I have never had much luck growing Johnny Jump-Ups (Viola tricolor) from seed, but finally two years ago a single plant survived to maturity. Last year that lone survivor begot several offspring. This year those offspring have taught me the true meaning of the cautionary proverb, “Be careful what you wish for.” Johnny Jump-Ups are popping up everywhere, including in […]
ANTICIPATING DROUGHT
When I was growing up in a rural area in western New York State, some of the farmers used to say that drought came in eleven-year cycles. This was not as bad as it sounds. To my knowledge, the area never suffered through eleven consecutive years of disastrous water shortages. The theory was simply that eleven years of relatively dry […]