Did you Get Lost in the Garden?

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…

I’ve been busy this week.  I say that as if it’s something new but it seems like life is just a matter of varying degrees of busy.  Sometimes you’re really busy and other times less so but always busy!  This week I dove headlong into my latest project.  I’ve been talking about this one for years and I’m just now…

How would you like to add a firepit and a grill to your garden at the same time?  Well today you get your chance!  The people at Serenity Health and Home Decor have given me the go ahead to give away this amazing firepit/grill. All you have to do is comment in the comment section of this post on Growing…

Around here in zone 7 (Tennessee) it’s still a little early to start getting very active in the garden but that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t be working on some things in the garden. Here is a to-do list for January to help get you started on a great year in the garden! (Some of the links below are…

Here are a few plant nurseries that you may find useful. But first a little advice on buying plants from nurseries:Always do plenty of research before buying any plant to make sure it will do well in your garden. Check for light requirements, water needs, soil types, recommend fertilizer regimens, and pest and disease issues. Also be aware that mail…

It’s time to take a trip up to Washington and visit Tatyana.  She went on a visit to one of her favorite nurseries that has a heavy emphasis on Japanese maples!  Japanese maples can be one of the spectacular trees for fall color.  While throughout the year Japanese maple colors can range from variegated white and green to deep reds the fall…

You’ve probably heard of adding lime to soil.  Farmers and lawn experts recommend it frequently to add to gardens and lawns to help your plants grow, but why? Why should you use lime for your tomatoes? What is Lime? Lime is calcium carbonate.  Which leads us to one easy answer for why it might help tomatoes – to combat blossom…

Here are a couple pictures of the morning sky through the newly bare trees. The trees with leaves are either oak or eastern cedar depending on where you look.  The cedar of course is evergreen but the oaks tend to hang on to their leaves until much later. This old tree is marked for cutting but sometimes you can find…

I finally managed to get my Indoor Hanging Wall Planter Project up on the wall!  I ran out of screws so I’ll have to run to the store to pick up a couple more and make sure it stays up securely.  It’s fine for now but I definitely need those screws attached before adding pots and soil for plants.  I…

How big is a moonflower bloom? Let me show you! If you use the lens cap of my camera as an indicator this moonflower bloom on our arbor is roughly 6-8 inches in diameter! Below the moonflower is a purple sweet potato vine. I think the dark foliage and bright white blooms look great together. Perhaps this year I’ll attempt…

Saturday Sunsets and Silhouettes of CedarsSubscribe to The Home GardenStumble it!

While we were out of town this past weekend we visited one of my wife’s aunts. She has a custom built log cabin in the woods surrounded by her garden. Since her property is very shady one of the most prominent plants in her garden is her hydrangeas. She has several kinds of hydrangeas that I’ll show you in a…

In the south it’s a necessity to get up early to get outside for gardening. Any delay into the mid-morning will result in unnecessary suffering due to the heat and humidity! This morning was already very humid before 8 AM. In the summer it is much worse and this morning’s humidity is just a sign of rain on it’s way….

I’ve made no secret about it but maples are without a doubt my favorite shade tree. Maples offer shade in the summer, feed wildlife with their samaras, and are a feast for the eyes in the fall. Reds, yellows, and oranges tend to be the predominate colors and they set the fall landscape on fire! All the gold colored maple…

It’s the seed starting time of the year! This is probably where I have the most fun gardening. I get to imagine the possibilities! This week I started Oregon Sugar Pod II peas by presoaking. It only took a few days after planting until I had germination from the first two seeds. To see how I started the Sugar Pod…

As everyone does I like bargains – especially when it comes to plants. I’m always looking for plant sales at local nurseries and of course the big box stores. Sometimes I find deals on the discount racks then try to save the wayward plant. Often those plants are just neglected and need a little TLC and they become good as…

Meet Prunus caroliniana, better known as a cherry laurel. This evergreen tree makes an excellent privacy screen and is great for attracting birds. It’s a native to the eastern United States from Florida on up to North Carolina. It very low maintanence as my parents can attest. Just plant it and water it then let it grow. They planted cherry…

Recently while upsizing my tomato seedlings into larger pots I needed some plant labels. Normally I will use the cut up slats of mini-blinds. I have a few sets I’ve collected over the years just for this purpose but I actually didn’t have them here at our current house. They were back over at the old house waiting to be…