If you’ve walked around Greenbelt Lake recently you’ve probably noticed this scene along the path – a swath of gold and lots of lavender action, too. I was wow’ed by this scene enough last year to search out the gardener … Read More
Garden writers and reformers of all types are always going on about those terrible Homeowners Associations and their crazy, backward-looking rules against growing edibles, eliminating lawn, growing wilder-looking plants (horrors!) and more. But what if a condo or coop association … Read More
In Old Greenbelt we see an unusual amount of hedges, mainly of privet or euonymus, most of them installed in the early days before fences were allowed. Â (That happened in the ’50s after the homes became owner-occupied and and pets … Read More
Common Area Gardens This post is for you GHIers out there – especially the ones who’d like to see more plants, more biodiversity, more sustenance and shelter for pollinators and birds, and of course more beauty around their neighborhood.  Another benefit … Read More
UPDATE: GHI now (as of 2019) has an approval process for members planting in common areas. Here it is. Time to show off another garden make-over!  Unlike the earlier street-side make-over at the end of a back yard, this one’s in … Read More
One reason I moved to Greenbelt was to downsize, especially in the garden, and with my small townhouse property new, mission accomplished. Â But I soon realized I needed more, more, more outdoor spaces to make-over, make-overs being the most fun … Read More
Yesterday’s Plant Swap was easy to organize, fun to be part of, and really helpful to gardeners. People with established gardens found homes for their extra plants, and people with bare yards got freebies to take home. So I say … Read More
Researching smaller homes recently put tiny houses on my radar, so when I noticed the documentary “Tiny” at DC’s Environmental Film Festival I made a point to see it. The film follows Christopher Smith and his girlfriend and fellow filmmaker … Read More
Finally we’re seeing a trend toward smaller homes being built in the U.S., after decades of increasing square footage. For example, the U.S. Census reported that from 2007 to 2010 the average size of a new, single-family home in the … Read More
Takoma Park made news last summer when it became the first town in the U.S. to ban lawn pesticides on not just public but also private property.  As a garden writer with a particular interest in lawns, I jumped on … Read More
by Joellen Shendy My new block home came with two things that just did not go well together – a kitchen which was last fashionable in the 1970’s – and a recent granite breakfast bar remodel which was the result … Read More
And CLICK HERE to see a 172-photo album of Greenbelt’s “Less Lawn” garden tour by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine. And watch the video! It’s by Marcia Van Horn, who lived in Old Greenbelt in the ’80s. The … Read More
Here’s a very typical yard in Old Greenbelt, especially the larger ones on the ends. Just turf and hedge,nothing else. But with more plants than I have room for in my small yard two doors down, I’ve been eying this … Read More
By Fashion and Style Blogger Alison Gary Living in GHI, we have our own special needs and issues, especially when it comes to storage. When I moved into my two-bedroom frame in 1999, I was moving from a two-bedroom apartment … Read More
People drive hours to shop at the precious few Ikea stores in the U.S. Greenbelters are just 10 minutes away, so naturally we shop at the Swedish mega-store. To furnish my new (1937) home, I acquired a few items there … Read More
