Ground Level — NewsWorks

Between seasons garden project- raised beds

February 29, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(7 votes)
It's easy to forget this, but some years the ground would still be frozen hard right now. Digging would be like chipping at bedrock, and any outdoor gardening projects would still be distant fant... More »
What to make of an early spring

February 23, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(5 votes)
They blanket the lawns of older homes; small lavender flowers that seem to pop out of nowhere in the beginning of spring, and then disappear just as unobtrusively a few weeks later. They are Crocus t... More »
Telling of trees- the mighty oak

February 14, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(6 votes)
Like a parent who secretly really does have a favorite child, I will reluctantly and guiltily admit that in my series on worthy street trees of Philadelphia, I've saved the best for last. More »
Telling of trees- the Maple

February 8, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(7 votes)
If you were a tree in Philadelphia, a lot of your friends-and a few of your frenemies-would be maples. Maples are part of a large and diverse family, and many of them (even the non-natives) are very ... More »
Telling of trees- the Sycamore

January 31, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(13 votes)
. . . Or is it the London Plane tree? These two half siblings are difficult to tell apart, even by horticulturists. The Sycamore is one of the largest native trees of the Eastern US, and is particula... More »
Telling of trees: the Ginkgo

January 24, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(12 votes)
This story starts like so many others: The first of its species in America came to Philadelphia, to the Woodlands estate of William Hamilton in 1784. European botanists had been fascinated by the lege... More »
More trees, please

January 19, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(9 votes)
The official name for it is dendrolatry- the worship of trees. The Romans practiced it, although the Greeks preferred their deities to stay in the sky. Throughout history, many indigenous cultures all... More »
The Reading Viaduct as public landscape — good for Philadelphia?

January 13, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(21 votes)
In 2004, plans took shape to transform the desolate Reading Viaduct, abandoned since the last train left its tracks in 1984,into a public landscape. Do you think this is a good idea for Philadelphia? ... More »
A rose arose but it wasn't a rosy rose

January 12, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(7 votes)
We can't help loving roses, but they have a reputation for being difficult to grow. There's an irony here that's a little tough to swallow, because one of the most aggressive alien plan... More »
An act of herbicide

January 7, 2012
Rate This:

1

2

3

4

5

(11 votes)
This weekend I put off all the indoor chores I was intending to tackle and took advantage of the warm weather to carry out a murder. More »