Lifestyle

I am still trying to find some photos to go with a couple of columns I have rolling around in my mind. That, combined with an early deadline due to the holiday weekend, briefly left me wondering what I would reminisce about this week. There were several newsworthy events this past week...the primary election, graduations, and, sadly, another school shooting.

No matter where you live, the conservation and wise use of water in our gardens and landscapes is important. Sustainable water use helps grow beautiful gardens while conserving water and helping reduce water pollution and stormwater overflows.

I built a nice pond up here on this ridge top about 25 years ago, and it was a wise move, though an expensive one at the time. I have stocked it with fish, but I don’t fish it much except when I need bait for a trotline. It is a pretty much easy place to catch a bucket full of 4 or 5-inch sunfish. Last night as I sat on the porch watching the sunset, I heard a big ol’ bullfrog bellerin’ from the pond. There is a lots of them too and in the summer they beller a lot. I catch them from the nearby river every now and then, because, as most of you know, they are great eating. But for some reason I have never eaten one from my pond. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’d rather hear ‘em than eat ‘em

The river birch naturally grows along riverbanks. But as a landscape tree, it can be planted almost anywhere in the U.S. The species is valued for its relatively rapid growth, tolerance of wetness and some drought, unique curling bark, spreading limbs, and relative resistance to birch borer.

Put rainwater to use in your landscape with the help of rain barrels. This centuries old technique allows you to capture rainfall to use for watering ornamental gardens and containers.