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To a gardener, the sound of rain on the roof brings complicated feelings
I remember when I would enjoy laying in bed listening to a rollicking summer storm. The rain pounding on the roof above my head, the rumble of thunder, the waves crashing on the nearby shore were all sounds I enjoyed listening to until they lulled me to sleep. Apparently my brain is now permanently in garden mode, because Sunday night ...
Dahlias are the stars of summer
It has been a great year for dahlias in my garden and after talking to several dahlia-loving friends, I’m counting myself very lucky. Few flowers bring me as much joy as dahlias, and I like them every which way: big and blousy, perky singles, pokey cactus types, perfect little balls. I want them all. What follows is mostly just a ...
Gearing up for fall gardening
Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I worked with Garrett Wade, which has some very cool garden tools, on this post. I was compensated for my time and provided samples to try out. As always, my words and thoughts are genuine and mine alone. I took a look at the extended weather forecast over the weekend ...
Hydrangea heaven: An ode to a great shrub
My appreciation for shrubs grows deeper every year as I appreciate the low-maintenance aspects of them and new, improved shrubs of all shapes and sizes are released every year. Hydrangeas are not unique. In fact they are so popular that even professional plants people will admit they get a little sick of them. But more than any other shrub I ...
Summer lovin’: The ultimate deck makeover
A quick note before we get into a makeover I’m really excited about: This post is a paid partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement, but you know how I roll on these things: You always get my honest opinion whether you want it or not! Here’s a typical summer for me: Part 1: Hurry, hurry, hurry. All this garden stuff has ...
Echoing color across the garden
Over the weekend I did something I should be doing much more often. I got out of bed early and, instead of lingering over multiple cups of coffee, I grabbed my camera to take a few pictures in the nice morning light. Whether you take photos to share, as a record of your garden or just for fun, looking at ...
The island of colorful gardens
There’s something special going on at a little island smack dab at the meeting point of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. I’ve never been to a place outside the tropics where a garden can be filled with every color and have it work like it does on Mackinac Island. The air there is clear, the skies seemingly always deep blue. ...
Plant vs. gardener: A battle of wills
Four years ago when I planted comfrey, I went into it with my eyes wide open. I knew that because comfrey grows very deep roots (like 15 or more feet deep), and because it grows very easily from root cuttings, that once I planted it, odds are, it would be in that spot forever. So, after selecting the Russian bocking ...
High summer inspiration at the Lurie Garden
Whenever I’m in Chicago I try to take a stroll through the Lurie Garden in downtown. I realize that the whole point of Piet Oudolf‘s iconic design is that looks great all the time, just in a different way (and in a way that sometimes redefines what looking great means for a garden), but it never fails to amaze me ...
What size plant to buy? An observation of shrubs
Do you ever wonder what size plant you should buy? Is that bigger plant really work twice the price of a smaller plant? I have no clear position on this. Years ago when I was first starting this garden I got very involved in a plant co-op that I purchased dozens (or maybe hundreds) of plant liners through. It allowed ...
Weekend finds
I’m writing this on Friday night because a Friday Finds never happened. I gardened after work until late—I’m determined to have every plant that’s in a pot in the ground by the end of the weekend—and waited for a big expected storm to come through to water it all. It’s amazing how efficient I am right before it rains. The ...
How to take a vacation from your garden
It’s that glorious time of year when most people are settled into summer and a lot of folks are heading out for vacations. I love a good summer vacation, maybe even more than those blessed jaunts to warmer places in the middle of winter (although those certainly do more for my mental health), but it’s hard for me to leave ...
How to select (and find) the right plants for your garden
The privacy screen garden I created at the end of the driveway a few weeks ago should have been an easy project from a plant selection standpoint. It was just four plants: an evergreen, a multi-stem tree, a shrub and a grass. It is, by far, the most restraint I’ve ever shown when planting a garden. It took Mr. Much ...
Friday Finds: Catching up with the garden
It’s been a bit since we’ve had a Friday Finds here, because there’s been so much going on in the garden. But I thought I’d dedicate this Friday Finds to all kinds of catching up. First off, I’ve been trying to get some videos up on the YouTube channel, although not as many as I’d like. Here are a few ...
The year’s containers
I waited a bit to show you what I did for containers at my house this year, partly because other gardening projects have been stealing attention, but also because all containers look a little better when they have chance to grow in just a bit. They are all now getting to the point where you can get a real idea ...
How to bust some rust in minutes
A quick note: This post is sponsored by 3-IN-ONE® Fast-Acting Penetrant, but you know I will always tell it like it is, so all words and opinions are entirely my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog. This time of year is full of big projects. Whipping the garden into shape, never-ending weeding and, if you’re like ...
Letters from the Garden
Letters from the Garden
