Sharon Brown
I am a retired high school art and humanities teacher. I grew up in the Appalachian mountains of southeast KY and now I live with my two rescued cats, Jazz and Daisy, in far western KY. I am an artist often doing commissioned work, and in addition to writing articles for Dave's Garden, I also write boating stories for a nautical magazine as well as other venues. My greatest loves are writing, painting, my 5 year old grandson, then learning the history of our numerous wildflowers in Kentucky. And, of course, there's gardening.
The Thanksgiving Lesson
It all started with the realization that I was unable to eat anything that had lived, breathed, listened to, or looked at me. If it had eyes, it could see me, and there was no way I could eat it. Nobody was going to talk me out of that one, not even on Thanksgiving Day. Read More
Wild Chewing Gum, the Compass Plant
There was a plant that grew in the flat fields that sometimes could be found in the mountains, but it was more commonly found growing wild alongside the dusty road that ran in front of Aunt Bett's house. Read More
Aunt Bett, Fennel, and the Lickrish Butterflies
There are some things that we know for truth when we are children. Read More
Aunt Bett, Bee Balm and Battling Bees
Every journey up the mountain with Aunt Bett was an adventure. Gathering bee balm was one of the most exciting since we had to battle the hungry bees to get our fair share. Read More
Aunt Bett, Church, and the Yarrow Experience
This is one of the funniest Aunt Bett stories I will ever tell you. If you have ever laughed out loud at a most inappropriate time, you will surely understand the quandary I found myself in. Read More
Catnip and Nightmares
I never knew that catnip was for cats. I grew up thinking it was a mild tea that took my nightmares away. Read More
English Ivy: Beauty or Beast?
It grew on the rock wall in front of my grandmother's yard. Behind it lived the mysterious faeries and gnomes who flavored my bedtime stories. I learned early that it was called Ivy, and my aunt had been named for it. I left treasures as gifts for the little people who lived there, the feather of a blue bird, a tiny marble of red glass, and an occasional cookie. I watched closely for any signs of movement. Read More
Horehound for coughs
Not so long ago one of my students offered me a "new" cough drop. She said it was the newest thing in Europe and that it really stopped coughs. Read More
Castor oil, anyone?
Sometimes beauty is deceiving. Roses come with thorns. Moonflowers are highly toxic. There is so much to remember about plants, is it worth it to have these hidden dangers in our gardens? Well, of course it is. Read More
Chinese Lantern
I thought the Chinese Lanterns should glow in the dark, just like the lightning bugs that flitted around them. I opened up the dried lantern and placed a glowing bug right inside. It was beautiful, and so I did it again, and again. Read More
Birds and Bears and the Beechnut Tree
The kids at school said there was a bear on my side of the mountain. They said it was on the Virginia side but they reckoned that the Virginians had run it clear across the mountain and now they just knew it was on my side. Read More
The 50 Cent Bald Cypress Seedling
One of the few trees that did not live in my childhood environment in southeast Kentucky was the bald cypress. Now isn't that a strange name for such a lovely tree? This is the story of a tiny seedling that I knew nothing about, one that was guaranteed not to grow here in the flatlands of western Kentucky. Read More
Broom: The Controversy
Writing about broom is like opening a hornet's nest. It is well liked in the east, and very much disliked in the west. But it has an interesting history, and therein lies this story. Read More
Elecampane for Horses
I spent several summers of my adult life searching for horseweed, only to find out now that I am as old as the hills I grew up in, horseweed is not its name at all. Read More
Carnivorous Sundew
I love unusual plants, and I like most insects. Read More
Black-eyed Susan
If you plant Black-eyed Susans beside your door, no ants will enter, but the butterflies.....oh, the butterflies, they will just come right on in. Read More
Dog Days of Summer
It creeps upon us when we least expect it. One week we are weeding and deadheading from morning till night, then suddenly we are gasping and sweat is pouring down our faces. Read More
Wallflowers
When I was growing up, I identified with the wallflower. It had a habit of clinging to walls and I had a habit of clinging to the sidelines of certain social events. Read More
