Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Articles from Francis Rosenfeld | Selfgrowth.com
- Bee Trivia - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldThere must be a hive somewhere in the neighborhood, because bees visit my garden very often, to gather nectar from their favorite flowers. Sedums produce an abundance of it, and their small flowers make an insect's work a little easier. Did you know that a worker bee lives just forty days ...
Views: 429 - About Gardening - by Submitted on Aug 09, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldI’ve been growing vegetables in my little garden for over ten years, and one may wonder what is the benefit of waiting four whole months to get an eggplant when there is a whole stand of them at the grocery store all the time, even in the middle of winter. What happens is that every year, ...
Views: 430 - Container Garden Companions - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldFinding good companion planting is even more important when the plants are stuck together in a container. I watched the denizens of assorted pots fight for dominance many a time and more often than not one species brazenly asserts its rights over the sun, water and nutrients and ends up owning ...
Views: 449 - Grasses - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldI felt kind of guilty to see that the grass had gone to seed on my lawn, but then I saw it ripen in a lot of other places and relaxed, it seems the combination of warmth and plentiful rain gave it the oomph to grow wild this year. Because we're used to seeing it in its domesticated form - the ...
Views: 428 - What Plants Need to Thrive - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldIf you ever drove by a flower meadow in the middle of summer, you must have realized that plants handle themselves very well without human assistance, as they’ve always done. The gardener is only there to cheer them along. A plant needs three things to thrive: sunlight, water and a proper ...
Views: 497 - Gardening by the Moon - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldGardening by the moon is a bit of a contentious subject among farmers and gardeners; some swear by it and find it very useful in their practice while others dismiss it as total hooey. I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m only talking about it in the abstract. The basic tenet behind the practice is ...
Views: 435 - Care Free Bloom - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldNo matter how passionate you are about gardening, there comes a moment when you just want to plant your flower bed and forget it, at least forget about having to tend to it constantly; rest assured there are many plants, both annual and perennials, that would take care of themselves without a ...
Views: 408 - Maltese Cross - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldLegend has it that the Knights of Malta where so impressed with this plant, whose four petaled bright red flowers reminded them of their crest, that they brought it home when they returned from the crusades; it has been a cottage garden staple ever since. The plant has many names, some of ...
Views: 430 - Geotropism - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldGeotropism is an incredibly sophisticated method through which a plant manages to use the same process to make its stems grow up and its roots reach down. If a plant is growing horizontally, instead of vertically, a plant hormone called auxin, which serves to inhibit cellular growth, sinks to ...
Views: 413 - Aromatic - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldA trip to the herb border in mid-summer is pure aromatherapy: the lemon verbena in the picture, for instance, smells so much like citrus it's used instead of lemons to flavor seafood dishes. During a sultry summer afternoon the herb garden is a symphony of scents: the lingering persistence of ...
Views: 436 - Gardening Superstitions - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldWhen you grow up around gardening activities you're sure to internalize a few old wives tales. Some of them are backed up by science, but most are just taken on faith and passed along from one generation to the next without any reason or explanation. Here are a few. If you want a plant ...
Views: 312 - Nature's Healers - by Submitted on May 23, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldLong before the dawn of chemistry herbs held the honor of providing people with a readily available pharmacological treasure, foraged and cataloged by natural healers. Herbs may not be able to cure severe illness, not in their natural form, anyway, but they have the answer to the smaller things ...
Views: 308 - Collaborative Growth - by Submitted on May 16, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldEstablished gardens have a secret gardeners don't learn until they've spent many seasons watching them and caring for them: the group planting graciously indulges one or two species to rule the garden for a season, and those rights change every year, allowing all the plants the opportunity to ...
Views: 337 - Damask Roses - by Submitted on Apr 17, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldIf you only have one rose in your garden, it should be a Damask. Another notable descendant of the old cabbage rose, the Damask is the complete package: exquisite fragrance, spectacular flowers, perpetual bloom, well-behaved growth habit and disease resistance. Whenever fragrance is ...
Views: 385(1 vote) - Vegetable Flowers - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldWhen I first started growing vegetables, I worried the veggie plot would look too utilitarian, with its lined up rows and its pedestrian supports. Imagine my surprise when I woke up one morning to a tapestry of egg yolk colored trumpets, larger than my hand, which gleamed in the morning sunlight ...
Views: 388 - Growing Tomato Plants - by Submitted on Apr 05, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldTomato plants are tough, their germination rate is spectacular and they will survive anywhere, but getting them to produce requires the right conditions and a little work. First, they need cultivated soil, slightly acidic, that contains a fair amount of organic fertilizer and they have to be ...
Views: 384 - Quince Jelly - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldAll fruits are suitable for preserves, especially if they come in vibrant colors, but some, like apples, quinces, pears, plums and grapes, are naturally high in pectin and will gel beautifully without additives. Jellies must be firm and transparent like colored glass, in brilliant jewel ...
Views: 400 - Dividing Herbaceous Perennials - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldMost herbaceous perennials can be propagated by division: dig up the clump, tease it apart into several sections, making sure they all get a reasonable share of the roots, and replant them. Some root systems are really hard and gnarly, but plants are resilient; you can use a fork or a shovel ...
Views: 376 - Wild Roses - by Submitted on Mar 14, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldThe wild roses, the species and the rugosas, are what comes to mind when you think rose hips. Their fruits are large, in bright hues of red and bright orange, and their thorny shrubs provide them in abundance. The best known species variety is the dog rose, an ancestor of the old garden ...
Views: 403 - Spring Cleaning - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldThe last week of March usually brings warm, almost summer like weather, perfect for the long-awaited spring cleaning. It felt strange this year to find a reliable pattern in the middle of emptiness and uncertainty. I put the favorable weather to good use and finished the garden cleaning ...
Views: 340 - Coniferous, Woody and Citrus Scents - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldConiferous and citrus scents are refreshing, restoring and revitalizing. Their smell shakes the doldrums of drab days and brings a little sunshine to your outlook on life. Coniferous scents like pine, cypress and especially balsam fir, are healing and restorative, both for physical ailments, ...
Views: 584 - Tinctures - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldTinctures preserve the active compounds of plants indefinitely, or at least long enough for one to feel that way. A good tincture should last for twenty years if stored in a cool dry place away from the sunlight. Tincture bottles are amber or dark blue on purpose, to keep out ultraviolet light ...
Views: 471 - Climbers and Ramblers - by Submitted on Feb 16, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldClimbers and ramblers are nature's gift to the land-locked gardener. I don't think there is anything cozier and more delightful than a little corner filled with greenery and flowers tucked away from the world, sheltered between walls covered in rose bunches or hiding behind an old arbor trailed ...
Views: 396 - Decadent Indulgence - by Submitted on Feb 08, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldNow and then I get a renewed enthusiasm for making my own beauty products and the kitchen turns into a magical apothecary where decadently sweet smelling lotions and potions steam and brew. Sometimes I think making the creams, oils and perfumes is more enjoyable than using them. Not! For a ...
Views: 669 - And More Perennial Gardens - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldOne of the myths of gardening is that once you planted a perennial border it is set in stone and it will come back, year after year, exactly the same. That is not true at all, I look through pictures of my garden through the last few seasons and it is almost unrecognizable from one year to the ...
Views: 430 - Eighteen and Snowing - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldI woke up this morning to a wispy snow flurry, the thin and icy kind that comes about when temperatures drop too low. Eighteen degrees, to be precise. It settled, unsure, in a thin, powdery layer that still lets the ground show through. I almost hesitated to disturb the pristine cover when I ...
Views: 454 - Perennial Garden - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldTwo autumns ago I started a lot of perennials from divisions: irises, daisies, garden phlox, daylilies, and this is the year for them to start blooming. Of course, this fall I forgot to move the beautiful Pink Sorbet peony, which means it’s going to spend another spring trying to dig itself out ...
Views: 490 - Old Garden Roses - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldThe old garden roses are a proud tradition among rosarians, because they have a long history. These are the roses cultivated before the creation of the first modern hybrids - the gallicas, the damasks, the albas and the centifolias and the mosses. They have been immortalized in the ...
Views: 452 - Bundled Indoors - by Submitted on Jan 03, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldSnow arrived, as promised, and blanketed a rather drab decor with a fresh coat of white. I’m bundled indoors, cozy next to the fireplace and a thick pile of flower catalogs: the summer bulbs are here. What’s featured in the glossy pages? Gladioli, every breed of lily in existence and ...
Views: 430 - Northern Light - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldAs we left the shore and I looked back at the beautiful, surreal landscape of Horseshoe Bay, it felt like all the worries and the cares of the world were also left behind to fade into the distance. The vast, placid waters worked their magic on me too, as they did on so many travelers throughout ...
Views: 411 - November Rose - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldI was walking through the garden trying to assess what is left to do before winter descends upon us for good and I ran into a lovely surprise. My miniature rose decided to brave two killing frosts and a freezing rain and bloom in the middle of November. Contrary to popular belief roses are ...
Views: 476 - The Garden in Winter - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldThe winter garden is a haven for the little creatures of the land; it provides them with shelter, food and cozy nooks to hibernate. The gardener can lend a hand, goodness knows the wildlife can use all the help it can get during the coldest days of the year. Add bird feeders to your backyard ...
Views: 407 - Season's End - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldOne of the perks of keeping a garden is stumbling upon little joyful moments when time stands still and life flows softly through, peaceful and unhurried. Time slows down so we have enough of it to notice how bright the sunlight looks, reflected in the gold and orange leaves of the maple ...
Views: 420 - Freezing Rain - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldHow does one use freezing rain in a sentence without spoiling everyone's mood? I heard it, early in the morning, while it was still dark outside, the sound you can't mistake for anything else other than maybe sandblasting. Ice pellets. Nice! With that the last of the annuals abandoned the ...
Views: 447 - My Back Yard Beauty - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldMy beautiful is preparing for winter and there's not much I can do about it so I'm starting next year's planning early. There are never enough annuals or spring bulbs, so those are definitely on the list, especially for the new garden I started early this summer and which, with loving care, I ...
Views: 434 - Bath Salts, Creams and Oils - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldBath salts. The base of a bath salt is an equal mix of sea salt and baking soda. To this one adds other ingredients as one wishes: dried and powdered herbs, powdered resins, powdered milk, clays and muds, food coloring for effects, and of course essential oils. Go easy on peppermint and ...
Views: 748 - Northern Orchids - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldI couldn’t imagine my garden without the toad lilies, whose blossoms are as close to approximating a tropical orchids as any cold weather plant is ever going to get. Don’t get deceived by their fragile look, they are hardy to zones four through nine and just like their cousins, the spring ...
Views: 365 - Green Fruit - by Submitted on Aug 31, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldYou will not believe the level of chaos nature can impose on a reasonably well tended garden in three weeks. It took the plants that long to look scary and me one week to salvage the back yard from the wilderness. Five foot tall weeds, cracked nutshells, broken branches, vines grown out of ...
Views: 565(1 vote) - For the Love of Athena - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldI don’t think the goal of traveling is to see places and learn things, often you get better images and information from photography catalogs and travel guides. The goal of traveling is to get immersed in the spirit of a place. The longer you stay in Greece, the more it becomes clear to you ...
Views: 411 - Millefleur - by Submitted on Aug 16, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldEvery spring I plan on planting more annuals and every summer I fall short of the desired effect. At least this year I have an excuse: after clearing up the shrubbery from a large portion of the front yard, the design of a new perennial border became a priority. There seems to be a quiet ...
Views: 565(1 vote) - Grasses - by Submitted on Aug 09, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldI felt kind of guilty to see that the grass had gone to seed on my lawn, but then I saw it ripen in a lot of other places and relaxed, it seems the combination of warmth and plentiful rain gave it the oomph to grow wild this year. Because we're used to seeing it in its domesticated form - the ...
Views: 576(1 vote) - The Scent of Heliotrope - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldThere is something very sweet and nostalgic about this plant, with which I got acquainted in literary works before we met in real life. What is it that I find so fascinating about heliotrope? I don't know. Maybe it's its deep purple flowers that glow like gems wrapped in dark foliage, maybe ...
Views: 459 - Purple Belles - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldYou would think that hostas, like the shade plants with broad foliage that they are, would love nothing more than a rainy summer, right? Partially. They developed luxurious foliage, and yes, the large fragrant ones did bloom, but not as abundantly as they usually do. You are looking at a picture ...
Views: 492 - All Summer's Glory - by Submitted on Jul 18, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldThere is a time around the middle of July when the garden looks absolutely resplendent. It feels like every flower is in bloom, competing for attention. The late spring blooms haven’t faded yet and the some of the late summer ones decide to show up early, so there is a surreal mix of seasons ...
Views: 458 - Delightful Aromatics - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldAromatics come in two flavors: kitchen herbs and medicinals. A few herbs cross over from one category to the other, rosemary and lavender would be good examples of that, although using lavender for cooking is a bit of an acquired taste. Almost everybody has grown kitchen herbs on a sunny ...
Views: 526 - Sunshine and Heliotrope - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldI’m sitting on the balcony staring at my purple cherry pie plant, which looks happy as a clam basking in the sunshine in the company of butter yellow petunias. I don’t know why I haven’t tried heliotrope before, it’s an old fashioned cottage garden favorite and mine is a cottage garden. Some ...
Views: 429 - The Secret Lives of Plants - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldIf you ever watched a time lapse footage of a plant you can’t see the botanical world the same again. Nobody questions the fact that plants are living entities, but since their lives unfold at a speed so much slower than our own, one gets it intellectually, but rarely at gut level. The most ...
Views: 431 - Container Gardening - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldContainer gardening sneaks up on you. You start with one potted plant and pretty soon the entire patio or balcony is covered in them, looking almost indistinguishable from the adjacent flower bed. If you have lots of plants in pots, keep them grouped. That way the containers get some ...
Views: 488 - Charming in the Shade - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldShade gardening grew on me, literally. I don’t know how fast trees grow, but it’s fast enough and those lovely giants of the vegetal world can cover a lot of territory, both above ground and below. That’s how I ended up with every flavor of shade known to horticulture. In this situation, if ...
Views: 473 - Geraniums for Skincare - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldAfter a streak of sunny days, mother nature decided to bring the gloom, and I never pass the opportunity gloom provides to indulge in relaxation and pampering, isn’t this what rainy days were created for? The flower buds are on the brink of opening, but it looks like they decided to wait for ...
Views: 484