Everyone is in such a good mood suddenly. 

Must have something to do 

with the unexpected thrill of seeing  the first 

Christmas lights appearing on 

Main Street and knowing our beautiful village 

will soon be at its most endearing.

Or maybe it is the effect of the throngs of 

wonderful people continuing to

 pitch in in The Far Rockaways and Breezy Point 

and the many places hard hit by the storms. 

(Friends – you know who you are)

So, in the spirit of the season…

I suggest the following:

Be extra kind.

In the rush of preparation - don’t forget to pay extra attention to your dog(s) and all pets of any nature.

If you are interested in Shopping Local, one consideration should be LongHouse's InStore.

We encourage these ideas: 

BUY Local – BUY Small – BUY Independent

And in that same spirit of feeling good and sharing 

with the gardeners in your life...

Our Dianne B Christmas Deal is made in heaven 

for those of you who want to give our handmade  

but pricey Dutch Tools and – and it goes 

without saying – the Monogrammed Shovel.  

(If you want to actually put the shovel under the tree, 

the order must be in our hands by December 3rd to guarantee delivery by Christmas).

15% off Gift Certificates up to $50 and 

25% off Gift Certificates over $50.

We will (real) mail to you our smart looking  Gift Certificate if your Order is received 

before December 19^th.

You can wait till the very last minute if you prefer everything electronically…

Happy Holidays!

That Sporadic Look....

THAT  SPORADIC  LOOK

So easy to imagine but so much work to achieve.
This word has
an entymological meaning – coming from the word spore
(you best know it from the underside of ferns)
where every little random dot might become another fern.

Well, planting the spring bulbs so that they look well,
here and there – a little irregular -
sporadic, if you will, takes patience
and precious garden space…

CYCLAMEN DREAMS

Last month I received 10 Cyclamen plants from
Edelwiss Perennials in Oregon –  the state
(thank God it's a blue one)
 that seems to produce the best plants.
 
This is the 3rd or 4th attempt in my two decade plus gardening
career to re-create a field of blooming cyclamen once
seen under a great spreading tree in autumn
 somewhere in a wine region of France.
This somewhat hazy apparition haunts me.
My 1st order from Edelweiss looks very good and included a nice
personal note from the proprietor Urs Baltensperger,
which is always a turn-on .
The young plants were lusty…the leaves well-mottled and
I have a very good feeling that this time is the charm...

This is what I've got...

This is what I want--

You can read this issue of DIRTIER in its entirety HERE!!

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Remember to VOTE today!

AND WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
 

This 20 foot wide 12 bottom plow is what makes our Favorite Farmer, John Hoff, just simply go over the moon.

He is our endeared Pure Steel Shovel maker and has gallantly made time in this hectic autumn season of planting and plowing to fill a superfast order for us…
If you are thinking of our one-of-a-kind lasts-forever
monogrammed high-gauge stainless shovel for your
gardening beloveds for Christmas …put in your orders now
and we will all be ahead of the game…

Nothing says
"look how I thought of you"
as endearingly as a Monogrammed Shovel.

NO, I  CAN’T  BE  BOUGHT
 

But Preen Organic Vegetable Garden weed killer really works.
One of the few perks of being a garden writer, this kind of
company sends me big containers of its products to try.
Well – I figured if it is OK for vegetables, it would be OK around
my varied plantings, so I have tried it in some unlikely places, in almost full sun and almost deep shade – and it works.
The trick is that the area must be weed free when you sprinkle the 

little pellets on
(it doesn’t smell and it doesn’t kill weeds that are already there)
and sure, a few unwanted things peep up here and there but by
and large – it really works.

MORE  GROUNDCOVER – don’t wince…

In preparation for my new book, on the unlikely subject of Groundcovers: The Garden's Carpet,  on and off I have been
giving you a few sneak previews of favored and enthralling combinations…Here are a few more:

Painters Palette and Epimedium are a smart combination
because they are interesting at opposite ends of the
seasonal spectrum.

And, of course, Lamium, everyday violets, Japanese Painted
Fern and variegated Petasites go with everything

Combinations are absolutely endless…more next time as this
idea knows no end...

And who said Groundcovers are boring....

To read this entire issue of DIRTIER--Click Here!