Walnuts n Pears

Can you feel it?  It’s like a buzzing, fluttering, whooshing sort of feeling.  It’s everywhere!  Spring is FINALLY here in Minnesota and the energy is amazing.  The sun is shining and we’re supposed to have a near 70 degree day.  This week I got 3 new issues of gardening magazines, 3 plants and seeds for my Children’s Garden arrived and plant sales are everywhere!  I love it, I love it, I love it!

Much as I’d like to keep it a secret, I have to put a shout out to the HTC Plant Sale located at the Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park Campus. Although there are many plant sales out there, this one is close to my heart. Not only because I went to school there, but also because the plants being sold are grown and cared for by the Landscape and Horticulture students.  Deb Kvamme, one of the instructors, is one of the most passionate plant people I’ve ever met, so she makes the sale very fun.  They always have the standard bedding plants, veggies and herbs, but if you get there early enough, you’re guaranteed to find something unique as well.  There are 3 greenhouses bursting with plants and the sale is run like a well oiled machine.  It’s worth the drive.  The sale runs May 5th, 6th and 7th from 9am – 7pm.  Go!  You won’t be disappointed!

Another plant sale “must do” this weekend is the Friends School Plant Sale held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds Grandstand.  If you’ve never been there, it’s GI-NOR-MOUS.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  They even produce their own catalog with plants that are available at the sale.  View it online, it’s an impressive list to say the least!  The Friends School sale runs Friday, May 7, from 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 8, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 9, from 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm. Sunday is discount day.

While you’re at the fair grounds visit the Living Green Expo.  There you can learn about how to live a more mindful, sustainable life.  There are seminars and vendors with everything from gardening and composting, to cooking, to solar, wind and water, to energy savings, to rain gardens and permaculture and even organic lawn care just to name a few.  The Living Green Expo runs Saturday, May 7th from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sunday May 8th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Do you have a favorite sale I didn’t list?  Let everyone know!

Not in the Twin Cities?  Check your local paper or garden club for sales, grab a friend and go!

Enjoy all things green this weekend!

Kate

Welcome to Walnuts and Pears!

For a long time, I’ve been trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up.  I’ve been trying to figure out how to utilize my education and life experiences to create something that makes sense to share with others.  Something I really enjoy and have a passion for.

My background is in horticulture and landscaping and I have an obsession with pretty much every kind of plant, so, yes, I’m kind of a plant geek.  I’ve been a resource for family and friends with landscaping and gardening questions, design help, etc. for quite some time and have really enjoyed that, but I would like to do more with it.

What I realized recently is that there isn’t a single resource for all the things that are important to me, so I’ve decided to start my own.  Ultimately I’d like to start a physical space for people to go to learn about all things related to living a centered, healthy, fulfilling life.

Walnuts and Pears is the beginning; a virtual place to share thoughts, observations and tidbits of information on landscaping, gardening, harvesting, cooking, eating, preserving, and healthy, mindful living.  A place with purpose, passion, caring, love and respect for self, others and Mother Nature.

The name of this blog is based on the 17th century English proverb:

Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs. ~ Thomas Fuller

Walnut and pear trees, particularly older varieties, take years to produce fruit.  If you plant one of these trees today, you are planting, not for yourself, but for your children and future generations.

That’s the concept behind this blog and my future business.  A place to learn how to do things not just for our own benefit and those close to us, but also for those we might never meet.

I hope you have fun, learn a few things, share your comments and laugh along the way.

Take care,

Kate

Walnuts and Pears – Living today for tomorrow’s generation.