Did you Get Lost in the Garden?

…before the daffodils bloom! We are definitely behind last year’s blooms. The only daffodils I saw outside today were 1-2 inch leaves protruding from the ground. Anyone have a guess as to when the first daffodil in my garden will be blooming? Latest Greenhouse Post: How I’ll Use My Greenhouse.

Recently I put together my newest raised bed.  I was inspired by some pictures I’ve seen lately where metal roofing materials were used for the sides.  It was a very cool look that I wanted to see if I could replicate for my garden. Plus metal materials last longer than lumber for raised beds.  I went to the store and…

Who is this hiding among the Bradford Pear Blossoms?I didn’t notice the lady beetle before I took the picture. It was only after I was perusing pictures from today’s beautiful weather that I noticed the little orange and black insect hiding among the blossoms.

What else would you expect with garden blogs but to be growing? Two newcomers are on the scene for Tennessee growing the total to five (that I know about). Gail at Clay and Limestone and Craig at Harvistry. Both blogs appear to have unique content that is worth a look!Gail’s title refers to the content of most soil in Tennessee….

The other day I went out to the garden and picked one of the best cantaloupes we’ve ever eaten. The taste of a store bought melon can never beat that of one that is homegrown!Cantaloupes are actually muskmelons (Cucumis melo ‘reticulatus’) that are given the name cantaloupe to sound more palatable. Musk just refers to the smell but if you…

Recently I was invited to the 48-Hour Challenge with Better Homes & Gardens. For my project I chose to build an arbor! I’ve highlighted a few aspects of it over the last several weeks but I haven’t put down a play by play of our challenge. Hopefully you can follow along and if you want to tackle this project you’ll…

A Growing The Home Garden reader sent me this question asking how I would build a raised bed on a deck.  It’s a very interesting question. I’ve never built a raised bed on a deck before but if I were planning one here’s what I would do. But first the question: Dave, I want to build a raised bed garden…

The other evening some clouds were blowing. Here’s a look at what we saw. A small storm was on its way through our area which is usually when you get most interesting clouds!Please excuse the power lines. Half the neighborhood has them below ground, our half doesn’t.

Yesterday MeemsNYC asked me in the comment section of my What Would Thanksgiving Be Without the Nuts? Plant them of course! I gathered up a small box of acorns and brought them home with me from my in-law’s house. You’re probably wondering why would he gather up a bunch of acorns to plant when they self sow readily on their…

I thought I would do something a little different for this Sunday and highlight a couple Garden Blogger posts this week that I thought were either very interesting, had very cool photos, showed me something new, or took me somewhere fantastic! I hope you’ll pay a visit to the bloggers listed below and see what I found to be very…

Every now and then I’ll be writing a post about the common weeds that we find in our yard and garden.  I’ll save these posts for Wednesdays so we can have a bit of a creative alliterative effect by calling it “Weedy Wednesday”!  I won’t be writing about weeds every Wednesday but I feel that it’s an important aspect of…

For many years now viburnums have been one of my favorite shrubs in my garden. For the most part viburnums grow without issue, add beauty to the landscape, and provide sustainable for wildlife. What strikes me as confusing is why they aren’t more popular in the home garden? When in bloom viburnum flowers rival hydrangeas for impact. The rest of…

Today is the 15th of the month which means that it is also Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.  Stop by to see a bounty of blooms from across the blogosphere.  Today here are a few things that are blooming in my Tennessee Garden. The irises are taking the stage. ‘Loop the Loop’ Unkown variety…

If coleus (Solenostemon) is not the easiest plant cutting to root, then it must be ranked at the top of the plant propagator’s list right next to the willows. Here’s the process of rooting Coleus in water. Whether you want to multiply your coleus plants or save some cuttings indoors over the winter coleus can root very easily in water…

This summer there will be another wedding in the family. My wife’s brother will be getting married to his longtime girlfriend on July 12th. What does this have to do with gardening? The ceremony is going to be help at my in-laws house in their backyard and I will need to help plan the landscaping for the area surrounding the…

Almost sounds like a Christmas song but White Nose is the name of a squirrel that frequents our yard and our back deck. He’s a pretty big little guy with a furry white nose, hence his name. He feels quite comfortable partaking of our bird buffet. I really don’t mind the squirrels visiting the bird feeders. The only bad thing…

How about a fall foliage trip to Bethlehem? Bethlehem, PA that is! Yet another example of fine Pennsylvania foliage is on display with photos taken from Penn’s Peak by Marie at Garden in Bethlehem PA. Oaks, maples, locusts and all kinds of other trees are coating the hills like paint on a canvas.Kylee of Our Little Acre has fall colors….

I won’t be posting a Seed Sowing Saturday post this weekend since it’s Easter weekend. I’ve included a dogwood picture and if you would like to read more about dogwoods I wrote post for the Tennessee Gardener online that you may enjoy.  Also for an update on the plants in my garden shed feel free to take a look at…