Friday, January 24, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

Garden

THE LAZY BERKSHIRE GARDENER: Week of January 23, 2025

Snow, sleet, and rain outdoors are the best encouragements to stay inside and think about more plans and plants for my gardens from March through October.

TRANSFORMATIONS: A place for everything

Lake houses are among my favorite projects. I love creating a relaxed, comfortable, cozy vibe for families and their weekend guests. Some of the demands of our primary homes can be lessened for families in a vacation home, but many of the same storage needs still apply.

Berkshire Real Estate transactions April 26 through May 2, 2015

The latest Berkshire County real estate transactions as reported by the Warren Group: April 26 through May 2.

TRANSFORMATIONS: The kitchen as sacred space, an island in time

No matter what, the kitchen will be the beacon for you, your family, and your friends. If it reflects your style and your soul, it will be of most beautiful and perfect kitchen in the world.

NATURE’S TURN: Spring planting, summery weather

May 11 through 24, 2015 Mt. Washington -- With the sudden onset of unseasonably hot weather, the vegetable gardener is in a tailspin. We’ve gotten...

TRANSFORMATIONS: The resurrection of a ‘modern’ house in the Berkshires

Renovations like this are done for many reasons, but the top three reasons are economic, practical considerations, and love. This renovation combines a bit of all three but “love” played no small role in the owner’s decision to do this work.

Berkshire Real Estate transactions April 19 through April 25, 2015

The latest reported real estate transactions for the Berkshire County and vicinity.

Berkshire Real Estate transactions April 11 through 17, 2015

The latest Berkshire real estate transactions, reported Friday, May 1, from the Warren Group.

TRANSFORMATIONS: East Road front entrance

We developed a design that took a straightforward approach. From the driveway, we built a bluestone walkway about 25 feet long that connects the drop-off point to the front porch. I like to have wide landings outside front doors, so that more than one person can stand together and then enter the home.

NATURE’S TURN: Where wild nature meets the garden

The garden has thrown off its snow blanket and frost-hardy vegetables are growing despite occasional nighttime temperatures in the 20’s when the top layer of earth freezes solid.

Berkshire real estate transactions April 3 through April 10, 2015

The latest Berkshire County real estate transactions as reported by the Warren Group.

TRANSFORMATIONS: A lake house metamorphosis in three months

Welcome to our new section, Home, Garden & Design, where we will be posting articles by prominent local architects, landscape designers and interior designers. Each article wilI follow the evolution of a project, from beginning to end, guaranteed to give you good ideas for your own home, garden, and design.

NATURE’S TURN: Natives expand our sense of community. Plant onions!

When we view the native plants that surround our gardens and yards as an extension of our cultivated areas, part of the living, pulsating community that shapes our sense of place, we more fully express ourselves as gardeners and stewards of the Earth.

NATURE’S TURN: Savor spring’s firsts and draw a garden plan

When it is cold outdoors and chilled hands send us in, take the time to create or complete planting plans for the vegetable garden, perennial beds and borders.

NATURE’S TURN: Winter’s sweet good-bye

“A sap-run is the sweet good-bye of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.” -- John Burroughs, in Signs and Seasons, 1886

NATURE’S TURN: Seeding our gardens, caring for the earth

"To grow healthy food requires a vibrant diversity of plants, animals and soil life. These form the immune system of your land that together help each other to sustain the farm. The soil we work with as part of a farm organism needs our help to be healthy.” -- Lia Babitch, seed garden manager at Turtle Tree Seed

NATURE’S TURN: Halfway to spring; Wild and domestic pleasures

Forcing plants to awake from winter dormancy well before their season is a wonderful experiment at home and in educational settings.