Category: Native Plants

The Art of Discovering Plants

mamillay

The good, the bad, and the weedy How can I fertilize my soil naturally without using animal waste? What native plants will grow together and compliment each other? How can I attract bees?  That looks like a weed – can I eat it? In Discovering Wild Plants by Janice Schofield, I found not only the answers to these questions, but so much more.  Open the book’s pages (there are no online resources associated with this book) and find  instructions on how to make herbal remedies and recipes that make your Read More …

Farming on the Livingston Homestead in Cold Bay, Alaska

mlivingston2

Farming on the Livingston Homestead in Cold Bay, Alaska In this short article, I recall what it was like to farm on my family’s homestead in Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula. The Move to Cold Bay My family moved to Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula in 1961.   My father served as a machine gunner and radio technician during World War II, and was stationed at Blinn Lake near the town of Cold Bay in the 1950s.   He must have liked Cold Bay because after the Army Read More …

The Jensen-Olson Arboretum in Juneau, Alaska – A gift for the senses

Dr. Martha Martinez
Pollinator on Primula

The Jensen-Olson Arboretum  in Juneau, Alaska A Gift For The Senses It is a gorgeous day in Southeast Alaska and I am heading to The Jensen-Olson Arboretum for some much needed “garden therapy.’   I drive on Glacier Highway past mile marker 23 and make a left onto the small parking lot, get out of the car, take a few steps and WHOA!– I am greeted by an explosion of fragrances, textures, flavors, and colors bursting out of 1.5 acres of carefully tended, pure waterfront magic.   I stop, breathe Read More …

Weeds can be Wonderful

sboylewade

Introduction: For this post, I wanted to give a different perspective on weeds compared to most other gardeners I hear from.   Many of the classic ‘weeds’   that are dubbed lawn and garden pests such as dandelions, clover, and yarrow might not be as bad as some people think, though this is subject to what you are trying to do with your land.   We actually let these run rampant in our yard (which I suppose we are lucky to have extra space that we are trying to make Read More …