On a cold autumn day in 2021 I attended a rally in Cleveland in support of the refugees from Haiti. No…we cannot let anyone into America who shows up at our door…but we must respond in a humanistic way
Painesville Township leaders recently entertained a suggestion to cover a former waste dump adjacent to the Grand River with fly ash and other materials removed from the Mentor Marsh. Let’s hope they reject this idea immediately and review the
Growing up in rural Perry it was not uncommon to pick up the rotary phone and hear other people talking. It was a fun way to spy on the people down the street, other folks who could not afford
After almost 250 years, America remains an experiment, a concept, an idea. And the idea is this…that a society can manage itself in an orderly manner with direction from the many, pursuing the greatest good for the greatest
As we await the verdict in the Chauvin trial in Minnesota and the possible aftermath across the nation, I believe we must ask ourselves the right questions. Was the choking/killing of Floyd an extreme and unconscionable act? Yes.
I am dismayed whenever a nursery or farm disappears…even when we lose a barn!
And yet, in recent years, most of the nurseries that closed in Lake County, the former nursery capital, have transitioned to other nurseries. When the nurseries
On this sunny wintry Saturday afternoon…as the drifting slush at the Lake’s edge offers that it will soon freeze over…we must assure that our souls do not do the same…
This article appeared in Gardenopolis-Cleveland in June, 2020:
Ironclad refers to a durable group of Rhododendrons that have proven reliably hardy in Northeastern Ohio. My favorite among the ironclads is R.’ Nova Zembla’. I have my reasons.
Follow this link to a two-part article posted to Gardenopolis-Cleveland in June, 2018! (just double-click on the Gardenopolis icon; you can navigate between parts at the end of each article)
Think of all the energy those ancient Druids must have had…running around on days like this…performing their pagan rituals to celebrate the beginning of another season…moving giant rocks dozens of miles and sticking them in the ground to confound anthropologists
Follow the link below to Gardenopolis…a Cleveland gardening blog that publishes our articles! The two-part history of our local ‘nursery belt’ appeared in June, 2018. You can navigate between Part 1 and Part 2 with the link at
The clouds and colors of autumn finally arrive: our oaks and maples and sweetgums transformed into seas of gold and red and yellow. Chilled air awakens our senses in the morning. Acorns and buckeyes accumulate on the
My wife belongs to a book club that has turned into a food club. Last month they completed the transition. No one talked about the assigned book because no one had read it. Instead, they shared appetizers
This is our 70th year for Gilson Gardens…Kris and I will turn 65 in September…also in September (if we make it that far!)…we’ll celebrate our 45th anniversary!
In connection with these monumental events, we plan to downsize our lives,
We lost a local plantsman, innovator, historian and nursery industry icon last week when Jim Zampini, age 85, passed away in his sleep after a long battle with heart disease. A fusion of Italian and Hungarian ancestry, Jim grew up
Our modest yard contains six full-grown multi-trunked silver maples. Recent tempests commenced the process of leaf detachment and denuding and for several months I must hide from my neighbors. The good people on our street have
I grew up in the ground cover business. In addition to our nursery, Moretti’s to our north (now Briar Rose Nursery) and Beardslee Nursery just beyond, specialized in traditional ground
