The Men's Garden Club that Was But Isn't

Here's a blast from the past--a short posting about a men's garden club.  It took less than a year in the 1940s before the guys held their first ladies' night--and the ladies judged the refreshments prepared by the men--and gave every "chef" a blue ribbon.  Smart women!  The story will take you only three minutes to read.  Click HERE to go to my posting on the University of Maryland Extension's "Grow It! Eat It!" blog. 

Free Baltic Photo Tour: Thoughts of a Master Gardener

Yesterday’s posting featured Baltic container gardens.  Today’s posting includes 12 miscellaneous photographs of scenes that this Master Gardener found thought-provoking.  I took the photos last month on Ellen’s and my tour of ancient Baltic port cities aboard the Oceania Cruises “Marina.”

Do Baltic peoples prefer brilliant flowers
as an antidote to their long, dark winters?
Flower shop in Tallinn, Estonia

Streets can be permeable, right,
to absorb rain water and protect waterways?
Tallinn, Estonia

Aha! Finnish gardeners "enjoy" dandelions too!
Porvoo, Finland

Can you imagine the garden that must
grow behind this garden gate and wall?
Porvoo, Finland

Latvian legend says if you find a fern in bloom
in the forest, you'll have good luck forever.
Does this qualify?
Park in Riga, Latvia

Many cultures still celebrate natural events
such the summer solstice, as these
decorations in Riga, Latvia, attest

What flowers do gardeners in northern countries
buy for their gardens at the plant market?
Helsinki, Finland

And what herbs do Finnish gardeners plant?
Cilantro, chives, basil, parsley....
Helsinki, Finland, plant market



"Grow local, eat local" is
apparently also a popular trend in Helsinki

The Finns apparently have figured out
the key to sustainable deer management.
Fast-food stand at Helsinki outdoor market

Was I the only tourist to pause at a window to take a photo
of this stunning rooftop garden at the Hermitage,
St. Petersburg, Russia?

I don't pity the German aristocrats who in centuries
past admired the garden from a window of the castle
at Schwerin