Part of what makes us appreciate a vase of flowers, I think, is the fact that they are so ephemeral, with some blooms lasting less than a week. But whether you’ve gotten them as a gift, purchased your flowers at the farmers market or the supermarket – or better yet, grown them in your own backyard – you’ll want to keep them looking fresh and colorful for as long as possible. Below is a list of five ways...

Several years ago, feeling wholly unsatisfied in my job – and thus fairly miserable in my life – I offhandedly typed the following into the Google search bar: “how can I be happy?”  I found a number of references to Oprah Winfrey, and even a wikiHow page (with pictures) aimed at answering exactly that question.

One common thread became clear:  happy people practice gratitude regardless of how little they...

The member of the animal kingdom most frequently associated with jewelry heists is decidedly feline:  the cat burglar. 

But in my case, it was a chicken.  A chicken named Condi.

Her full name, actually, was Condoleeza Rice.  Like all of my hens, she was named after a famous woman I admire.  Her “sisters” – the first batch of day-old chickens I ever raised – included Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhardt, and Ma...

Some women pine for a Birken bag, or long for a pair of Louboutins. 

I, on the other hand, want a hoop house. 

Also known as a high tunnel, or unheated greenhouse, a hoop house is a key tool for extending the growing season.  It’s virtually a necessity for the proper cultivation of certain flowers, such as sweet peas, that need months of sunny but cool temperatures to develop the long stems needed for a cu...

I surprised myself when I decided to become a farmer-florist.  I definitely surprised my husband, who still hasn’t quite wrapped his head around the fact that his business suit-clad, reasonably well put together wife transforms on a regular basis into an overalls-wearing, mud-caked and sweat-drenched field hand.  That I also leave my floral design studio (ahem, I mean, our kitchen) in a state of Edward S...