Old Hydrangea Problem
In the olden days hydrangeas were an iffy plant at best. This was because they only bloomed on old wood, so if you had a sudden spring frost or a particularly cold winter that killed the previous years growth you’d have a nice mound of foliage, but no blooms.
New Endless Summer Varieties
Kiss those blossomless days goodbye. The introduction of the new Endless Summer hydrangeas means that, even in places where they grow but rarely bloom, you’ll be graced [...]
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A couple years ago I started a large perennial border garden across the front of our property. I only got a small portion of it tilled and planted and that is a hodgepodge of a bunch of plants I had that needed homes immediately, if not sooner.
Reclaiming Garden Space
A portion of last years garden.
This weekend I’m going to roll out the plastic and re-kill the grass that has retaken the rest of the garden. I’m going to get the [...]
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So, I’m looking at the overall success of my gardens this year, and there were some definite winners and losers.
Carnation ‘Chabaud’ did great this year. It was worth the wait!
A Look At The Winners
Last year I started a seed packet of carnation ‘Chabaud Mix’ and ended up with 36 plants. I planted them in the garden last fall and quite a few of them made it through the first winter. These guys produced an abundance of frangrant flowers up [...]
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Actually right now, it’s more in the eyes. All around me I’m seeing the subtle and not so subtle signs that fall is approaching. Driving into town yesterday I noticed that the goldenrod is now towering above the other wildflowers and is just about to burst into bloom, so are the wild asters.
The small helianthus that announce the end of summer are in full bloom in huge patches. It’s like many small pieces of the sun have been dropped here [...]
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I lined my whole front garden with volunteers from this cute flower. They self seed voraciously, but not invasively.
Now that September has hit and the growing season is slowing down, I like to take the time to review the past year and see what is my favorite vegetable and flower; what did well or not; what I’ll repeat and what I’ll discard.
My Vegetable Pick Of The Year
This year’s vegetable of the year is the tromboncino squash. I’ve been looking [...]
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First hydrangea blossoms opening right now.
Perfect Weather
This last week has been fantastic. The weather is warm enough to work outside and the humidity is still low. The gardens are bursting into bloom. I have snapdragons, carnations, dianthus, pansies, and petunias already in bloom. The hydrangeas first blossoms opened yesterday. My lilies have buds all over them.
Cornucopia In The Making
The trees have leafed out. The berry bushes are making berries. The grapes have buds on them. Best of all one [...]
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Is this salvia or sage for you?
Trial By Fire
A number of years ago I had the privilege of working at a garden center. I ended up being the buyer for all the perennials, herbs, and frequently the annuals. I was so excited. I was going to be able to make my living being surrounded by plants, what could be better. I received my first order and scanned the form. My heart hit bottom, everything on the list looked like [...]
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Right now many of us gardeners are champing at the bit to get back out in the garden. If there is a warm moment, and the ground is clear of snow, we may find ourselves pacing back and forth in front of areas we know contain crocus, daffodil, and tulip bulbs, looking for signs of growth. There are other plants that bloom in very early spring, that you may want to consider including in your landscape.
Everyone knows about Pussy Willows [...]
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What little girl could resist growing a Beauty Bush.
Today is my birthday. So, I thought I’d take time to write about what gardening means to me, why I’m such an avid gardener.
In all honesty I think I’m an avid gardener because my mother was, also. She loved to be outside planting things and started me off at a very early age. I remember helping plant pansies at around the age of five.
Not too long after that, maybe a year [...]
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Shade patterns change throughout the year. Keep a log for successful planting.
Maybe you’ve got it on you resolution list to finally do something with the yard. You’ve got some ideas, but aren’t sure exactly which plants will work well for each garden.
The first thing you need to do is know the lay of your land. Which way is north, south, east, and west? How does the house line up with these directions? Where are large trees or shrubs located [...]
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