Here are my two favorite new plants: a "Whipcord Western Red Cedar" that looks like beach grass, and a brilliant cerise azalea. They went from the garden center to my garden yesterday in true Type E style.
Most Type E's have this ability – or maybe it's a handicap – that we can just imagine what something will look like when it's done. And once we have "seen" it, we want it done right then so we can move on to the next exciting project. Notice how I skipped the part about making it happen, the part in the middle that goes from concept to completion? It's not that Type E's don't also enjoy seeing things through to completion; we wouldn't be good real estate agents if we didn't. But for some things we’re ready to move on after we've figured out what the completion will look like.
Like gardening, for instance. I love the plants, the garden, the colors. I love picking out the plants and figuring where they will go. Then I'm ready for it to be done. Fortunately, we have some great lawn guys who are glad to help with the in between part of digging and planting and cleaning up.
Yesterday was a gorgeous Saturday, warm and bright but with a promise of rain at night – perfect planting weather. So we drove to our favorite place for anything outdoors - Watson's Garden Center. They are very helpful and great to deal with. Remember my adventure with attracting birds? Watson's was where we got the bird seed and feeders along with good advice. Yesterday, we were back there for plants. We picked out a bunch of stuff and had them put it all in the car. When we got home, the gardeners took it out of the car, I pointed where to put each plant, and voila…done! Gardening the Type E way.
This neat looking plant's tag reads: "Whipcord Western Red Cedar Iseli [the nursery] Introduction Thuja plicata 'Whipcord' …unusual selection of the giant forest tree, western red cedar. The drooping foliage is glossy green in summer with a bronze cast in winter...wild mop looks like beach grass." I just loved the look of this plant and hope it grows well in my garden. The tag also states, "Tolerates shallow chalk soils and shade." Do I have this? I'm not sure so I am placing it so I can enjoy it on my front porch while watching my feathered friends. The azaleas will add bright spots of color – sort of like having cardinals permanently visiting my yard.
Yes, I love gardening…provided I can do it the Type E way!
Sometimes there's too much time between showings but not quite enough, if you know what I mean. It happened that way a couple of days ago. So instead of just waiting around, we took a drive to Sherwood Gardens on that absolutely gorgeous spring afternoon.
Shorts, sandals, and bare feet were all over the place. It was a wonderful scene of strolling visitors, a few dogs, kids of various ages, and this one little guy who was not much larger than some of the tulips.
What a lovely way to spend an hour between showings in beautiful Baltimore.
Are you a nature lover? Friend of the earth? Outright tree-hugger? Or do you simply care about living a more sustainable lifestyle that is good for the environment…including all the people? 
If so, Baltimore has a week for you. Beginning this Saturday, the city is celebrating 
The EcoFestival is free, and will have something for just about everyone. There will be: 
The 
Following EcoFestival, Baltimore Green Week has events scheduled through Thursday, May 1. You can take the Tour de Trash on the US Coast Guard Cutter Taney, hear Mayor Sheila Dixon's presentation of her vision and action plan for cleaner, greener Baltimore, visit with a Green Gathering on the advantages of buying locally grown and produced food, and join a 
We celebrate Earth Day once a year, but we live on this fragile planet every day of the year. Here's a great opportunity to learn more about being green.
Guilford is one of those neighborhoods that seems to have grown up among its gardens and gracious ways. Originally comprised of patents granted to British citizens from the mid-1600s through the 1700s, the area was valued for its "gentle swells, which afford many beautiful views of the city and bay." The entire area sold in 1780 as confiscated property to a Revolutionary War General who gave Guilford its name. The area then passed through other hands until it was sold to the Guilford Park Company. Planning of the landscape design began in 1911 under the direction of Frederick Law Olmsted, and active development of Guilford began in 1913.
This residential area of almost 700 homes has everything from modest townhomes to stately, historic mansions, most of which were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. Built in what was once the country, Guilford retains a spacious feeling even as it is surrounded by the city that long ago grew up around it. The neighborhood reaches out to its surrounding communities, and benefits from being near the Homewood campus of
Spring is an especially good time for a stroll through the area to enjoy the lush landscaping that makes this area a visual treat. It's not surprising that homeowners go all out for their trees and flowers, since a favorite section of Guilford is the massive 
Begun in 1927 by a local petroleum pioneer and conservationist, John Sherwood, the gardens started as his hobby and grew into a treasured enclave in Baltimore city. When Sherwood died in 1965, he bequeathed enough money to maintain the gardens for a year. 
Phlox makes a pretty purple carpet, the trees are budding and blooming, and a few daffodils are still decorating my garden. At the end of the day the moon shines through 
Baltimore truly is a city of neighborhoods. Despite the many hundreds of thousands of people who live within the city's borders, we are not a homogenous mass. The city has grown from pre-Colonial as new groups came for the commerce that a port city offers and the jobs that grow from that. And as the center of the city filled up, people moved out to find more space and new opportunities. 
Mount Washington is one of those "street-car suburbs" that began in the 19th century when people looked for a way to escape the crush and heat of the city. Originally a summer retreat to the country, Mount Washington quickly grew into a year round community which now includes about 1,600 homes of just about every style and every age from brand new condominium to houses that are more than 100 years old.. With many homes of Victorian and Georgian style, there is a bit of a New England village feel, especially in the Mount Washington Village area. 
Mount Washington Village snuggles into a bend of the Jones Falls with tree-lined streets and shops, boutiques, galleries, cafes and professional offices. There are great places to eat and shop, plus one of my favorite creative spots, 
Up the hill from the Village is the
For the athletic, Mount Washington also has two swim clubs, one of which is a year-round facility that has produced Olympic swimmers. The 
The Mount Washington Improvement Association, one of the oldest neighborhood associations in the country, rightly claims that their historic neighborhood is "diverse, eclectic and very stable" and "an ideal setting for families." All this, and the attractions of downtown Baltimore are just 15 minutes away. I guess you can see why I think of Mount Washington as My Baltimore Neighborhood.
Have you ever been to a dinner party where everyone had something in common with someone else there? It's like a giant game of cat's cradle – the lines of connection criss-cross and eventually include everyone. That's what we had the other night when a friend hosted six couples. Like the excellent hostess she is, Malynda put together interesting people and the conversation never stopped. (Well, maybe the men didn't get to say much!)
The threads that brought this group together for a Saturday evening in 2008 began in the late 1980's when I joined a women's business group, 
This small neighborhood with a diverse population gained Historic District status in 2003 when the National Park Service officially added it to the National Register of Historic Places. The Register includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
The Lake Evesham Historic District has several different architectural styles. The most frequently occurring style is the Bungalow, a one and one half story style that features a low-pitched gabled roof with wide unenclosed eave overhang. Others styles include Victorian Gothic with multiple gables, Folk Victorian with Victorian decorative detailing on simple folk house forms, American Foursquare with two stories and multi-windowed dormers on the front, Dutch Colonial, Tudor revival, Federal Revival and Cape Cod Revival. Several houses in this district were constructed by an early African-American Baltimore builder, John B. Smith.