A Cast of Characters Awaits

Please excuse this around the bush approach to revealing the newest recipient of our Best Gardening Blogs distinction. You see, I was in a bit of a mood the other day. I wanted to garden, I wanted to read, I wanted to be entertained and I was worn out. In other words, I wanted something I thought I could not have. Even with my ridiculous amount of cable channels and my glorious collection of gardening books I just couldn’t settle down and be content. It is as silly as going to Baskin-Robbins and asking if they have more ice-cream flavors hidden in the backroom.

Then I thought of my green bandana and my recent trip to Seattle.What does a green bandana have to do with a gardening blog? you ask. Everything! When I was unpacking from the Seattle trip I found a green bandana in my suitcase. How it got there, I have no idea, but finding a green bandana is huge. During my trip to Seattle, fellow gardener and garden blogger Carol Michel shared with me that she also received a green bandana and writes about her discovery in her blog May Dreams Gardens. Her blog is an eclectic mix of gardening wisdom, garden travel, stories about her hoe collection and her love of vintage gardening books. I knew this was the next blog I wanted to share with all of you, but before I could ask Carol if she would accept my offer of being named one of our Best Gardening Blogs I knew I had to ask a higher authority, Thorn Goblinfly, chief scribe for the garden fairies.

Truth be told, I was a bit nervous to reach out to her. Thorn is a very influential garden fairy and I knew her impression of me would make it back to the fairies in my own garden who may be a bit displeased with me due to my recent absences. Long story short, she received my letter and sent this in reply.

Dear Jenny,

Of course you should ask Carol to accept the Best Gardening Blog recognition. Why do you think we spend so much time with this gardener, teaching her, guiding her, coming to her in her dreams and tolerating her other friends? Between Hortense Hoelove, Dr. Hortfeud and Old Woman at the Door there is a lot of chatter and a lot of distractions around our Carol, but she is a good student. She did receive a green bandana you know. That says it all!

Thorn

PS – I did a bit of checking on you and the fairies in your land are happy with your work. They did ask that you watch where you move that rock under the roses. Also, your mumbling about what to do with the overzealous Black-Eyed Susans (yes they heard you talking to yourself, you do that a lot) they agree, thin them out and add some new plants next year.

So, without further ado, may I introduce May Dreams Gardens; the wonderfully entertaining, wildly creative and very informative garden blog by Carol Michel.

Jenny Koester, AKA The Landless Gardener, is the Garden Blog Editor for Horticulture magazine and the author of The Garden Life and A Year in the Park.