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September 2, 2008

impromptu hummingbird feeders

Filed Under annuals & perennials, bird sh-t, from seed, hot p(l)ants | 45 Comments

WE’RE IN THE WANING WEEKS OF DIVE-BOMB SEASON at A Way to Garden. The ruby-throated hummingbirds are in a nearly final frenzy of aerial displays, meeting at high speed in mid-air, then swooping downward into their favorite treats.

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July 3, 2008

complaint dept. is open: more ‘no-no’s’

Filed Under bird sh-t, tools & techniques | 124 Comments

I FEEL ROUND 3 OF GARDEN NO-NO’S coming on. When Mary Lynn asked yesterday in a comment about my point of view on using landscape fabric, the fuse was quickly lit: NO! I said. NO! I’ve rounded up some no-no’s we’ve posted collectively so far, but I bet by now there are a few more things to bitch about. Grab a lawn chair and a cold drink, and we can fester together this holiday weekend. Sure beats weeding (which ought to be a garden no-no). Is watering with a coffee pot (or gardening in your long-johns) a no-no? Not for me, apparently. Read more

June 10, 2008

recalling a long-ago june birthday

Filed Under 'woo-woo' (essays and such), bird sh-t | 29 Comments

TODAY I CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY: Born in 1954, I am 54 years old. When I was 35 and garden-writing fulltime, I wrote about what happens to gardeners of a certain age in the month of June, and to celebrate, I thought I’d share the essay with you. Nearly 20 years later, I’m still making lists…and living with the frogs and birds. Some things never change. Read more

June 3, 2008

from the forums: pruning viburnums

Filed Under 'woo-woo' (essays and such), bird sh-t, tools & techniques, trees & shrubs, uncategorized | Leave a Comment

WHEN TO PRUNE VIBURNUMS? That timely question was raised this week on the Urgent Garden Question Forums.
“When is the best time to prune large viburnum shrubs?” asked Forum member ZSteinberg. “Two are double-file, three are American cranberrybush and I don’t know the names of the other three. Any general recommendations?”
I have grown a lot of viburnums over the years, and have pruned them at various times of year for one reason or another. Usually viburnums need relatively little pruning, assuming you planted the right cultivar in the right-sized space (for example, not ‘Mariesii’ among the doublefiles, shown, but ‘Watanabei’ if you only had a smallish area). Even the lightest form of pruning, the removal of spent flowers called deadheading, isn’t needed with most viburnums, since what you want is fruit after the flowers (unlike all that deadheading with lilacs, for instance, to prevent messiness).

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