When the Wall Street Journal comes to mind most of us are probably thinking articles on the European debt crisis or op eds following the latest Supreme Court arguments over the constitutionality of Obamacare.  Well, there just happens to be a "softer side" of Wall Street too; one that even has a place for us.  We were given the nod this week in the Design and Decorating space for our ever popular Pot Brush Scrubbers and Nutscene Garden Twine.  These have been perennial favorites that we have offered since our inception - but as always, we are  on the lookout for new or interesting garden and/or home implements.  Please check back with us for new offerings (after you have tended to the garden, of course!)

The weather here in New England continues to be a complex mix of abnormally warm dry days or cold rainy ones as spring wobbles into mid-April.  While we have been happy to get out-of-doors and get the yard clean up going and garden beds turned over on the pleasant days, others have forced us inside to dream of warmer weather while getting a nice fire roaring in the hearth with the last of the season’s fire wood. 

Naturally, if your weather has been similar, you may be looking for something to pass the time and we have at least one suggestion.  If you are in the Northeast keep your eyes peeled for a new publication, Naturally New England, a division of Channel Media, which highlights eco-friendly products and services throughout New England.  From planning a trip, organizing a party, starting a remodeling project or shopping for a sustainable gift, Naturally New England will arm you with the information to make more informed choices and explore green alternatives to the decisions you make everyday.  We are very pleased to be featured in the 1^st Edition (Spring/Summer) as one of the eco-conscious resources for gardeners with a nod to our jute waste sacks on Page 154 and a colorful ad featured on Page 189.  We are thrilled to be included in the company of such fine businesses and business owners and we extend a heartfelt thanks to Susan Mulcahy, Editorial and Publishing Director, for making it so. 

If you have trouble tracking down Naturally New England, you can always turn to a more broadly distributed publication like Better Homes and Gardens. Along with the engaging media, it’s always been a perennial favorite of ours to find an appealing new recipe, unique accent for our home or unbeatable tool to use in the garden.  This month we had the unique opportunity to join the list of note worthy retailers featured in the May edition, where our Potting Shed Collection was highlighted as a recommended yard good by Editor Eric Liskey.  You may find the photograph and comments on Page 143. In that we are a small, read two, independent retailer to be recognized by Better Homes and Gardens was a special achievement. We are pleased to be included in such a well recognized and respected publication.

Hopefully we helped lead you towards some interesting and informative reading material to pass the dreary days with until Mother Nature makes up her mind.  Think Spring!

It’s been an interesting few weeks here in Connecticut as it would seem spring has decided to make a prompt and early entrance.  As the temperatures warm and thoughts turn to raking gravel out of lawn and back into the driveway, getting the seeds started or dreaming of the first shoots of rhubarb to push their way through the garden soil, we wanted to remind you we will be spending the weekend of March 20 -21 2010 at the 12^th annual Connecticut Garden Expo held at Fairfield Lodlowe High School in Fairfield, Connecticut.

The celebrated show features over 90 home and garden related exhibitors selected by invitation only for their special interest, quality and appeal as well as a substantial line-up of educational and entertaining lectures. Benefiting the River Lab, a unique hands-on program hosted by the Mill River Wetlands Committee, the Garden Expo will appeal to the gardener and the non-gardener alike and there's something for everyone: the old, the young, and the young at heart.

If you are local or will be in the area this is a great show and we are happy to be returning for our second year.  It would be a nice opportunity to come out and visit us, see some of our products in person, support a valuable cause and grab some good food, too!

For more information, please call 203-948-5499 or email the show organizers at gardenexpoct@aol.com

Here in the Northeast we are still in the grips of winter and although we have left January 18^th behind, which according to some mental health experts is “the bottom” in terms of the winter blues, there remain several long weeks until we can welcome spring.  So imagine my surprise the other afternoon when I looked out the window and saw 3-4 blue flashes go by and land in the small sugar maple near our house.  My Eastern Bluebirds had returned or had possibly just come out from their winter hiding spots long enough to find one of their favorite winter foods which include seeds/ berries from the dogwood, hawthorn, wild grape, sumac, hackberry, blackberry, bayberry, Eastern Juniper and pokeberry bushes. 

We were excited to finally welcome this species in our yard last summer, of whose colors it has been said carry the blue of heaven on their back and the rich brown of freshly turned earth on their breast.  They were named the “blue robin” by early settlers of the Plymouth Colony because the friendly, cheerful songster reminded them of their beloved English robin redbreast.  Unfortunately, the once common Eastern Bluebird suffered a decline in numbers from the late 1800s through the 1980s.  Significant factors contributing to this decline were changing land use patterns, loss of open field habitats and widespread pesticide use.  Competition from introduced European starlings and house sparrows also played a role in the decline of bluebird populations through the reduction of suitable and available nesting cavities.

Although I am happy to welcome my Bluebirds back, I have a concern with where they are going to nest.  Two dead trees on our property, one a large white birch which I knew they actively nested in last season, toppled over during late fall and winter storms.  I am going to employ the use of several nesting houses this coming season, such as this one crafted by Paul Anthony, in hopes I can encourage them to stay.  Other house designs and habitat information can be found at www.nabluebirdsociety.org and http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=325966 .

If you are fortunate enough to have these fine feathered friends as neighbors, consider yourself fortunate and be sure to make the effort to help them continue to call your yard home and if not, this could be the season to put out the welcome mat!

Well the last two months have certainly been busy ones in the garden!  We hope you have been able to take advantage of the pleasant days to get your little corner of the earth in fine shape.   

If you happen to find yourself in Nantucket, MA on the 24^th and 25th of July, please visit us in person at the 1^st Annual Nantucket Garden Show to benefit the Nantucket Lighthouse School.  We were honored to be invited to this event which is sure to offer something for the gardener in all of us.  Some of the folks joining the affair include Holly Shimizu the Executive Director of the US Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC and Russ Morash, the innovative TV producer and director of multiple award-winning PBS programs including “The Victory Garden,” “This Old House,” and “The New Yankee Workshop ”.

In addition to our online inventory, we will be offering a handful of vintage garden primitives as well as introducing several new products for your enjoyment.  They include robust, recycled rubber patio planters from Tade, vintage linen kitchen towels, beach bags and table runners hand stitched in Romania from Transylvania Images and an assortment of child friendly gardening kits from Potting Shed Creations ,that let kids create a fun filled garden spot all their own.

We hope to be adding these new arrivals to our online store in the near future so if your plans are already made for the end of July and we miss you at the show, be sure to check back with us soon to see them here.  Happy Gardening!

Barring any of those peculiar April snowstorms that can sneak in from time to time, it would seem we have “rounded the corner” and spring is at our doorstep.  In New England, this is referred to as Mud Season, due in part to the thawing ground and more frequent liquid versus frozen precipitation.  We found one way of the best ways to keep that mud and dirt outside is with a robust doormat, which can scrub away the caked on dirt from your boots. 

Now is a fine time to start taking stock of your garden, to see what needs to be mended, cleaned or replaced.  If your ceramic pots were used last year, be sure to give them a good cleaning with the hose and pot brush before planting any new arrivals.  And like us, if you own some that look a little worse for wear, these recycled rubber flower pots are a great replacement. 

We trust you are enjoying the warming days, bird song and spring bulbs beginning to push through the soil as much as we are.  Welcome, Spring!

As a child I grew up with a garden in my family’s backyard.  Twenty five years later my father faithfully tends to it and maintains a watchful eye for secrets it seems to dutifully keep. Although I didn’t fully appreciate them at the time, I distinctly recall many unique experiences that small plot of earth endowed on me through the passing seasons.

Whether it was first breaking the cold spring soil to awaken it from its winter slumber, inspecting new shoots of lettuce springing from freshly fertilized ground, waiting in anticipation for the ripening of summer’s first tomatoes, or watching the cold winds of autumn quietly put it to sleep, I now, with age, fondly recall time spent with my father in his garden. Today, in a new garden at our home I look forward to sharing some of those same experiences with my son. I am not an expert, licensed or otherwise, but a garden enthusiast never the less. This spot is your place to read about the goings on in our garden and, if you like, share a comment, suggestion or memory of a place special to you.

In dedication to my dad, who I thank for opening my eyes to nature, something much, much greater than myself.