As gardeners, we often need valuable information about our plants, the weather and pests. Many of us have become reliant on the quick access we have to garden information on the Internet. You can look up any topic you want and get an array of ideas. But what if you didn’t have that information readily available? And can you always trust everything you read on the Internet? Despite the easeRead More →
Recently, I visited a friend’s garden and was smitten by her ‘Cozy Flower Corner’. She had created a lovely relaxing area that contained abundant flowers. The amazing thing about this spot was most of the flowers were growing in pots and other creative containers. I grow lots of flowers in my garden beds, cutting garden and in containers. But I have never considered creating an area in my garden thatRead More →
For many years, I thought it was too much effort to grow and save dahlia tubers. There are so many chores to complete as fall sets in. Digging up dahlias each year didn’t sound like a good use of my time. And figuring out how to dig and store dahlias was intimidating. But that was before I became addicted to dahlias. Little did I know how rewarding it would beRead More →
When it comes to flowers, more is better! Take a walk through your garden. Do you see areas that could use more blooms? Are there spots that look a little bare or sparse? You can easily fill these holes in your landscape if you increased the number of plants you’re growing. The biggest problem with increasing flowering plants is the cost. The price of nursery stock has jumped this year.Read More →
Every morning, I take a stroll around my newly planted garden areas. The seedlings are coming up and the dahlias have broken ground. It’s so exciting to see all the new growth. While my plants are growing slowly, all around them is a massive amount of very determined plants that have sprung up. Some of these plants are weeds and some are overachievers in the garden. What is an overachieverRead More →
Here’s a gardener’s nightmare… you purchase your beautiful flower seeds for the growing season. In the spring, you plant those seeds in the ground. And then you wait for the first little sprouts to pop up. You wait. And you wait. And you wait some more. Eventually, you realize nothing is going to grow. Why did your brand new seeds fail? Maybe the seeds needed a period of cold inRead More →
It’s the height of summer and the cutting garden is blooming like crazy. You go to grab a vase for your latest bouquet and you can’t find any empty containers. You’ve already filled them or given them away to your neighbors. Short of running to the store to buy a new vase, what can you do? Fortunately, there are lots of possibilities for vases when creating a summer bouquet. LookRead More →
As I walk through my garden, I’m amazed at all the flying creatures moving about. Birds, bees, butterflies, and moths make their way to the flowers and plants growing around the garden. The garden is like a giant smorgasbord for these creatures. Growing a diverse garden of plants provides a lovely display for you, but a feast for these wonderful pollinators. As many of us know, pollination is vital toRead More →
For years I walked away from the section in the garden center where they were selling dahlia tubers. Yes, the flowers looked pretty. The colors were varied and the tubers seemed easy to plant. But, I shied away from having to dig the tubers up each fall if I wanted to continue to grow the flowers. It seemed like so much work. I didn’t have any place to store themRead More →
Snow is falling. The wind is blowing outside. And the temperature is cold enough to freeze the water in your dog’s bowl. It’s too miserable to be outside. Now is the perfect time to curl up with an inspiring book. A great garden book can inspire you in so many ways. It can help you get started learning a new skill. Or motivate you to add in new garden features.Read More →