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poppy
Garden

Three ways to grow annual poppies

January 24, 2023

Gardeners are always looking for the best way to stack the deck in their favor and have the best success growing a plant. But sometimes, there are many ways  grow a plant well. Rather than… [Continue Reading]

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
25 Comments
Garden, Other

Practical gifts for real gardeners

December 13, 2022

I’m thinking about starting my holiday shopping soon. It appears that I’ve been having a bit too much fun planning for next gardening season and forgot about things like Christmas shopping. If you’re like me… [Continue Reading]

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
8 Comments
Garden

Don’t give hand pruners as a gift. Here’s why.

November 23, 2022

I have a long list of gifts that make excellent gifts for gardeners, but I have a short list of things that are poor gifts for gardeners. At the top of that list are hand… [Continue Reading]

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
7 Comments
Plants

New plants for 2023 to start dreaming about now

September 9, 2022

Thank you to Ball Horticultural for partnering with me on this post. As always, all words, opinions and plant preferences are my own.  I can’t help but feel a bit like a kid in Willy… [Continue Reading]

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
11 Comments
romaine seed tape
Edibles

Planting now for a quick fall harvest

September 1, 2022

Thanks to Park Seed for partnering with me on this post. As always, all words, thoughts and vegetable opinions are my own. There are gardeners who have spreadsheets and schedules that tell them exactly what… [Continue Reading]

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
12 Comments
tomato hornworm
Edibles, Garden

How to find and deal with tomato hornworms

August 9, 2022

I’m not much for nighttime gardening, preferring to spend such hours sitting on the deck watching the fireflies, but last week you would have found me in the vegetable garden peering under leaves with a… [Continue Reading]

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
8 Comments
easy wave petunias
Garden, Plants

The all-purpose annual that carries the garden

July 22, 2022

Thank you to Wave Petunias for partnering with me on this post.  I’m often asked a question that is perplexing to me: “Do you grow annuals or perennials?” I don’t fault the people asking the… [Continue Reading]

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
11 Comments
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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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E R I N 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
I had a rather unpleasant realization last night w I had a rather unpleasant realization last night when I remembered that I’d not yet ordered tomato seeds. And I’m not going to rectify that until I dig into my seed stash, because I don’t go through tomato seeds quickly so there are definitely some lurking down there. 

I never used to grow tomatoes from seed because there are great varieties to be had in garden centers (including many heirloom varieties). But it’s almost non-negotiable for me now that I’m a convert to dwarf tomatoes. If you’re not familiar with the #dwarftomatoproject championed by @nctomatoman and others, these are heirloom varieties that are crossed with dwarf varieties to create plant that produces all the flavor and interest of an heirloom in a short (usually less than 4 feet) plant. 

They are particularly great in my tall raised beds. Of course I leave room to try new non-dwarf varieties every year (I loved Sun Dipper from @panamseed last year and I’ll grow it again).

Last year was a good tomato year and the photo shows some of the varieties I harvested in one day. I hope this summer will be equally good for the tomato harvest. 

One of my favorite questions to ask gardeners is: What is your favorite tomato variety to grow? So have at it in the comments because inquiring minds want to know!
And this is why I leave my winter containers assem And this is why I leave my winter containers assembled until at least March. A dusting of snow gives them a whole new look (even if it’s shades of gray). Also, I think I love my Limelight hydrangea even more in winter. Fabulous winter interest!
I’m going to look for opportunities to add more I’m going to look for opportunities to add more ferns to my garden this year. They are such interesting plants and often real problem solvers, bringing texture and color to places that many plants aren’t interested in. Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ grows well for me in part shade (even pushing a bit into part sun) and looks great next to Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’.
Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled o Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled on) foliage, and texture galore. I can’t wait to have moments like this again. The star, by the way is Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ which looks so good with the bold foliage of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ next to it. 

With the new path, this area will be getting a small revamp. It’s the next spot I’ll be focusing my planning on.
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