I pulled out the fall planting of the window box (which wasn’t looking all that bad other than the mums which were DOA) and wintered it up on Saturday. And just in time, I guess, since I didn’t even get a chance to snap a picture until Sunday when it was covered in snow. It’s not exactly gorgeous, but it ...
You remember gardeners, right? They are the people who play in the dirt. You know, like I did before the house project sucked me up? Well, let me tell you, I intend to make up for my decreased amount of gardening this year 10-fold in 2011. I can’t wait to spend part of the winter planning some new landscaping. But ...
We had pretty typical Wisconsin November weather this year. Several days of temperatures in the 60s followed by two in the 30s. Rain, a snow flurry or two, a little bit of sleet and the occasional dose of sunshine. But it’s December and when Sunday’s weather was in the upper 40s, I thought I better make the most of it ...
Last week I wrote about my favorite new plants of the summer. Here are a few that earned honorable mentions a couple that were just plain disappointments. Raspberry Blast with Gold Dust and Snow Princess on the front steps. Narrowly missing the “best of” list was Petunia Raspberry Blast. I never really liked this petunia much in the past. It ...
I tried several new-to-me plants this summer and found several real winners in the bunch. These are the plants I’ll find a way to incorporate into the garden next year. 5. Royale Chambray Superbena – I don’t have a photo of this from my own garden because I used it in the window box and it got a little crowded ...
There was a good chance we were going to get our first frost Sunday night and a quick scan of the veggie garden told me that I had a ton of basil still in great shape (it was the best basil harvest I’ve ever had). A pile of basil that couldn’t be allowed to go to waste. I’m a bit ...
When even the plants are dirty. My Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’, Heuchera ‘Blackout’, and new witch hazel all got a heavy coating of dust when the masons were out fixing the chimney. Guess I’ll have to wash my gardens this weekend since rain isn’t predicted for awhile.
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The new vegetable garden—I’m calling it a parterre although I think that may be stretching the definition just a bit—has existed in my head for a few years and been knocked around on paper for a few months. And soon it will be a reality. The goal is to expand my growing area so I […]
I’ve now gardened in the same place long enough that there are few new places to make a garden. Something usually has to go to make way for something new. And so it is with our main raised vegetable garden, the removal of which makes me both very excited for what’s to come and just […]
I’ve heard that you should plant peas on St. Patrick’s Day. If I were to do that it would require a chisel and blow torch to get through the soil, which currently resembles an ice cube. In fact next week I’ll show two actual soil ice cubes. But that’s a long story and one best […]
I’ve learned a lot about gardening through the years. Looking back at some of the things I did when I started gardening at this house I see where I might do things differently now. (I don’t like to think of too many things I did back then as mistakes because I just didn’t know better […]
Hakonechloa is one of those plants that just catches your eye. I know because it is the plant I’m most frequently asked to identify in my garden whenever I post photos that include it. It’s also a plant I would hate to be without. Hakonechloa (aka Japanese forest grass) has the distinction of being one […]
Hey gang! This post is sponsored by 3-IN-ONE® Multi-Purpose Oil and Lava® Soap, but you know I will always tell it like it is, so all words and opinions are entirely my own. This post may also include affiliate links. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog. A few years ago I made […]
It’s a difficult time of year for this gardener. Social media is full of the first signs of spring for gardeners living in other areas, but the closest we’ve come to that is a lot of rain. I lamented this in a post recently and need to take my own advice: Be patient. But I’ll […]
It is always fun to check out new plants coming on the market. It’s not that new plants are necessarily better than old plants (although those bred to address downfalls certainly can be), but it’s just fun to see what is new and different. Here are some new plants I’m most excited to see this […]
This moment—right now—is when gardeners start to get really restless, particularly those of us in the northern part of the country. Our gardening brethren in warmer zones are reporting sightings of Galanthus (aka snowdrops), hellebores and crocus, and they are starting seeds indoors. But for many of us it is just too soon. Almost anything [&hel
For many years we had our driveway plowed. Mostly it was great: The neighbor who did the plowing always did ours first because he knew we had to get to work early, it was cleared quickly and we didn’t have to do anything. Well, anything other than pay for it, obviously. Most winters our plowing […]
The grocery store closest to our house and my office is closing in the next week or so. The shelves are mostly bare, and what’s left is deeply discounted. It will leave the city I grew up in (population 12,000) without a grocery store until at least the end of summer when a new store […]
Climbing hydrangea is misunderstood. It has a reputation as a temperamental thug, one that takes too long to grow and then grows too much when it does. But have faith friends, Hydrangea anomala petiolaris is a victim of hasty judgement. It is true that it can take a bit to get going—three to five years […]
I always wonder how weeks in the middle of winter still manage to get away from me once in a while. The mental countdown to gardening season has begun, but usually this is the time of year when time seems to pass slowly. Not this week. A death in the family (expected) and deadlines at […]
Few plants pack as much punch in to a flower as dahlias do. Colorful, free blooming and often structurally interesting, just about the only thing that dahlias lack is scent. And the secret is out. In recent years dahlias have surged in popularity, which is good for gardeners because never before has it been so […]
