This past summer I built a greenhouse in my backyard. It was a Covid gift from a friend who was clearing out his shed. He texted me a picture and asked if I wanted it, and a couple of hours later it appeared on my porch, still in the box. After the disbelief, awe, planning, […]
In my neighborhood, at my shul Temple Beth Israel in Waltham, a 70-year-old native Dogwood tree anchors the front lawn. Every autumn, it bears loads of red ripe berries to offer. A dozen species of birds reply to this offering and then, in payment, deposit the tree seeds from their last meal. Hundreds of baby trees germinate each year, but the rabbit eats most and the landscapers would eliminate the leftovers.
By Julie Meyer Beantown Jewish Gardens Board Member & JVGB Mentor Do you know Rebbe Rhus toxidendron? Reb Rhus’ ancestors hail from the family Anacardiaceae, cousins to mangos, cashews, and staghorn sumac trees. Like human beings, Reb Rhus, more coarsely known as “poison ivy,” migrated across the temperate and warm regions of the earth. When […]