Liza Gyllenhaal's Blog

Yellow ranks of milkweed, their pods bursting with seeds, line the edges of our fading wildflower field where they stood sentry all summer.  I spent years encouraging them to naturalize and, now, along with the lupines, echinacea, and blue lobelia, … Continue reading →

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We’ve lost many trees to storms and disease over the years. The enormous old hemlock beside the barn that Sandy twisted off its foundation, exposing a root system as clunky and complicated as an old-fashioned telephone switchboard.  The ancient willow … Continue reading →

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I was unexpectedly obliged to spend several weeks of July in upper Manhattan. It was a scorching, humid stretch of time, the sidewalks shimmering under an unrelenting sun. The city tends to absorb heat, like the black clothing preferred by … Continue reading →

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I tried for years to grow lupines (or lupins or bluebonnets) in one of my garden beds. I chose a sunny spot with moist, well-drained soil which I read they preferred, but they weren’t happy there. One or two of … Continue reading →

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The daffodil heads have shriveled. The tulips stand naked, their bright silk half-slips scattered on the ground. The lilacs are blooming now, the scent intoxicating the air, spent flowers drifting like snowflakes across the lawn (an image stolen from Elizabeth … Continue reading →

The post A cold spring appeared first on Liza Gyllenhaal — a writer in the garden.

In the middle of winter when the world was a silent blanket of snow, I heard someone whistling to me as I carried in firewood from the garage.  I only had to glance at the empty birdfeeder to know who … Continue reading →

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I wanted you to know that a book I’ve been working on for many years, my first work of creative nonfiction, is about to be published.  Written under my married name Liza Bennett, Georgia & Anita tells the little-known story of … Continue reading →

The post Georgia and Anita appeared first on Liza Gyllenhaal — a writer in the garden.

I wanted you to know that a book I’ve been working on for many years, my first work of creative nonfiction, is about to be published.  Written under my married name Liza Bennett, Georgia & Anita tells the little-known story of … Continue reading →

The post Georgia and Anita appeared first on Liza Gyllenhaal — a writer in the garden.

Though it’s officially astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere, winter isn’t budging in the Berkshires. It snowed again last night. Just a light dusting, but enough to make it clear that it’s a little too early in the game to … Continue reading →

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The snows have been arriving in waves, long rolling breakers of foam, blurring the line between earth and sky. White beasts lumber across the garden where a row of bushes had been. Trees sway and tinkle under their weight of … Continue reading →

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