Gardenig in Jordan. Tips & Guides

THIS IS HOW IT GOES, beginning at the first real thaw: Farewell “life,” hello garden. Thanks to Doodler Andre Jordan for depicting the Headless-Chicken Syndrome that doesn’t end till frost is solidly back in the ground. See you out there?

MRS. ANDRE is our Litmus Tester.

THE DICTIONARY SAYS ‘ADVENT’ MEANS “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event,” so I guess these next couple of weeks really qualify. To celebrate the advent of spring, hallelujah, master doodler and daydreamer Andre Jordan has performed some adaptive re-use on an old Wellington I seem to have misplaced.

THERE AIN’T A CROCUS to be seen here yet, but up popped Andre Jordan, the Mad Doodler of South Dakota (via the U.K.), with a new doodle. In his spare time, Andre is a couples counselor (NOT).

Soon my new friend Andre was living in Nebraska with the future Mrs. Andre, and eventually they moved to South Dakota (despite being forewarned that winter never kids around there). A run of the Mount Rushmore State’s doozies has apparently left an impression on Andre, the dimensions of which he has summed up with a series of at once empathic and totally mad doodles–gardening cartoons that I hope you love as much as I do.To mark more than a decade of knowing Andre, I thought it might be fun to reprise some of them–just in time for the day that winter is officially supposed to be dispatched. Happy spring? Well, maybe.winter doodles, by andre jordanBAD WINTER: I miss the migrant birds

The miracle of bird migration is a subject of much intensive study, especially in this age of rapid climate change. Migration actually originally evolved in large part as a response to changing climate, but of a far more gradual nature over the millennia and longer. Now scientists wonder how species will adapt–or if they can–to current faster shifts.At the end of 2019, Colorado State University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the University of Massachusetts published research based on analysis of 24 years of weather radar data, showing that the timing of spring bird migration across North

My husband really wanted a swing for us to use while the kids ran outside. So, I caved and told him to go for it! He’s a contractor, so he definitely has a lot of experience to whip up something like this in a day! He went to a local lawn care store and bought the actual swing. They can also be ordered online. They usually run around $200. Then he went to Lowes to get two 12 foot 6x6 posts and a 10 foot 2x12 boards (for the top part-to hang the swing on), chains to hang the swing, and a ton of 3 inch decking screws, and cement. He dug the holes to put the 6x6 posts with post hole diggers (he owns some through his business). He dug 32 inches in the ground and put the posts in and then added cement/water to make it more sturdy. Once he had the posts in, he added the top post (2x12’s-he cut the edges to give it a fancier look). He put blocks up there to hold the swing. He then screwed in metal hooks to hold the chains for the swing. Once he had all that done, he hung the swing. We absolutely love it and use it a lot when the kids are playing outside. Take a look!

I found the big show gardens a big disappointment. It’s telling that I took very few photographs of them, while I took plenty of my favourite small gardens. I did photograph a few for their curiosity value rather than their inspiring ideas. The Azorean Garden reflects the fact that volcan

Just occasionally we do take a holiday that doesn’t have plants as the main focus and December in the desert kingdom of Jordan was never going to be a floral bonanza. Nevertheless it was an unforgettable week that more than made up for it being the off-season for most flowering plants. Visitor numbers are low because of nervousness about the region, so we were made very welcome, never felt unsafe and it was wonderful to see some of the wonders of the Old World without the usual crowds. Jerash & Ajlun

Jordan’s Field of Dreams Illustrating the Jordan’s philosophy of growing their cereals in an environment that embraces wildlife, their garden had circular paths mown through naturalistic planting of perennials and grasses. It looked as tasty as their muesli and the gently curving straw benches were the perfect vantage point from which to admire this lovely garden.