Category Archives: Gardening

The Month of the Dead

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

In Germany, November is the month of the dead, a special time to remember lost loved ones. German Catholics set aside the first two days for this purpose: Allerheiligen, the Feast of All Saints, and Allerseelen, the Feast of All … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches and religion, Daily life, Festivals, Folk traditions, Gardening, Holidays | 4 Comments

A Fish out of Water

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

When I was a little girl in Denton, Texas, my brothers and I played with the Goetz boys, who lived around the corner. We were terribly excited when they arrived because they came from Germany. (Our experience of Germans up … Continue reading →

Posted in Folk traditions, Gardening, German house decoration, Public art, Rural scenery, Texas, Tourist destinations | 2 Comments

An Afternoon Walk around Rodenbach

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

The town I live in is like Grandma’s cookie jar: I never know what I’ll find when I shut my front door and walk outside, but I can be pretty sure I’m going to love it. There are lots of … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily life, Farm life, Gardening, German art, German house decoration, Public art, Rural scenery | Leave a comment

Leaf Fall

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

The leaves have started to change in Germany. That’s a very big deal to this Texas girl because where I come from the leaves don’t bother to fall off the trees until spring. We rake live oak leaves from February … Continue reading →

Posted in Folk traditions, Gardening, Seasons, Texas, Tourist destinations, Weather | Leave a comment

My Last Garden, continued

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

Joe and I found the example graves at the Koblenz National Garden Show completely fascinating. They were so unlike anything we’d seen. Some were as elaborate and elegant as a Japanese flower arrangement. Others were just downright different. Joe’s favorite … Continue reading →

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My Last Garden

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

Graves. Headstones. Birth and death dates. Are we in a cemetery? No, we’re back at the Koblenz National Garden Show, where the program assures us, “a romantic woodland glade is the perfect setting for cemetery landscapers and stonemasons to demonstrate … Continue reading →

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Flowers and Books

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

What did Joe and I find at the Koblenz National Garden Show? Well, we found flowers, of course. According to the brochures, there were 6,000 square yards of roses alone (5,000 square meters). Everywhere we looked, we saw fabulous combinations … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Festivals, Gardening, German literature | Leave a comment

Flowers in Downtown Koblenz

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle

This weekend, Joe and I drove to Koblenz to visit the National Garden Show, a traveling event which takes place every two years. For six months, a German city transforms part of itself into a blooming paradise, and millions of … Continue reading →

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