It was 17 years ago in early June when I wrote a column entitled “Are you cranky too?”. It started out like this: “WARNING: Nothing in this week’s column is of horticultural value. The reason is because I am in a totally cranky mood. You might be feeling the same too…
Compost, It's What Makes Our Gardens Survive Extreme Weather
Recently I had one of my readers reach out to me and inquire about how all the weather extremes of 2021 might impact our gardening experiences in 2022. It is a good question that is worth exploring, especially since I suspect this won’t be the last time we see such extremes in temperature, rainfall, and snow. Here are some of my thoughts…
During the months of May and June one of the all-time favorite plants of local gardeners, the peony, is bursting into bloom. There are many excellent peonies available to utilize in our landscapes; including herbaceous cottage types in all sorts of colors (and varying fragrances) and larger growing tree peonies too. I would never scold anyone for growing either of these types (since I do as well), but I want to bring attention to another fabulous peony option… what is known as the intersectional or Itoh Peony.