Lora Gauss

As with all traditions, the drinking of coffee has undergone enormous changes over the past 30 years, when few choices were available. There was either drip coffee made from already-ground beans that were in a vacuum-sealed can, or the nasty coffee crystals used with boiling water to make instant wh

Try as we might, there is no escaping the present discussions on climate change. According to a recent Fine Gardening Magazine article authored by Dr. Bert Cregg, an associate professor in Michigan State University’s horticulture department, it is well documented that since the Industrial Revoluti

“We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led; It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies.”  — Moina Michael There are few national holidays that evoke as reverent a response as our Memorial Day, for there are not many among us who are untouched…

If the frog of your imagination is a smooth-skinned amphibian that hangs out in moist areas of the garden, you’d be right, but it isn’t the only one. There is another type of lesser-known frog — the flower frog. This frog is a bouquet-arranging tool with holes or pins. It holds stems of flowers…

“All gardening is landscape painting.”  — Alexander Pope Not all artwork is meant for public display. I own a beach-inspired painting of grasses that hangs discretely in my garden shed, created during a paint-and-sip event with friends. A glass of merlot may have decreased any social awkwardness, but it certainly did not make me Georgia…

Finally, the dreary sameness of winter is giving way to the most welcome burst of color called spring. Bulbs like daffodils, tulips and alliums are beginning to peek through the soil’s crust at my house, delayed by the late March arrival of cold and snow in Philipsburg and the rest of the area. …

“Loveliest of trees, the cherry now is hung with bloom along the bough.” — A.E. Housman For many, the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored each year by the National Park Service, heralds the beginning of spring. This year it will be a month-long celebration, held through Sunday, April 16. Fervor…

What’s new? What are some of the popular types of plants, outside décor trends, philosophies and practices that are all the rage? I’ve come across some interesting and perhaps surprising answers. As 5 million of the 6 million new gardeners last year were 18- to 34-year-olds, according to the 2016 National Gardening Report, it’s…

“A flower is not a flower alone; a thousand thoughts invest it.” — Mandy Kirkby With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, thoughts invariably turn to beautiful flowers to help express our deepest emotions. A dozen red roses, for instance, traditionally signals passionate love. We are not the first people to express feelings with flowers.…