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A WEEKEND IN THE GARDEN: IT’LL CURE WHAT AILS YOU
After one of the more challenging weeks of my working career, I was absolutely spent going into the weekend. I desperately needed to just stop thinking about everything for awhile. Thank goodness Mother Nature cooperated and presented two nearly perfect spring days for me to get lost in the garden. And that’s exactly what I did, getting caught up on ...
FRIDAY FINDS
New House New Home photo Heather is looking back at springs past. I will absolutely be making these cocktails this spring. Would you ever paint your house black? Look how cute this one is. I do love dahlias and I’m not the only one. I will be potting up dozens of them this weekend to give them a head start ...
HOW TO BUILD A GARAGE PERGOLA
I’ve never been known to whip through projects quickly, but adding a pergola to our garage certainly took longer than most. Although I first mentioned adding a pergola (among other changes) on the blog way back in October 2013, we didn’t start actually building it until last fall. We used this article from This Old House for reference, but for ...
FRIDAY FINDS
If you’re hear to read about the garage pergola (like I promised you would in this space last Friday), I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy week at work and it just didn’t happen. But it will. Next week. I promise. We’re hosting Easter at our house. I like having Easter because it’s a low-pressure holiday. (Edited: Previously I launched into ...
SOIL TEST RESULTS ARE IN. DID I PASS?
The results of the soil tests of the skinny bed next to the house and what I call the main garden just off the patio came were not what I would call earth-shattering, but ironically the one thing I thought I knew is probably what I was most wrong about. One of the reasons I wanted to test the skinny garden ...
SMITTEN WITH SOUTHERN CHARM
What are the components of a great trip? Great people, a beautiful garden, amazing food and an exciting and completely charming city are good places to start. Throw in some power tools and you’ve got a fantastic experience and one that I was fortunate to have earlier this month when I ventured to Charleston, South Carolina, to be with the ...
A PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK
It’s Friday Finds time, but unfortunately it has been a busy week and I’ve not had much time to spend on the Interwebs. So rather than send you in the direction of some great things to read, I’m going to tease up a few posts I’m working on for next week because there are some goodies. A glimpse at a ...
How to start seeds in soil blocks
I’m starting most of my seeds a new way this year and I’m absolutely loving it. Last fall I invested in a soil blocker and I’ve been using it for all but the largest seeds I’ve sown this year. The concept of a soil blocker is that you grow seedlings potless, which restricts root growth by “air pruning” ...
STOP! BEFORE YOU TOUCH THE GARDEN, DO THIS
Before you add anything to your soil or plant anything in your garden this year, answer one question: When was the last time you had a soil analysis done? Five years ago? Ten? Never? Soil analysis tests are an investment—usually $10 to $15—but I can almost guarantee that you will recoup that money several times over by not adding things ...
THE ONE VEGETABLE YOU MUST GROW THIS YEAR
I know that a lot of gardeners don’t necessarily care to get into vegetable gardening. I know that because until about seven years ago, I was one of them. And while I think that vegetable gardening can be one of the most satisfying things a human being can do, I also get that it’s not for everyone so I won’t ...
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW
I don’t do a lot of partnerships with companies, but I’ve recently entered into one. Because this is a departure for the blog, I thought the best way to deal with it is to tell you what it is, what it isn’t and what it means for The Impatient Gardener. Over the last seven years, I’ve been approached by a ...
GARDENERS, KNOW THY ENEMY (aka THE GARDENING SIN CONFESSIONAL IS OPEN)
Not too long ago I offered absolution of garden shopping sins and many of you took me up on that offer (don’t worry, I’m an ordained minister of the Internet Church of the Garden so I’m entirely qualified to offer such absolution). I felt so much better about it that I ordered 40 willow rods the other day, and I ...
Don’t look now but gardening season is almost here
Now THAT was a weekend. Temperatures here nudged up to 40 this weekend, birds were singing, the sun had warmth and I got a few more garden chores taken care of. I got the last Limelight hydrangea pruned and it feels good to have that job finished. I also covered up the raised vegetable beds and the compost pile with ...
FRIDAY FINDS: IT’S ALMOST SPRING
Things are looking up, folks. Meteorological spring started this week (although it’s clear that Mother Nature laughs in the face of so-called meteorological spring), the clocks go forward tomorrow night (yawn), the sun has actual warmth and I’m taking a fun little trip next week that I’m very much looking forward to telling you about. Oh, and “Gardeners’ World” starts ...
GET OUT IN THE GARDEN AND GET PRUNING
It might have been 15 degrees last weekend but I was bound and determined to garden, and garden I did. I actually had a very legitimate reason to garden: hydrangea pruning time. I love hydrangeas and have a lot of them, but the only kind I’ve added in the last seven years or so are either so-called smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea ...
A SEED EXPERT SPEAKS
There was a time when Renee Shepherd’s business was mostly about flowers. But these days she’s thinking about rutabaga and celeriac more than zinnias and cosmos. Shepherd has been in the seed business for more than 25 years and has owned Renee’s Garden since 1998, so it’s safe to say that she has a good idea about what is going ...
Letters from the Garden
Letters from the Garden
