Anyone in tune with popular media has heard that bee populations are dieing out and have been in decline for several years. In my own very diverse garden I’ve noticed a huge decline in honeybees. I use no pesticides, and I provide a diverse array of food sources for all bees. Still, this year my [...]
I planted one last clove of garlic today. I was rummaging through my eating garlic drawer and happened upon a last clove of elephant garlic a friend had given me from her garden this summer. Is it organic? I dunno. Will it produce here? Again, dunno.
But, I had one last large-ish container filled with potting [...]
One of my favorite blogs to read is Garden Rant. A few weeks ago a few of us got into a discussion about how to keep the winter blues away. I mentioned that preserving lemon verbena and enjoying its sunny, sunshine taste through winter was a way that helps me. Adding a splash of vodka [...]
Fall is definitely here. My neighbor’s northfacing rooftop is covered with a light frost this morning, and there’s a moist chill in the air despite the crisp sunshine brightening the abundant autumn golds and reds. The race is now on to get the last of the summer veggies out of the garden and into storage [...]
Last month I was asked to submit to a horticultural trade magazine some photos of a favorite fall container planting. Sure, this is a tough choice. There are so many combinations to choose from and build going into the fall. I ended up submitting a container filled with edible plants that add interest and food [...]
September is the season of harvest. Today is the date of our harvest moon. It’s hard to believe summer is nearly gone, but so it is. A week from today is the autumnal equinox! During the harvest season I find myself sharing my garden coaching skills with neighbors. In return, I have the pleasure of [...]
Recently, there’s been a local story about a school district trying to recoop owed lunch money fees by throwing out food. Okay, so that’s over generalizing, but really? Throwing out food to try to get paid? Seems petty and that’s probably part of the reason there’s been such an uproar. Kids are always being told, [...]
A mistake many gardeners make is planting too close or putting tall plants in front of short plants. Its easy to get confused when you purchase plants that are all about the same size. If you don’t realize that plant A will eventually exceed plant B’s size, you might just put the big one in [...]
Recently my pre-teen niece came to visit. She’s always been a picky eater, and as she approaches her teen years she’s at least tasting some new things. She never likes the new things, but at least she’s giving into my pleas to, “Come on…just one little bite. You don’t have to eat it if you [...]
Often I am asked to include an herb garden into my landscape designs, and recently a fellow blogger told me she had started an herb garden and was interested in some ideas about gardening with herbs. So….here are some starting thoughts.
Every garden should include herbs!
That’s my initial reaction. I honestly don’t know if there is [...]
