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.
Catch Us If You Can: Slow Gardening
Debra will be joining Felder Rushing and Maria Zampini at the Fellows Riverside Garden in Youngstown on Saturday, February 16th for an all-day symposium on “Slow Gardening: Gardening on the EZ Side”.
Garden Happenings: Home and Garden Shows
Need an early dose of spring? By Teresa Wooodard Are you out looking for signs of spring? Perhaps spring bulbs poking through the earth, fuzzy catkins on pussywillow branches or spidery-like blooms on witch hazel shrubs? Well, step inside a Midwestern expo center's...
Trendspotting: Lawn Alternatives
What are the attractive and practical alternatives to lawn? By Michael Leach Finally there's a voice of reason in the clamor over lawns. While I'm hardly a proponent of bluegrass from sea to shining sea, I grow weary of strident idealists calling for an end to lawn....
Trendspotting: Crystal Ball on 2013
Want a Sneak Peak at What’s Coming to Local Garden Centers? By Teresa Woodard A hardy super-nutritious Goji berry bush, an exquisite double clematis and a dwarf thornless raspberry bush were three of the plants that caught my fellow bloggers' and my eyes as we toured...
Snapshots: Inaugural Poetry
The opening verse from this week's Inaugural Poem "One Today" by Richard Blanco: One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across the Great Plains, then charging across...
Good Eats: Pomegranates
Watch an Oscar Nominee and Peel a Pomegranate By Debra Knapke Not a recipe this time, but a delicious fruit that is available in the winter and is fun to eat. Some may consider it a pain to peel; for you, pomegranate arils (seeds) are now available in most...
Book Notes: Herb and the Earth
Poetic Prose for Herbal Souls on a Wintery Day By Debra Knapke Here's my first Book Note for 2013: Herbs and the Earth by Henry Beston, originally published in 1935. A dear friend gave me the hardback Goodine Publisher edition (1990) in 1991. This is a book for a...
Favorite Flora: Hardy Cyclamen
By Debra Knapke Winter is a contemplative time. In December, we often look back at the year and consider what we have or haven’t done… In January, we look forward. We have completed our first year as bloggers and it has been a wonderful experience. Planning...
Gardens to Drive For: Holly Hill
Decking the garden with shrubs of holly By Teresa Woodard I’ve always been a fan of holly (Ilex), especially clipping backyard bushes to use for Christmas decorations, but it wasn’t until I visited Holly Hill at Dawes Arboretum did I gain a richer appreciation for the...