Category Archives: Seasons in Virginia

Virginia Nature Journal for August

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Roger Gosden

Cottage gardens were at one time part of the domestic economy, but now they’re mostly recreational. Like horse-riding, boating, fishing, target-shooting, and racing of various kinds, gardening has evolved from an occupation to a passion. Besides the advantages of growing-your-own … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, Seasons in Virginia | Tagged Andrew Marvell, cottage garden, nightshades, Thomas Jefferson, vegetable gardening | Comments Off

Virginia Nature Journal for July

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Roger Gosden

The Garden of Eden might be a metaphor for peace and, indeed, for the whole world, but today’s gardens are shrunken images. They are lawns to highlight a property; or a pain to weed and mow; or a chance to … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, Seasons in Virginia | Tagged Douglas Tallamy, Konstantin Levin, Monarch butterfly, Stonehouse garden, Williamsburg botanic garden | Comments Off

Virginia Nature Journal for April

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Roger Gosden

Smells arouse old memories, good and bad. The coconut bouquet of prickly gorse bushes evokes memories of ranks of jasmine blossom on the chalky downs of the Isle of Wight where I was born and Algy Swinburne grew up. Oh, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other, Seasons in Virginia | Tagged Algernon Swinburne, Birding, bluebirds, nest-boxes, Virginia Bluebird Society | Comments Off

Virginia Nature Journal for March

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Roger Gosden

The poem was inspired by thousands of wild daffodils blooming in woods around Ullswater in the Lake District of England in the spring of 1802. I imagine Wordsworth on horseback in a tightly-fitting frock coat, pantaloons and hessian boots, while … Continue reading →

Posted in Seasons in Virginia | Tagged Daffodils, I wondered lonely as a cloud, phenology, Project Budburst, William Wordsworth | 1 Comment

Virginia Nature Journal for February

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Roger Gosden

We had exceptionally chill temperatures and heavy snow throughout February up and down the East Coast this year. Cold air that normally hangs over the north-west was pushed down to the Plains by the jet-stream, leaving Alaska feeling relatively balmy. … Continue reading →