Dorothy Gilman, Author at The Belmont Voice

Garden Gems: Fall Cleanup: Less is More

September 28, 2026

Fall is a wonderful time in the garden, full of color and activity. Leaves are turning, asters and goldenrods are blooming. Small mammals are skittering around, gathering food stores. Birds are fattening up on seeds and berries while bees and butterflies are…

Opinion

Garden Gems: End of Summer Favorites

September 9, 2026

At summer’s end, one of the loveliest spots in my garden is under the redbud tree. Redbuds, Cercis canadensis, are easy keepers, justly appreciated for their spring blooms. Come summer, they are garden stars for the dense shade cast by their pendulous…

Opinion

Garden Gems: To Squish or Not to Squish

August 5, 2026

Gardens are home to more than plants. Birds and small mammals are often poking around, seeking sustenance. Invertebrates make their living in the garden too, and encountering them gives many gardeners pause. We may recoil, or we may want to observe. And…

Opinion

The Tree That Gave Linnaeus His Name

June 22, 2026

Here’s a tree for you. It has heart-shaped leaves, is easy to grow in full sun to part shade across a range of soil conditions, and is somewhat drought-tolerant. In June, copious small, yellow, sweet-smelling flowers blanket the tree, attracting so many…

Opinion

Garden Gems: There’s Something About Trillium

May 26, 2026

A few weeks back, I got an email from Native Plant Trust with the breathless subject line, “Trillium week begins this Sunday!” It went on to say, “Trillium Week at Garden in the Woods is just around the corner! Join us for…

Opinion

Garden Gems: Mud Season is for Potting Up Houseplants

April 6, 2026

All Posts Spring is here and “the world,” to quote E.E. Cummings, “is mud-luscious.” As gardeners, we are aware! We long to get out in the garden and sink our hands in the earth but know we must wait for drier, warmer…

Opinion

Garden Gems: Gifts for Gardeners

December 11, 2025

They say that you should give what you would like to receive. With that in mind, and knowing my husband reads this column, I am going to recommend a few things I would like to receive and a few tried-and-true gifts. For…

Opinion

Garden Gems: Witch Hazel Adds Color, Scent to Autumn Gardens

November 29, 2025

It is late November and a buttery cloud appears to have settled in my garden. This pleasant apparition is the fall foliage of common witch hazel; the thick, soft, scalloped-edged leaves turn a beautiful golden yellow in the fall, and, as if…

Opinion

Garden Gems: Rats in the Radishes

October 20, 2025

Catching sight of a scurrying rat when you are heading out to weed the dahlias or gather tomatoes is one of the most unsettling things that can happen in the garden. The most stalwart gardener may reach for the phone to call…

Opinion

Garden Gems: Aster Season Arrives with Autumn

October 8, 2025

As fall comes to New England, asters come into their own, blooming from August into October in a range of colors–blues, pinks, purples and white–with some varieties flowering after frost. They can be tall or short, thrive in sun or shade, and…