples, narcissus, peach blossoms, spring flowers