Did you Get Lost in the Garden?

Last night I had a crazy thought “why not take a few last minute cuttings before the cold weather moves in for good?” The cuttings would need warmth to root and survive, so keeping them outside was not an option at this time of the year. I found a decorative pot that my wife bought a few years ago at…

Today was one of those days where you just don’t seem to be able to get much done! The weather was unseasonably warm (in the 70’s) and was just great day to be outside with the exception of the high wind. Because of the billowing gusts we didn’t go outside until my youngest daughter (3 months now) went to sleep….

I wrote a short update post on the garden shed. It’s progressing, albeit slowly due to other gardening tasks that need attention. I do need some paint color suggestions so if you have ideas feel free to comment!

The Nashville Lawn and Garden Show is coming up soon, here’s the info! Press Release: Tennessee’s Largest, Most Popular Gardening Event ! Thursday, March 3 – Sunday, March 6 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds Live Gardens + Thousands of Blooming Plants + Free Lectures Floral Design Gallery + 250 Exhibit Booths Tickets are available now for purchase online at www.nashvillelawnandgardenshow.com….

I don’t know about you but I’m ready for spring. Notice I said spring not spring gardening. I haven’t done everything I need to do to get ready for the new gardening season but I’m already lamenting the cold temperatures that we are destined to have for the next two months (January and February). When March comes we usually have…

The first frosts are almost always something that this gardener dreads.  Mostly because it is the end of the growing season – mostly, some plants will grow on through the winter. But if you look closely at the frost you can also find it is a thing of beauty. Frost on Viburnum x burkwoodii Frost on Butterfly Bush Frost on…

If you have a freely draining patio set in sand like I do you may have noticed weeds growing up through the cracks. These are generally caused by seeds that have landed on the patio and germinated and can be easy to eliminate. The most obvious way to deal with them is to try to pull them up. For a…

Over the years the side garden area of our yard has gradually grown into a small forest area. My kids call the area “the thicket.” They play in the pathways I’ve cut through. Over time the sassafras trees have grown tall changing the hillside from just a grassy field to a small forest. Among the plants naturally growing in “the…

While aphids are easy to deal with they are definitely a nuisance! I discovered these on our hostas the other day feasting on the flower stalks. Aphids are easy to find, just look for the ants. Ants are opportunistic little insects that love a sweet and easy meal that the aphids provide. When the aphids begin to feed on the…

In front of our garage we have a nandina. I’m not a huge fan of nandinas normally but I’ve grown accustomed to the one we have, besides it saved my mower and our house once! I’ve never done any real maintenance to it and it has performed great in the front garden. It was due for a pruning so I…

When we purchased the Harbor Freight 6×8 greenhouse back 8 years ago we weren’t sure how long it would last. We spent around $250 on this little backyard greenhouse and based on that I really think it’s done a good job for what it is. It can be assembled in a weekend and you can go ahead and start growing…

In my latest YouTube video I went through and checked on many of the plants I’ve taking cuttings from this summer. There are a variety of plants in the video including rosemary, ninebark, fothergilla, boxwoods, crape myrtle, and cherry laurels. This was actually the first time I’ve tried rooting fothergilla and I had pretty good success taking a few small…

Several weeks ago I planted Baptisia australis seeds. It’s also known as false indigo. It took some time but with bottom heat from my seedling heat mat and continued patience several of the seedlings have sprouted.  It’s always exciting to see new plants come alive from seed.  It took the Baptisia seeds about a month to germinate.  Please note one…

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…who sat down and ate the moth beside her. OK maybe that’s not the story you’re used to hearing but that’s what happened. This little guy is a common one in North American gardens. You’ve probably seen him somewhere, Phidippus audux a common jumping spider. At least that is my best guess. I’m not an entomologist by any means.He was…

This past weekend I jumped headlong into the patio paving construction process. I mentioned this project in my August project post and here’s how it all begins. My first step was laying out the edging stones to figure out the layout of the patio. Now you might ask “wouldn’t it be better to draw a layout of the patio first?”…

Mid July finds my garden a little bit rough around the edges. The need for more garden time is always present with gardens needing weeded, the lawn needing mowed and cleaned up, tomatoes that need re-staked, and many other garden chores. It’s not just the lack of garden time though, the weather has played a significant role. No rain for…

Here is Part 9 of The Home Garden’s weekly series about gardening on a budget.Plant propagation, at last, my favorite subject! I was saving the plant propagation post for the last few segments of this series on gardening cheap. Plant propagation is one of the most inexpensive ways to make more plants and expand your gardens. There are several methods…