This will be brief, but I just wanted to apologize for my extended absence … that is, if anyone is still reading this! Summer sort of took hold and then next thing you know, it’s bulb-planting season. I promise to catch you up on what’s been happening in the garden, but in the meantime, I have very exciting news. The …
A few weeks ago I went on the local garden walk. A few of the gardens were very nice, but one in particular was a standout. This small garden was packed with lovely little spaces, just what I would want if I had a city garden. It was so charming, just like the roses over the arbor above. Who can …
The gardens outside the Grand Hotel dining room. They were filled with zinnias, marigolds, purple fountain grass, dahlias with the most enormous stems I’ve ever seen (must be the horse manure) and, of course, nasturiums. I really do. They have such pretty leaves and cheerful flowers. And since they are super easy to grow from seed they are CHEAP. I …
If anyone out there is still following this blog, first of all, I’m very sorry for the lack of posts lately. Second of all, I’m back! I have a lot of posts stored up in my brain so you’ll be getting some new stuff to read soon. I have some interesting updates on the status of the vegetable garden (I …
This is probably a subject more suitable for the folks over at Garden Rant but it came up in the paper today and I couldn’t believe it. Seems the folks over in Shorewood (a well-to-do suburb of Milwaukee) are fining people for what they are putting in their front yards. No veggies allowed, they say. Now I completely understand the …
I was only gone for a couple days sailing, but it seemed like last week’s hot weather really perked things up in the garden. Between that and the fresh mulch, things are looking good. It’s always nice to come back to the garden after you’ve been away a little while to get a fresh perspective on what’s happening. Here’s another …
Following is a letter to my future self. Dear Erin, How’s the garden growing this year? Did you finally put something in that spot right in front that you’ve been saving for something “really great”? Did you remember to spray the plants with the deer/bunny repellent BEFORE they started eating everything? The answer to those questions is probably no, but …
The Impatient Gardener blog was started in 2009 and its library of posts includes practical how-tos, plant guides, favorite garden gear, successes and failures and much more. If you’re looking for something specific, the search function at the top of the page can help.
I’m coming to the conclusion that public gardens may be among the most under appreciated spaces on the planet. That’s not to say that they are not appreciated, just that they are not appreciated enough. I’m delighted every time I go to a public garden and I always enjoy it more than I expected to. […]
I have written thousands of words on this blog about deer: plants deer avoid, ways to fend off deer attacks, homemade deer spray, complaining about deer. Lots of complaining about deer. And a lot of you reading this have deer issues too. I know because not only do you commiserate (particularly with the complaining), but […]
You have gifts to buy and I’m here to help. There’s a lot of gardening stuff out there geared toward gift giving and to be honest, a lot of it is not great. Quality matters and sometimes cute just doesn’t cut it. Gardeners are, generally speaking, a practical bunch, and most of the gardeners I […]
There are two possible explanations for what’s been going on outside here lately: Either the weather is completely off its rocker or I’ve forgotten what this time of year is like. After several decades of experiencing fall into winter in this particular part of the world you would have thought I’d have it down by […]
I suppose the answer to the question posed in the title starts with “What plant?” Sure, there are plants that are special (we all have favorite plant children whether we admit it or not) that many of us would go to some length to protect. But what about replaceable plants? There was a time where […]
This post is sponsored by 3-IN-ONE® Brand, but all opinions are my own. I also take full responsibility for any messy garages that may be featured. There’s nothing like an abrupt change in seasons to get yourself in gear. Just a week ago I was sitting back, enjoying a beautiful fall day and feeling pretty […]
I might whine about winter and therefore autumn, which is guilty by association, but last weekend we had one of those magical fall days. The sun was bright and warm, the sky was that deep sapphire blue you only see in the last quarter of the year and every bit of foliage seemed to be […]
Fall cleanup used to be more about making sure the tools were put away, the leaves were off the lawn and the pots were cleared out of the way to make sure they won’t get in the way of the snowblower. I’m not sure when it happened but somewhere along the line I started collecting […]
Whew. Life has been a whirlwind lately. Right around June life always starts getting busy. There’s the usual busy-ness of summer and I managed to add to that by having a group of master gardeners tour my garden in August. And just when I thought I’d get a breather, work got busy. Somehow here we […]
There are gardeners who eschew new plants, and although they may have some valid arguments (among them that they are hybridized to a point where they are no longer of use to pollinators and the species is just fine), I’ll never get sick of trying new plants in the garden. I enjoy the challenge of […]
The last day of summer came and went in the most depressing way possible: with an all-day downpour that kept me out of the garden. This summer-loving gardener is not pleased. It is my sincere hope that we have a lot more summerlike weather ahead because as usual, it feels like summer has absolutely flown […]
Everything was going fine until it rained. And rained. And rained. Our weather station temporarily went on the fritz last week when a night of lightning took out the power, but we got somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 inches of rain in about four days. That much rain at this time of year is […]
These are the onions I grew this year. I harvested them this weekend and they may be the single best argument for trying new things in the garden.I can’t give you poundage because I just pulled them and they are curing but I can assure you I’ve never grown more onions before. And here’s where […]
I can tell you the exact moment that summer started at my house: 12:27 p.m. September 2. You read that right. That is the moment that summer started. Reports of summer’s death have been greatly exaggerated. And in this house summer starts the moment that I take the first bite of BLT featuring a giant […]
