Finding a space where life and garden intersect.
What’s New in My Garden at Oldmeadow
The Garden In October
October. It is fleeting, earthy, and all consuming -- and I adore it. This October I will be focusing not as much on the new things I want to acquire and plant during the gentle [...]
The Garden in July
July. The exuberance of spring is over in the garden, and gardeners are looking at the remains of a pretty good party. But whether your garden looks hungover or not depends on the planting you did in the spring. It also depends a lot on the weather, which has been cruel for the last two months. We are currently in the throes of a severe [...]
Everyone Needs a Vacation. Even Gardeners.
Many years ago I wrote an article entitled “Beans or Beach?” – bemoaning the difficulty that serious gardeners have with leaving their gardens like normal people and taking vacations. “If it is a year that we have decided to visit our family in California the question is always “when”? Seedlings are started in February, the Cold Frame Shuffle is scheduled for March, and the rest [...]
Gardening is Connection.
To the soil. To the wild creatures of our world. To others.
And that’s what this site is all about.
Oldmeadow
My husband, two children and I had been hunting for a rural way of life for years, and the first few weeks at Oldmeadow felt like a vacation. Reality kicked in a few months later when the furniture was moved, boxes were finally unpacked and we started to realize what Jeanne had told us with a grin at the closing table: “Nature wants it back.”
Gardening in the
Mid-Atlantic?
THIS MONTH’S GARDEN
The Garden in September
Tramping through a collage of browned and yellowed tulip poplar leaves on my way to the front door today I realized I have absolutely no desire or plans to sweep them up. Though they are testament to a very dry summer in my part of the Mid-Atlantic, they also symbolize the end of a busy season and a beautifully gentle month ahead; and contribute to the earthy fragrance I'm just [...]
More Conversations in the Garden …
The Garden in December
December is a month of transition in the temperate gardener’s mind. I look at it like a [...]
No Way Is There One Way to Garden
There’s more than one way to do everything. In gardening. In life. In planting an apple tree, [...]
If it means I don’t have to water, I’m good with the deck falling down.
It’s so dry right now in my little part of Rain Shadow, Virginia that even the blades [...]
A Fond Goodbye to Pam Harper
Pam Harper died last week in her home in Seaford, Virginia at the age of 93 after [...]
Why I Don’t Want to Lose My ‘Ugly’ Snag
I never thought I could find joy in, much less love, a dead tree standing on my [...]
5 Ways To Unlock Your Garden’s Growing Code
When we fall hard for a plant, we focus all of our desire on it. We vow [...]
Why I Use a Garden Auger to Plant Bulbs; And When It’s Not A Great Idea.
Yes, I know. We could have done with this post about two months ago. But two months [...]
Book Marianne
for Your Next Event
Whether it’s in-person or through the magic of virtual platforms, Marianne has spoken to hundreds of domestic and international audiences.
Her informative, motivational presentations on a wide range of topics both educate and energize gardeners — leaving them with fresh ideas and a fresh perspective to apply to their home gardens.
“Marianne Willburn’s talk was inspirational with practical advice on how to achieve the look you want by honing in on the qualities of what you love about a certain look, and then figuring out how to achieve that vibe while remaining within your budget or smaller space.”
Ruth G. – WNC Gardening Symposium
Flat Rock, NC
BUY BOOKS!
“We need more authors who meet gardeners squarely where they garden. Marianne’s honesty and conversational style don’t undermine her expertise – they enhance it.”
-Melissa A., St. Louis
“This playfully and passionately written book is filled with fresh ideas, not only for enhancing your garden and home with tropical plants, but for helping you adapt your own mindset so you can experience much more enjoyment from this exciting corner of the botanical world.”
―Viveka Neveln, Garden Editor
Better Homes and Gardens
Mungo : Diary of a Garden Dog
Some of Us Can Handle Middle Age
So I was reading over Her shoulder the other night by covertly inserting my small, flexible body onto the back of the couch (Bite it, Nessa), and instead of finding 101 Ways to Be a Better Dog Owner, or What Your Jack Russell Wants, or [...]
I’m Still Her Favorite
I bet you’ve been wondering. Nessa being a girl, and Her being a girl and the Girl being a girl and what with the way that kind all sticks together – Hell, I was wondering too. Top. Dog. But glad to say, I’m [...]
Nessa the Usurper
She got home this week. And if it hadn’t been for this 826-pound, six foot, hairy Muppet sucking up all the attention, I might have enjoyed three beautiful She-free weeks with Him. On the bed. In the bed. On Her pillow now that I think [...]
Why I Use a Garden Auger to Plant Bulbs; And When It’s Not A Great Idea.
Yes, I know. We could have done with this post about two months ago. But two months ago I was planting bulbs and didn’t have time to write it. Still, [...]
Three Insider Tricks to Make a Sophisticated Natural Wreath This Season
December is upon us, the spirit is in the air, and you have an itch to try the whole wreath-making thing again. Except...you've never really nailed the art of wreath [...]
How to Make Poncirus Marmalade from Hardy Oranges
If you grow the hardy orange (once Poncirus trifoliata, now Citrus trifoliata), and you cook, you’ve probably wondered whether or not you can use those pretty little orange fruits to [...]
#HouseplantVacation is Over For the Season. Here’s What to Do. And When.
I wrote this article originally for The National Garden Bureau, of which I'm a proud member. However, the info is so important, I asked to reprint it here for the [...]