Imperfect goods are perfectly good Story and Photo by Amanda Ferguson Sears In 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture estimated that nearly 13 percent of U.S. households experienced food insecurity. Estimates are that one in every six Kentuckians is food insecure. One in seven Kentuckians use food banks in their area and 91 percent ..read more

Grow your own backyard vineyard Story by Rodney Wilson When you consider the geography of wine’s history, you no doubt think of France and Italy or, going back further in time, ancient Greece. Stateside, California’s Napa Valley immediately comes to mind, with its rolling hills and moderate climate. But did you know that the first ..read more

‘Spilled Wine’ weigela Story by Andrea Dee Spilled Wine weigela pours color and character into the landscape. Its magnificent magenta flowers carpet dark purple black wavy foliage from late spring into summer. The foliage holds its vivid color through summer into fall, contrasting nicely with companion chartreuse- and dark-green-leafed shrubs. Similar to other weigelas, hummingbirds ..read more

April showers bring May flowers … and butterflies Story and Photo by Amanda Ferguson Sears As we head into spring, we can look forward to flowers blooming, leaves unfurling, and butterflies fluttering. The monarch butterfly is probably the most talked about butterfly, because of its beauty, but also due to its habitat destruction. There has ..read more

DON’T MULCH IT … PLANT IT ..read more

‘Purple Fountain’ beech Story and Photos by Andrea Dee ‘Purple Fountain’ beech is a standout ornamental tree with a uniquely slender upright form and graceful weeping branches. Smooth dark plum/purple foliage hangs like ornaments draping downward.  This handsome specimen provides a dazzling four-season show of color in the landscape: leafing out copper in the spring ..read more

Tips for using the basil you’ve grown with love Story and Photos by Rebecca Stoner Kirts basilbecky.blogspot.com I think June is the best month for gardening. The gardens are looking their best, the weather is perfect, and all is good. But for me, the best thing about June is basil (Ocimum basilicum). Of all the ..read more