Heartland Gardening bloggers
(left to right: Michael Leach, Debra Knapke and Teresa Woodard)
Michael Leach, Teresa Woodard, and I were in Indianapolis in 2011 attending a GWA – The Association of Garden Communicators – conference. After a garden writers workshop we went out to dinner. Not an easy thing to do in a city where three other conferences were also in session. Over the second bottle of wine, while waiting for our table, we decided to create a blog together. We not only launched the blog, Heartland Gardening, but developed deep friendships.
In June, 2021, Michael passed, Teresa became more involved with her writing – please look for her book American Roots and her next book, Garden to the Max which will be published in March 2025. And I became involved with projects that focus on care for the Earth and and all who live on it. Teresa and I felt that it was time to let our blog settle into an archive as a beautiful testament to three gardeners who shared their passion for plants, people, and collaboration.
Enjoy.
The Bee Conundrum
Beleaguered bees attacked by drugs, diet and deadly sprays By Michael Leach I went to the workshop hoping for a simple explanation of honey bee problems caused by pesticides called neonicotinoids, a relatively new class that’s blamed for bee deaths. Turns out,...
App My Garden Fitness
By Teresa Woodard I wish I had a garden fitness app. You know, one that tracks the number of weeds pulled, the pounds of soil turned, the yards of mulch spread, the linear feet of shrubs trimmed or the number...
In the Garden: Teresa’s Haven
By Debra Knapke In between light rain showers Michael and I visited Teresa’s garden. Nestled in a conservation area along the scenic Little Darby Creek, Teresa created a haven for wildlife and for herself and her family. Her design is a continuum: formal elements by...
Lily Fest: July 10-12
Travelogue: Lily Fest 2015 By Debra Knapke and Teresa Woodard Debra’s observations: Undaunted, Teresa negotiated Little Cola Road, a narrow road that was purported to be a two lane road on the last...
Happy 4th of July
Rainy Days in the Garden
By Michael Leach Rain is one of a garden’s greatest allies. But too much of a good thing, becomes tiresome. In my part of the Midwest, we’ve been having a rainy, dreary summer.The result is weeds and mosquitoes going berserk and al fresco activities canceled with...
What is the last flower of spring?
By Michael Leach Poets and gardeners lament the last rose of summer. Even the horticulturally oblivious recognize the wistful symbolism of that flower. But what of the last flower of spring? Who weeps for it? Probably no one. But this lack of concern has nothing to do...
Knapke Garden Tour
By Teresa Woodard Our fellow blogger Debra Knapke recently invited Michael and me for a tour of her lovely 2/3 acre in northwest Columbus where she's gardened for 31 years. As a horticulture teacher, author and lecturer, this "Garden Sage" uses her garden in so...
Summer Nature Reads: One Light, One Medium, One Heavy
By Debra Knapke After I’ve worked in the garden, I like to brew a cup of tea and sit and read. Depending on my mood, I choose fiction or non-fiction. In the non-fiction world I see books as being light, medium...