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FRIDAY FINDS: CELEBRITY GARDENS EDITION
I don’t want to talk about how it’s almost the middle of August, or how the back-to-school ads are incredibly annoying to me (not because I have any stake in anyone going to back to school, but such ads signal a certain time of year). Instead I’d rather revel in the fact that last night for dinner I ate a ...
AN UNWELCOME VISITOR
For years I’ve read horror story about Japanese beetles invading gardens. I’d even talked to local gardeners who have been plagued by the irridescent buggers. But until this year I’d never even laid eyes on one. I read an article that suggested that our springs are too cold here (and particularly at my house near Lake Michigan) for them to ...
THIS VINE IS NO THUG (NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY)
Vines can be misunderstood members of the plant world. We want them to grow quickly but not too quickly. We want them to grow in places where nothing else will grow, except there’s usually a really good reason nothing else will grow there. We want them to boldy grow up structures but to respect those structures. In other words, gardeners ...
FRIDAY FINDS
Even if I don’t always get to them, I still love a good Friday Finds post. First though, you will look at the very arty photo I took on a walk the other day. I believe I took this approximately five minutes before the dog got giant hogweed sap on his back which has led to a very ugly and ...
SURPRISES IN THE GARDEN
A few years ago I gave up even pretending that I would remember where I planted something or what I planted in a specific spot if I didn’t use a plant marker. For years before that I insisted I would remember but either age or experience has taught me to give up even dreaming these things will stick in my ...
TAMING THE JUNGLE: HOW A GARDEN FARES ON ITS OWN
On Monday I shared with you a few photos of what my garden looked like before I left for 10 days. I mentioned that I did my best to cut as many flowers as I could so the plants would keep producing flowers without needing deadheading while I was gone. By and large that was a worthwhile effort. Lots of ...
GETTING THE GARDEN VACATION READY
So I’m alive. I feel like I should probably clarify that since I just totally disappeared on you. Once again I got behind on things before I headed out of town to go sailing and then the posts I had scheduled to go up didn’t and well, I figured you’d all hang in there and wait for me. I snapped ...
THE VALUE OF SEEING YOUR GARDEN THROUGH SOMEONE ELSE’S EYES
I’ve extolled the virtues of garden tours many times here. I believe there is nothing more inspiring than experiencing a garden other than your own. It’s hard for me to think of a time I’ve toured a garden and not left with a design idea I would like to incorporate into my garden or a plant I absolutely had to ...
PRODUCT REVIEW: A MACHINE TO MAKE GORGEOUS COMPOST AND FREE MULCH
One of my favorite movies is “Fargo.” The relevance of this will soon become clear. I am alternately fascinated by and intimidated by large machinery. I go into using it afraid that I’m either going to break it or myself, but as soon as I start using it, I’m hooked. And that’s about how it went with the Troy-Bilt CS4235 ...
FRIDAY CHEERFULNESS
I’ve tried a few times today to come up with a Friday Finds post, but it feels a little shallow to share links to a bunch of stuff that doesn’t matter a bunch when a lot of people are sad and hurt and angry. So I leave you this Friday with the cheeriest picture I could find: red nasturtiums. Happiness ...
ONE-EYED GARDEN
I have a good reason for coming back to the blog rather slowly after the holiday weekend: I’m down to one eye. Somehow I went on a sailboat race Friday night and before the race was over midday Saturday I had brewed up a cornea ulcer which my very nice eye doctor saw me for on Sunday when the clinic ...
FRIDAY FINDS
I should not be surprised because this happens every year: Blink and it’s Fourth of July. How we got halfway through 2016 and to what we consider the mid-point of summer, I have no idea, but here we are. Summer can slow down already. The floribunda rose I’ve been growing in a pot for a few years is looking so ...
LET THOSE HOSTAS SEE THE LIGHT
I have never been great at following rules. I’m not saying I’m a great rebel, but there has always been a part of me that wants to do the opposite of what I’m told to do just because. Perhaps this is why I don’t always follow conventional garden wisdom. It certainly sounds better to frame it that way than to ...
THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE (aka A REVIEW OF A VERY COOL HANDHELD BLOWER)
If you’ve read my power tool reviews before, you’ve probably picked up on a trend: I like power but I like it when it comes easy. What I’m about to say makes me sound like a pathetic girl, but I hate pull starts. I’ll use them when I have to, but I feel like my arms aren’t long enough to ...
FRIDAY FINDS + A HOE WINNER
Happy Friday, dear readers! It is a glorious summer day and a great weekend is forecast so let’s not waste any time and get to the good stuff happening on the Internet this week. Summer is here: the roses are starting to bloom! How much do interior designers charge? I’m sure this varies a ton by location and other factors ...
BAD GARDENER CONFESSIONS: WONKY WATERING
It is stacking up to be one of those summers where it feels like the hose is another bodily appendage. Already we’ve had periods of heavy rain followed but long stretches of windy, hot weather that dries out the ground quickly. It’s been years since we’ve had a summer where I never wanted to see the hose again and it’s ...
Letters from the Garden
Letters from the Garden
