Choices in the Home Orchard - Part One

Choices in the Home Orchard - Part One

A huge trend in gardening over the last decade or so has been cultivating your very own homegrown fruit.  The pandemic intensified this practice, and it seemingly continues to become more and more popular for our patrons at Sunnyside, season after season.  While most all endeavors in the garden are gratifying to me, there is something extra special about growing your own edibles, including fruit.  Whether you are adding to an existing garden or starting anew, some planning and a few points to ponder will help you to grow fruit successfully…

Overcome the “Dead of Winter” in your Garden

Overcome the “Dead of Winter” in your Garden

As we enter another year, I am excited to see what 2024 brings for all of us gardeners.  New plant flavors to salivate over, new tools to make our lives easier, and new practices to learn and implement in our landscapes.  The cycle in the garden starts once again, often acting as…

We're Over The Hump

We're Over The Hump

December 21st is what we officially refer to as the Winter Solstice.  This day has the ignominious distinction of being the shortest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere).  Of course, while every day is essentially the same length (24 hours the last time I checked) the 21st has…

50 Shade Of Yellow - The Sequel

50 Shade Of Yellow - The Sequel

It should be no surprise that in the last few weeks of the year I would take one more opportunity to promote the allure and value of golden foliaged plants.  As we move into the dark months of the year, these beacons of light become absolutely essential in keeping our interest in the garden.  This hit home for me the other day as I…

50 Shades Of Brown

50 Shades Of Brown

First off, my apologizes to writer E.L. James for riffing on his popular novel title “50 Shades of Grey”.  I rather doubt that my comments here will ever make it to the big screen.  Just the same, the month of December in my garden is a pretty steamy mix of tan, brown, or black (and all the shades in between) emanating from foliage, seed heads, and bark, and frankly, I find it pretty stimulating…

Daylight Saving Time — Can we please just make up our minds?

Daylight Saving Time — Can we please just make up our minds?

It was 20 years ago in the spring that I wrote my first diatribe about the ill effects of daylight-saving time and how, while I love being on daylight-saving time, it is the change that gives me so much grief.  The same can be said for the fall when we go back onto standard time.  I don’t know how you feel about all of this, but I still feel the same as I did 20 years ago and for me the…