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COMBATING COLD WITH INDOOR SEED STARTING
I know that it is high time to stop complaining about how bad winter was, but those of us who experienced it will be dealing with its aftermath for some time. In my area, where Lake Michigan reached an absurd 93% ice coverage this winter (for the first time since the 1970s), the water is going to be cold most ...
THE IMPATIENT GARDENER v.7.0 (WITH CIRCLES!)
Yep, you’re in the right place. I just made a change to the design here. Although the last design, which I did myself after not being satisfied with multiple people who I paid to try interpret what I wanted, was a favorite, I think it’s been there since January 5, 2013, so it was feeling a bit stale to me. ...
FINALLY, A WEEKEND BACK IN THE GARDEN
The temperature hovered in the 40s here this weekend but the sun was shining and it was a glorious two days in the garden.It was one of those weekends when there were a billion different things I could have done outside. Which means I was able to happily jump around from project to project, just enjoying being outside. I emptied ...
FEATURE FRIDAY: MIXED BORDERS
I’m sorry the posting has been a bit sporadic lately. Although a deadline a work certainly has much to do with that, I’ve also been spending some blog time working on a redesign. It’s almost finished and I hope to launch it soon so don’t be alarmed if you visit The Impatient Gardener soon and it looks different. Same blog, ...
EVEN I WOULDN’T PAINT THIS WOOD WHITE
Over the weekend I went to the lumber yard. I guess that’s what you’d call it anyway. It was a place that specialized in hardwood.You may be wondering why a person like myself, who has been known to paint every bit of wood she sees, would be at a lumber yard, much less one that was a full hour’s drive ...
OH YEAH, I REPAINTED IT. AGAIN.
The vanity that is. I did this several weeks ago, actually, but forgot to tell you about it.It is now Hale Navy (satin finish) and I’m finally satisfied. You may recall that I originally painted it Hudson Bay (satin), but felt like it was too slate blueish and just dull. Hudson Bay (sanded) on the left, Old Navy on the ...
SCOURING THE INTERNET FOR GREAT GARDEN TELEVISION
I don’t think it’s any secret that there is a lack of quality gardening television shows available in the U.S. There are some, of course, and two that come to mind are The Victory Garden and P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, both on PBS. Although I have the DVR programmed to record every one of these I can (which means ...
FEATURE FRIDAY: SPRING HAS SPRUNG
The declaration in the headline might be more optimistic than realistic, but I thought it would be appropriate to mark the first full day of spring with some shots of spring bulbs in full bloom, even it will be several weeks before such a thing happens in my area. When I did the garden design styles series, one reader had ...
IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT GARDEN TOOL
Several years ago, my gardening life was changed. I discovered the hori hori aka soil knife. Instead of carrying around various trowels, pruners and weed extractors, I could garden with one tool. Hori horis pretty much do it all. They cut open bags of mulch or pieces of twine. They dig out weeds, they create trenches to plant seeds, they ...
FEATURE FRIDAY: GREAT GATES
I love gates in gardens. The sense of enclosure that they bring is so charming. I love gates that give you just a peek of what lies beyond or ones that frame a view perfectly. Here are some great garden gates. Traditional Entry by San Francisco Landscape Architects & Designers Suzman Design Associates Traditional Landscape by Seattle Architects & Designers ...
LIGHT AND BRIGHT: GIVING A DRESSER NEW LIFE
Remember when I bought this dresser? Oh, you don’t? Well that’s probably because I did that at least three years ago. I bought it because it was just sitting there in the thrift store and it looked so cool that I bought it. Without any plan for it. You will be happy to know that I have stopped doing that: ...
Redesigning the back yard
Like pretty much everyone, I’m anxiously waiting for spring to show up. But a girl can only paint so much stuff in her house before the paint fumes take over and you have to give in to the pent-up gardening urge. So, over the past couple weeks, I’ve been redesigning the back yard. First of all, it’s really the side ...
Feature Friday: An approachable approach to a casual landscape
For this week’s Feature Friday I wanted a more “normal” garden. That is, something approachable for the average gardener. The last couple weeks I’ve featured gardens that approach the dream category, but this one feels very real to me (even if the house suggests they probably hire a gardener to maintain it). I like that relatively ordinary plants have been ...
It’s time to prune! Oh wait, maybe not.
Don’t forget, dear readers, that late winter is the best time to prune many shrubs (but not anything that blooms in spring). I can’t wait to do a bit of pruning for health, shape and size in my yard. First off, that is not a black and white photo. Isn’t that sad? The whole world is still shades of gray ...
Happy workspace
I can think of nothing that makes Mr. Much More Patient happier than when I declutter something. Even if he took a rather active role in the original cluttering. He actually congratulates me when I fill up garbage cans or have him load up boxes to be taken to Goodwill. So when it came to getting a birthday gift for ...
Feature Friday: A famous designer’s own garden
There aren’t a lot of garden designers who people know by name. There are even fewer who people who don’t garden know by name. Arne Maynard is one of them. Thanks to articles in Vogue, Town and Country, Elle Decor, the New York Times and many others, Maynard is known to a lot of non-gardeners as well. I love looking ...
Letters from the Garden
Letters from the Garden
