by George Ball The beaks of birds tell their story. Technically, the term is “bill”, short for “mandible”, of which there are two, the upper and lower. Most people call them “beaks,” and birds don’t seem to mind. A short, blunt, clearly triangular-shaped beak with an obviously sharp point allows finch-like birds to pierce, tear, […]
by George Ball From time to time a blog “seeds” a following blog with a new idea or thought. Last week I touched on ‘La Dolce Vita’, a movie that prominently featured the “paparazzi”, which were new at that time. Media conglomerates mushroomed after World War II across Europe, fueled by new technologies of inexpensive […]
by George Ball Now’s the time when the birds feast on berries and seeds. I’ve often puzzled over this rich diet of 100% birdseed. One friend conjectures that it’s probably good for long flights southward. Another friend maintains that birds congregate around feeders and baths more to “socialize” (what diction these days!) than to stock […]
by George Ball Dear Heronswood Customer and “Heronswood Voice” Reader, Last summer we sold Heronswood Nursery and Gardens to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. Thus, the first Native American botanical garden in the US began its existence on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. Therefore we are donating this, the Heronswood Voice blog, to the […]
by George Ball Here in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, “Heronswood East” is what, until recently, we called the 4-acre shaded areas of Fordhook Farm devoted to rare perennials, shrubs and ornamental trees. It still consists of a dream-like complex of several gardens containing thousands of rare and experimental hellebores, epimediums, thalictrums, geraniums, sedums, lysimachias, mahonias, begonias, primulas, […]
by George Ball Your Honor, I’d like to make a few preliminary remarks to provide context and perspective on the case before the court. As a third generation seedsman, I have agreed to pro bono representation of perhaps the most hated and maligned vegetable of all time. Like walking on our legs from one destination […]
by George Ball The 4th of July is the sparkliest, most jubilant and expansive of all our holidays, secular or religious—a celebration shared by families, neighbors, communities and the entire nation. On earth, there are picnics in parks and gardens; in the heavens, flower-like fireworks. Perched between them, spangled on a million blankets are gaggles […]
by George Ball At our upcoming, June 22 and 23, Fordhook Farm Open Days, we shall both examine and celebrate happiness, and all that flowers, shrubs and ornamental trees do to bring it into being. We shall have speakers, tours and demonstrations of happiness in the gardens. “Huh?”, I hear someone asking, and understandably so. […]
What’s the difference between a house and a home? We all know the answer instinctively: articulating it is trickier. The architect Le Corbusier famously—and chillingly—described the house as “a machine for living in.” But “home,” surely, is not about mechanics. But when we are at home, where are we? First the house. Built to shelter […]
We Baby Boomers may not be called the “greatest generation”—that’s you, Mom and Dad!—but we certainly are the biggest. A veritable demographic juggernaut, the generation of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 is proceeding into post-middle age. On January 1st, 2011, the oldest Baby Boomers celebrated their 65th birthday. On every day since, and every […]
