Did you Get Lost in the Garden?

Melinda over at Elements in Time has issued a challenge to bloggers to grow one more thing than they did last year and talk about it each week! I’d probably talk about it anyway but this seemed like a good idea to see what others are doing in their gardens. Go over and check out what it’s all about!

It’s that time of year when the fall blooming plants begin to start their show including Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora). This non-native clematis grows prolifically through the summer and gladly will climb and overtake any structure it meets then will bloom in the fall. I picked up two of these on the discount racks and even though I know…

Today school was out, the roads were iced over, and the garden was draped in white. I always enjoy the one or two times each winter when our landscape is covered in snow. That’s the great thing about living in Tennessee – or one of the great things – the mild winters! It will snow a couple times each year…

When redesigning the vegetable garden I decided to dedicate one 4’x6′ bed solely to the cultivation of scrumptious strawberries. Since they are perennials this bed is no longer in any kind of rotation with the other beds but it was necessary, at least for now.  The strawberries began blooming this weekend which really isn’t the greatest of times to start…

Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis Unfortunately these pictures were taken in the fading light after rains had nearly washed us away the other evening, but you can see the craggy weather-worn structure of our old redbud in the back. Redbud trees are very common here in Tennessee and to me they are the ultimate symbol of spring’s arrival. Their blossoms range…

I decided several years ago that I didn’t want to mess with chemicals in my garden.  It was an easy choice for me.  We had kids and I didn’t want to risk their exposure to dangerous substances.  I didn’t want to eat food covered in chemicals at the dinner table.  A tomato with a side of pesticide just wasn’t a…

One of the locations in our yard that has the most fall color is the back tree line. We don’t have much in the way of mature trees throughout the rest of the yard but the back tree line makes up for it in the way of sassafras, walnut, maples and assorted other trees. One day this area will house…

Propagating plants by cuttings is by far the most common way I propagate plants. When you take a cutting from a plant you are making an exact genetic duplicate of the original plant. Essentially it’s a clone. No you won’t see any George Lucas movies about plant propagation (I don’t even want to think about weeds using the Force. The…

Here’s just a quick update on the greenhouse-shed project. More work will ensue later in the week but several time consuming things have been done. The roof windows on the south-western side are somewhat framed, the plywood is attached and the shingles are up. The roof is one of the more shed-like aspects of this project. Since the south western…

The other day I had an idea.  Instead of taking my pruned Russian sage branches and just dumping them in the compost, I thought what if I tried to make cuttings from them? I’ve propagated Russian sage cuttings very easily in the spring from softwood cuttings and even some during the summer but I’ve never tried hardwood cuttings.  This may…

We all make mistakes in the garden on occasion. In fact I do it on a regular basis. Usually my mistakes are those where I forget to do something or I intend to come back and finish something but run out of time to get back to it. My biggest mistake is typically taking on too much for what my…

Spring will be here very soon.  The calendar gives us a date but that seems arbitrary.  Spring is more of a feeling.  The weather is warmer and plants are actively growing again.  This coming weekend will be much warmer than it has been and should trigger a lot of action in the garden.  Today I went out and checked around…

It may not seem to be the right time to be thinking about fall but it is! Temperatures are still in the 90’s here in Middle Tennessee but we have to get those fall seeds started and now is the time. Growing plants from seeds requires enough time to maturity to make sure you can have an abundant crop. Below…

Layering an arrowwood viburnum I really enjoy making new plants – you guessed that by now didn’t you? Most of the time I prefer to make stem cuttings of various types of plants whether shrub, tree, perennial, or annual but that isn’t always the easiest way. In many ways layering a plant is the simplest way to ensure a successful…

A couple weeks ago I was sent a copy of William Woys Weaver’s Heirloom Vegetable Gardening from Mother Earth News. I’m always excited to get more information on a favorite subject of mine, vegetables! The book was first published in 1997 and is now available on CD. Unfortunately you don’t get the tactile sensation of reading a book on paper…

OK, not really, I know the postage would be expensive! Still I want to see your shed or greenhouse photos. I’m looking for ideas and inspiration to build one of my own eventually and would love to have some sheds to share here on The Home Garden. If you would like to contribute a shed or greenhouse photo of your…

Every year I write down my ideas for gardening projects.  It helps me to put down some thoughts and map out where my garden needs to go throughout the season.  I won’t be able to accomplish every project on the list but it does give me some direction.  At the end of the year I’ll go back and see how…

One cold December morning a frost covered the land. It was still as everything and everyone was awaiting the sun to add warmth for the day. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebra Grass’ Rain Garden Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) Birdbath Garden ‘Powis Castle’ Artemisia, ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia guaranitica, Viburnum, and the remains of many others. Birdbath Garden Frozen Birdbath Birdbath Garden Clover The…