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doodle by andre: do your own thing

dear_neighbor001T HERE IS LITTLE CHANCE THAT ANYBODY on this dirt road is stealing my garden-design ideas; they don’t want to go stark raving and have to take care of all this stuff. But our doodling friend Andre’s right: Cookie-cutter gardens all in a row would be no fun, and the garden’s a place for each of us to express our individuality, not try to recreate someone else’s picture or point of view. Would that all of life were just like that: Do your own thing, no questions asked, no negative glances cast.

my may garden chores

chores-logoY OWZA. THAT’S THE BOTANICAL LATIN TERM for the state we gardeners find ourselves in right about now. May is when the signs of advanced mental illness strike even the strongest and most experienced among us, but a May that begins after nearly a week of record late-April heat: Yowza. I’ve mowed twice already (the first mowing is usually about May 5); the dandelions are everywhere, jumbo-sized, and in full bloom; cool-season crops like spinach and bok choy are operating under protest and will probably perish, and thousands of Narcissus want deadheading. So what to do? Well, maybe start here: [Read more...]

high-speed, hit-and-run composting

shredded-compostFOR YEARS MY FRIEND ANDREW, a better gardener than I by far, has been telling me the secret, but I just wouldn’t listen. Like I do, Andrew creates a lot of debris from his giant garden and nursery. “Run it over,” he said, whenever I’d complain about the daunting size of my heap. “Just run it over with your mower to pre-shred the stuff.” Well, I finally did. [Read more...]

too darn hot: hello, spring; goodbye, spring

too-darn-hot-tulipH ELLO SPRING, AND GOODBYE SPRING, all in one sizzling weekend as fiery-hot as this overblown tulip. Freezing a week ago, now the garden and I are suffering from burnout. I feel a weather rant coming on: complaints to register, anybody? Or shall we look on the bright side: Yes, the magnolias will come and go in a total of 72 hours, but there’s asparagus for dinner. [Read more...]

an update on underplanting trees and shrubs

mature-underplantingWHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES. Inspired by the underplanting of hellebores and trillium and other earlybirds and ephemerals under the oldest of my old apple trees (above), a year ago I underplanted two more of the big, aging apples.  On their first anniversary, the new areas are already shaping up… [Read more...]

6 now-or-never late-april tasks

early-morning-april-24-4THE WEATHER HAS BEEN GIVING ME FITS, but finally spring seems to have mostly taken hold. Translation: TOTAL PANIC UNDER WAY. Garden tours start May 31, not leaving much time to get things in shape. Some tasks cannot wait—they are now or never, really—all awaiting me right under the ominous “X marks the spot” in the photo I took this morning (above). At the risk of instilling panic in you, too, I share them here…but not before saying happy six-month anniversary to our beloved Thursday columnist, doodler Andre Jordan, who joined us in mid-October. Enough pleasantries; now back to Red-Alert Mode: [Read more...]

doodle by andre: hazardous to your health

the_truth_about_seedsTHANK GOODNESS WE HAVE ANDRE JORDAN to warn us of the dangers all around us in this hazardous hobby of ours. I confess that even though I tried to exhibit restraint in this year’s seed orders, a few extra things have found their way into my stash. Oh, well, if you cannot resist, then get help…or just surrender to the magical power of seeds and cast your trouble (and seeds) to the wind, in acts of hope. Thank you, dear Andre, for a least trying to watch out for us.

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The Confessional

Some stuff really gets A Way to Garden-ers going. Weigh in, or just lurk while everyone else shares about these hot buttons:
resources

Juicy Bits

name that weed I KNOW A LOT OF PLANTS by their proper names, but my “weeds,” not so much. These great weed-identification websites are helping me finally address them with the proper (dis)respect.

everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.

shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.

plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.

herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.

berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).

rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.

crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!

winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.

forum

keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.

secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.

yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.

5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?

10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.

making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.

the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.

must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read. orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.

can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.

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