A lot happens behind the scenes in a garden center in the month of January. Most of it isn’t very glamorous and frankly is just plain hard work. The weather is always cold and usually wet, sometimes even snowy. And yet, the arrival and planting of bare root roses is one of those activities that is probably the most looked forward to for garden center employees - a rite of passage some would say…
It may feel like the dead of winter, but the garden is wide awake
I have been rather neglectful lately. What with all the rain and holiday activities, I haven’t taken much time to walk around my garden. From a distance it looks like it is in a deep sleep and nothing of any significance is going on, but with closer inspection it is anything but snoozing. I took a little tour this week and much to my surprise I found lots of activity. You should do the same, for it will surely lift your spirits. Here are some of my discoveries…
My Final Words Of Wisdom For The Year
As we wind down the final days of the 2018 gardening season I find myself struggling to find something to say that will seem profound and lasting. In light of all the political and worldly trauma, the suffering and hunger and homelessness and generally disgusting things that mankind continues to do to one another, talking about the garden seems so trite. And yet, for me (and I suspect many of you), spending time in the garden is what keeps me sane…
More Great Gift Ideas
A Few Gift Ideas For The Gardener In Your Life
Let’s take a break this week from the endless garden chores I am constantly throwing out at you and look at a few cool gift ideas. This is, after all, the season of giving, so whether you are looking for something for your favorite gardener or just for yourself, here are a few things to think about…
Wreath Making - yet another way to enjoy our gardens
Fantastic Fatsias
Customers that visit my garden will invariably ask me if I have a favorite plant and my standard (and somewhat flippant) reply is: “They are all my favorites or I wouldn’t have planted them in the first place”. In reality, what qualifies as my favorite depends on the time of year - whether it is sun or shade, wet or dry, annual, perennial, shrub, tree, or bulb. In other words, I have lots of “favorite” plants for lots of locations in my garden and at some time during the year each plant in my garden becomes my favorite for that brief period of time. It just so happens that at this exact time of year my favorite plant(s) are my Fatsias. Let me tell you all about them…
Being Thankful
Fall Pruning & Other Timely Chores
Leaves - To Leave Or Not To Leave, That Is The Question
Fall and leaves are fairly synonymous terms in my book. It is pretty darn hard to talk about fall without blathering on about all the fabulous colors of leaves and how they set the tone and mood for the season. The yellows of poplars, the reds of maples, the multi-colors of Sweetgums and the oranges of spiraeas all combine to give us a great deal of pleasure this time of year. But once the leaves are off the trees and on the ground the battle begins. What to do with the leaves has been a gardener’s dilemma forever…
I had some fun last week describing a few plants that fill our summer breezes with fragrance. In all honestly, I was going to…