Natures Way

Starting new coleus plants in water (Photo by Karen Cohen) By Karen Cohen   So Long but Not Goodbye!  Frost is coming, but that’s nothing new here in West Virginia this time of year. But before it happens, we still have some garden chores. We took in the last of the...

A field of iris (By Karen Cohen) By Karen Cohen   Divide and Conquer  This month I tackle my perennial flower beds. This chore is delegated by outside temperatures and must be completed before the first frost sets in. Division of perennials is big on my list and fall is the...

Home grown shiitake mushrooms (Photo by Karen Cohen) By Karen Cohen   Grow Your Own  Two years ago, I wrote about fun fungi. I hope you were inspired then to start growing some mushrooms of your own. We buy inoculated logs and also bags of spores to put into our own...

By Karen Cohen I have friends who just moved to an area on the Greenbrier River which is “populated.” That means they can see their neighbors’ houses from theirs and vice versa. Wondering what plantings they can introduce into their yard which will quickly turn into privacy fencing, I started...

By Karen Cohen Invasive species of plants are non-natives that come from other parts of the world, usually by boat. They don’t always adapt to their new homes but when they do, they can become invasive. That means they cannot be easily controlled. One such plant is called Chinese Lantern....

By: Karen Cohen A reminder that we are earth dwellers with many other lifeforms. I learned a new word and I am a tad embarrassed that I didn’t know this sooner than now. Biophilia. Let’s break it down: a human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms...

Growing food in winter under cover (Photo by Karen Cohen) Just when you feel a bit tired from weeding, planting, watering, snipping and picking, comes the time to do it all over again. Are you ready? If you plan to have some late summer/early winter crops, better get to it...

What do you put in your garden beds when they are empty? When the tomatoes are done producing or the salad greens have halted their growth in the summer heat, what takes their place? Why not add something that will give back to the soil which may be depleted from...

By Karen Cohen Well, we might have noticed the lack of colorful, frolicking butterflies this year in our garden. I noticed immediately because last year, my butterfly bush was filled with, guess what? Butterflies galore! We intentionally grow milkweed for the butterflies, and those plants appeared in abundance in our...

By Karen Cohen   This is my first year growing gladiolus. I bought the bulbs with the understanding that I would “lift” them out of the garden soil before the frost hit early winter. That may prove more work than I want to put in, but this tall spiky and...