• Late Spring Forest life

    I came back home to my Michigan north woods home from a trip to Scotland with summer bursting out all over. The trees have leafed out. Morels, supposedly, can still be found. And birdsong welcomes the sunrise. I’ve been able to sit outside with my… Read more

  • Travel

    I just got back from a twelve day trip to Scotland. We visited chefs and weavers and gin/whiskey makers. People who use the ingredients of their area to create something beautiful and delicious. We visited a garden in northwest Scotland that was created by Victorian… Read more

  • Life Finds A Way

    There is still snow on the ground. Mounds a few feet high in places. And its been raining and raining. Parts of garden beds are uncovered and snowdrops are blooming in those spaces and daffodils are pushing up through the soil. Life finds a way.… Read more

  • It’s Been A While

    Winter is still here near the end of March. We headed to St. Augustine the first week of March for some sun and fresh seafood. We came back to a slight melt. The snowdrops were starting to push their way through the soil. Then we… Read more

  • Play In The Garden

    I went to a creativity workshop yesterday and the theme was Play. As grownups, do we play? What does play feel like now compared to when we were kids? How can we play more in our lives? I thought of my garden and how I… Read more

  • A Long Winter

    Winter started at Thanksgiving and hasn’t really let go. We have a few feet of snow on the ground. My gardens are buried. I’m wondering when will snowdrops come up? They are under a few feet of snow. I’m going to have to transplant the… Read more

  • Visit from Spirit Animal

    We put a bird feeder right outside our sitting room window. I suppose watching the birds is a form of mediation for me. This has been a tough winter. Lots of snow. Lots of cold. I enjoy offering food to our winter residents–chickadees, nuthatches, titmouse,… Read more

  • Keystone Plants

    The term ‘keystone plant’ has been popping up in my reading and in my native plant research. Keystone plants are native plants that form the foundation of an ecosystem. These plants are essential for the lifecycle of many species. They support a high percentage of… Read more

  • Garden Planning

    I’ve written a few pieces for Wild Ones on native plants to consider adding to home gardens. I like writing these pieces because I learn about native plants and the benefits they bring to the landscape. So as the temperatures are close to zero and… Read more

  • Wonder

    In a moment of quiet as I gazed out the back window, the word ‘wonder’ came to me and the hymn: I wonder as I wander out under the sky And wonder is my word of the year. As a gardener, when I stop with… Read more

Heart & Soil

Heart & Soil is written by & copyright Mary Pellerito