Merry Christmas from the White House!

!-- --> From a recent visitor to the White House, to be more precise. Yes, thats me standing beneath the presidential seal (major photo-op), and on the left is the grand north entrance. If Id planned ahead and contacted my congressman I could have taken the White House tour with the general public BUT for some reason cameras arent allowed during them. (A holiday bummer, right?) Then eureka an invitation to tour AND photograph the White House...

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Garden in a gun

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Snow Challenged Chickens

!-- --> We love to think of chickens frolicking in open pastures, living the sustainable life by chasing bugs and laying big, beautiful eggs. But have you ever wondered what happens when winter arrives and those free-ranging hens have to deal with snow? When I started our flock in the salad days of June, it hadnt occurred to me that pasturing chickens might be a problem in winter. But after a noreaster dumped half a foot of snow on our Upstate...

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Overpriced, useless, or just plain bizarre: an anti-garden gift guide

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Garden Sage: One of my Signature Plants

!-- --> Garden sage (Salvia officinalis) was one of the first useful plants I added to my first garden; my goal was to grow enough that I could use it fresh for Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing. Fifteen years later, Im on my third garden, and though it is brand new this autumn, it already includes several sage plants (which recently contributed to a delicious Thanksgiving dinner). In Minnesota, where I gardened previously, garden sage makes a...

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No tree, no problem

!-- --> Most years, we have the Christmas tree post here on Rant (heres a great one); the topic is a source of mild controversy among gardeners, mainly because of the sustainability angle. It breaks down this way: Just buy a cut tree Trees are an agricultural product and buying from a local tree farm usually means youre supporting a small independent business. The trees provide oxygen and wildlife habitat when theyre in the ground, a lovely scented...

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Decorating Time, White House Version

!-- --> Just how its done in MY house. Yours too, I bet. Next, Bo does his final inspection. Possible Gardenblogger Report! Ive never been inside the White House when its all dolled-up for the holidays, so I looked into it and discovered that 1, it takes congressional intervention and that 2, that has to start 6 weeks ahead of time. Oh, well. But then wowzer, an email comes inviting all National Park Service volunteers to a special White House...

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