The crazy pace of summer in the garden is finally slowing down. The weather has cooled a bit but the mornings and evenings are still enjoyable. Flower beds and containers are overflowing. Vegetables and herbs are abundant. While there’s plenty of harvesting yet to do, there’s more time to relax. So it’s finally time to refresh my outdoor living spaces. For most of the summer, I decorated my porch withRead More →
There was a time when metal containers ruled the day. Every kitchen had a metal bread box or a set of coffee and tea canisters. Often people bought entire sets of these containers so their kitchens matched. Some metal containers were decorated with colorful fruits, like cherries. Others had basket-weave or gingham patterns. These containers came in a variety of shapes and sizes. And they often had a specific purpose.Read 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 →
When my kids were little, they would try to eat rhubarb stalks like celery. One bite of those tart stalks told them they had made a mistake. Rhubarb is best when you cook it with something sweet to balance out that oh-so-tart-taste. Mixing it with fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries, is a perfect combination. Recently, I was looking for something to bake for a breakfast treat and cameRead More →
Do you have a junk drawer in your kitchen? You know, the one that’s difficult to open because it’s so full. And it’s even more difficult to find anything in it. Every time you think about cleaning out that drawer, you take one look at it and slam it shut… a project for another day. You keep putting off the job because it just seems soooo overwhelming. Junk drawers areRead More →
When I first began to garden, I didn’t have a good understanding of all the tasks that needed to be accomplished in the garden. I didn’t keep track of anything I was doing. So each year as I planted my flowers and produce, I would make the same mistakes over and over. I would over-plant some things, while not planting enough of others… too much zucchini and not enough basil.Read More →
Last year, we created No Dig Beds in a grassy area of our backyard. I had high hopes for all that we could grow in these new beds, and I wasn’t disappointed. My husband went along with my plan, but I think he was a little sceptical that we could create new beds so easily. There was some groundwork that went into creating the beds, but the No Dig methodRead More →
I absolutely love the last week of the year. It’s like one final gift of the holiday season. Here are some reasons to enjoy this week. The hustle of Christmas is over and there’s time to slow down. You can relax in your completely decorated home with no more lights to hang, no more shopping to do or errands to run. You’ve finished the baking and making activities. Ahhh, it’sRead More →
Each garden season, I like to save flower, herb, and vegetable seeds from my garden. I do this for two main reasons. First, I enjoy harvesting the seeds I’ve grown. It’s so rewarding to grow your own plants from seeds and save them again for next year. Second, when you save seeds, you know what you’re going to get when you grow that plant. You know the size of theRead 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 →