Author Archives: Roland

About Roland

Roland works at the MOM's Organic Market central office. He gardens organically with native plants (when he's not busy with house renovations). He also dabbles in animation, woodworking and other arts.

More Insects, Please!

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Roland

Spring is here, and I suspect you’re not hearing anyone say, “I want more insects in my yard this year!” Instead, I suspect it will be “Help! I have too many aphids!” or “Japanese beetles are eating my roses!” (Left) Yellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

How to Get a Wheelbarrow Out of Your Living Room

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Roland

MOM’s employees tend to be do-it-yourselfers. In my case, when my wife and I purchased our first home, we took on a fixer-upper. Alas, mumble-mumble years later we’re still fixing it up. Late last summer my darling wife lovingly mentioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Reuse | 4 Comments

Rain Garden: Just Say “No” to Watering

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Roland

I like to conserve resources, like… effort. Take the rain garden I recently finished building. Sure, I shoveled and wheelbarrowed a dump truck’s worth of soil, and hand-built a thirty foot long retaining wall. But, once I get the flowers … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Local, Native plants, Recycling, Water | Tagged berm, bumble bee, butterfly, Danaus plexippus, flowers, gardening, Jerusalem artichoke, Monarch, rain, rain garden, retaining wall, stone wall, Sunchoke, swale, water | 3 Comments

Mulch and Faith

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Roland

My beebalm (Monarda didyma) and anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) plants showed their first flowers of the season about two weeks ago. For the beebalm (also known as oswego tea), it is its first flower ever, so I’ve talked about it … Continue reading →