When Mr. Much More Patient proposed to me, the ring came in a perfectly wrapped box (done at the jewelry store) that sat flat on the table. After we got through the whole “Yes!” bit, I went back and examined that wrapping, which was done without tape, just a perfectly cut square of paper and that beautiful red ribbon. I ...
I can procrastinate with the best of them, but we are really at the last minute for gift shopping if you plan to order anything. This is where that Amazon Prime membership really comes in handy. If you don’t have a Prime membership now is certainly the time to get on that. There’s a link at the bottom for a ...
It’s weird to have Christmas on a weekend. I love it from a work standpoint (taking off in the middle of the week and having to come back is a drag), but from an organizational standpoint it feels odd. Like there is a lot of Christmas stuff I still want and need to do and given the date, I feel ...
There is no Christmas tree in my house. That, of course, was not the plan. The plan was to be ahead of the game this year, but once again it’s the last minute and nothing is done. I’m tempted to just skip the tree at this point, but we did that last year and I feel like skipping a tree ...
I got a lot of questions recently about how I constructed my holiday containers and window box so I thought I’d share a quick tutorial. I can’t say that I invented this method, but I’ve gotten pretty close to perfecting it after several years of tinkering with it. The inspiration for it came from the professionals, mostly Deborah Silver. Just a ...
Call me a traditionalist, but I love giving and receiving books for Christmas. Especially now, when real live books (the kind with pages) seem to be a novelty with some folks. I enjoy having a library of gardening reference books in my home, and I refer to them often. Here are some picks for books that the gardener in your ...
I had a lot of questions about my winter window box so I’ll share a little tutorial (more of a tips and tricks because the how isn’t as important as the way you get there). While I was doing the window box last weekend I realized that I use a lot of plastic cable ties in the construction of just ...
The Impatient Gardener blog was started in 2009 and its library of posts includes practical how-tos, plant guides, favorite garden gear, successes and failures and much more. If you’re looking for something specific, the search function at the top of the page can help.
The temperature hovered in the 40s here this weekend but the sun was shining and it was a glorious two days in the garden.It was one of those weekends when there were a billion different things I could have done outside. Which means I was able to happily jump around from project to project, just […]
I’m sorry the posting has been a bit sporadic lately. Although a deadline a work certainly has much to do with that, I’ve also been spending some blog time working on a redesign. It’s almost finished and I hope to launch it soon so don’t be alarmed if you visit The Impatient Gardener soon and […]
Over the weekend I went to the lumber yard. I guess that’s what you’d call it anyway. It was a place that specialized in hardwood.You may be wondering why a person like myself, who has been known to paint every bit of wood she sees, would be at a lumber yard, much less one that […]
The vanity that is. I did this several weeks ago, actually, but forgot to tell you about it.It is now Hale Navy (satin finish) and I’m finally satisfied. You may recall that I originally painted it Hudson Bay (satin), but felt like it was too slate blueish and just dull. Hudson Bay (sanded) on the […]
I don’t think it’s any secret that there is a lack of quality gardening television shows available in the U.S. There are some, of course, and two that come to mind are The Victory Garden and P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, both on PBS. Although I have the DVR programmed to record every one of […]
The declaration in the headline might be more optimistic than realistic, but I thought it would be appropriate to mark the first full day of spring with some shots of spring bulbs in full bloom, even it will be several weeks before such a thing happens in my area. When I did the garden design […]
Several years ago, my gardening life was changed. I discovered the hori hori aka soil knife. Instead of carrying around various trowels, pruners and weed extractors, I could garden with one tool. Hori horis pretty much do it all. They cut open bags of mulch or pieces of twine. They dig out weeds, they create […]
I love gates in gardens. The sense of enclosure that they bring is so charming. I love gates that give you just a peek of what lies beyond or ones that frame a view perfectly. Here are some great garden gates. Traditional Entry by San Francisco Landscape Architects & Designers Suzman Design Associates Traditional Landscape […]
Remember when I bought this dresser? Oh, you don’t? Well that’s probably because I did that at least three years ago. I bought it because it was just sitting there in the thrift store and it looked so cool that I bought it. Without any plan for it. You will be happy to know that […]
Like pretty much everyone, I’m anxiously waiting for spring to show up. But a girl can only paint so much stuff in her house before the paint fumes take over and you have to give in to the pent-up gardening urge. So, over the past couple weeks, I’ve been redesigning the back yard. First of […]
For this week’s Feature Friday I wanted a more “normal” garden. That is, something approachable for the average gardener. The last couple weeks I’ve featured gardens that approach the dream category, but this one feels very real to me (even if the house suggests they probably hire a gardener to maintain it). I like that [&he
Don’t forget, dear readers, that late winter is the best time to prune many shrubs (but not anything that blooms in spring). I can’t wait to do a bit of pruning for health, shape and size in my yard. First off, that is not a black and white photo. Isn’t that sad? The whole world […]
I can think of nothing that makes Mr. Much More Patient happier than when I declutter something. Even if he took a rather active role in the original cluttering. He actually congratulates me when I fill up garbage cans or have him load up boxes to be taken to Goodwill. So when it came to […]
There aren’t a lot of garden designers who people know by name. There are even fewer who people who don’t garden know by name. Arne Maynard is one of them. Thanks to articles in Vogue, Town and Country, Elle Decor, the New York Times and many others, Maynard is known to a lot of non-gardeners […]
