Summer solstice brings an easy week in the garden
A Salem Garden Club tour through the Willows offered waterfront plantings, fairy-garden details and lessons in color, contrast and carefree foliage.
Colleen Connor
Marblehead, Massachusetts USA
COLLEEN’S GARDEN: A plan for the can
A giant Chicago trash bin made an unexpected move to Marblehead years ago. Now, with new town-issued carts on the way, one gardener is finding creative ways to give old receptacles a second life.
COLLEEN'S GARDEN: Try the Chelsea chop now for stronger, fuller perennials
Late spring is the window for cutting back many vigorous garden plants before they bloom, a move that can mean sturdier stems later.
COLLEEN'S GARDEN: Now is the time to get reacquainted with your beds
Seedlings need gradual outdoor exposure, starting in shaded areas for brief periods before remaining outside through warmer nights.
COLLEEN'S GARDEN: Plant sales, roses and more garden tasks
Garden club volunteers have moved the annual event to a veterans hall with expanded parking, aiming to ease congestion and improve access for shoppers.
COLLEEN'S GARDEN: April in the garden
Spring is a busy time in the garden! There are so many jobs to choose from in April, I am just listing them here: * Schedule an appointment with your irrigation guys to turn your water on. I usually get mine switched on around April 15. * Check in with your lawn
COLLEENS GARDEN: Early blooms and March must-dos
Dormant shrubs benefit from careful trimming before new growth begins. Cutting panicle hydrangeas and aggressive vines back now can produce sturdier stems and heavier flowering later.
COLLEEN'S GARDEN: Seeds, seeds, seeds!!!
Skip bargain bags that feel like sawdust and learn packet specifics like cold chilling or light exposure to improve sprouting rates before planting.
COLLEEN'S GARDEN: Wrapping it up!
Road deicers protect drivers but can scorch perennials and pollute runoff. Consider sand for grip or calcium magnesium acetate, which is less corrosive to stone, paws and plants.
COLLEEN'S GARDEN: A cottage Christmas
Get our free local reporting delivered straight to your inbox. No noise, no spam — just clear, independent coverage of Marblehead. Sign up for our once-a-week newsletter. The Marblehead 2025 Christmas Walk Parade had a new entry this year. The Cottage Gardeners of Marblehead and Swampscott were garden elves