Just what you want right? Even more things to do in the garden. I’m sure you have everything perfect. Everything is mulched to 2 inches high. Every weed is pulled and the gardens are in pristine condition! Not our garden, not even close! An extra long weekend is ahead which (unless you’ve been deluged with … Read more
The end of August is nearly here and the garden is shaping up for its conclusion. Hopefully it will be a spectacular finish where the flowers bloom out and blend with the foliage as it turns into flaming reds, oranges, and yellows. That may be the proverbial pipe dream as the weather has been strange … Read more
This month’s Creative Ideas Project with Lowe’s and Growing The Home Garden is all about organization! By using a $100 gift card donated by Lowe’s I’ve redone a part of my garage to make it more useful for our whole family – not just the gardener! I think the main problem people have with organization … Read more
Fall is creeping closer and closer each day which brings to mind cool evening breezes, pumpkins, festivals, the Fall Color Project (more on that later), and of course the fall vegetable growing season. Most gardeners seem to garden almost exclusively in the spring or summer and don’t even consider the fall. It’s probably since starting … Read more
Over at Clay and Limestone Gail celebrates the diversity of native plants with Wildflower Wednesday so I thought I would join in this week to share a few of the native plants I’ve run across over the past week. Let’s start with a shrub! This is what I believe to be a gray dogwood (Cornus … Read more
This morning’s cool temperatures made it feel like my favorite season is well on its way. Of course autumn is coming but the extra cool August temperatures we’re having have me hoping for an extended fall season. Here’s a look at a few things from around the garden this morning! ‘Arizona Sun’ Gaillardia – Blanket … Read more
What does a gardener’s garage look like? Before you put an image into your mind please realize that the photo I’m about to show you is extremely embarrassing. My garage has never been a priority for me – the garden has been! When you add three kids to the mix who never seem to be … Read more
Have you ever wondered exactly how tall a raised bed should be? Here’s the answer: 11 and 5/16ths. Yep that’s right, 11 and 5/16ths. Of course not! The real answer is that the height of a raised bed is dependent on a number of factors which makes each situation different. Today’s Friday Fives post is … Read more
With summers in Tennessee you never know exactly what your going to get. Usually you expect dry and hot. That’s a pretty safe bet. But lately the temperatures have reminded me of fall. The scents are on the wind. Fall blooming plants like goldenrod and ironweed are beginning to flower. The smell of fall is … Read more
Mowed the lawn – check. Weeded the shed gardens – check. Weeded the sitting wall garden – check. Weeded and mulched the mailbox garden – check. Weeded the corner shade garden – check – kind of. Weeded the birdbath garden without a birdbath – check – kind of. Cut back a ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia that … Read more
This summer has been a tricky one in which to garden in here in Tennessee. June was the driest month I can remember and hotter than any June on record. July was strange too – extra moisture and cooler temperatures made up some of the lost ground caused by the spring drought. Having strange weather … Read more
The blue berries I’m about to show aren’t from any blueberry bush but are from the Arrowwood viburnum! This viburnum is one of my favorites (but really, I think all viburnums are my favorites). Viburnum dentatum has white flowers that appear in spring and are a great source of nectar for bees and butterflies. The … Read more
It’s time to show you a few pictures of the plants around my garden! The gardens themselves are in need of weeding, mulch, and assorted other chores I haven’t had time to get to yet but that doesn’t stop the plants from looking impressive. Our weather lately has been wetter than normal for August and … Read more
It’s time to start thinking fall garden if you haven’t already! It may seem too hot, too dry or too much like August where you are but over the next few weeks we need to get our seeds started and growing. When to Start Seeds for a Fall Vegetable Garden? The tricky thinking about starting … Read more
Last Friday I mentioned 5 Vegetable Garden Design Tips for the Friday Fives post. Today we’ll look at some more vegetable garden design tips that relate to organization of a garden’s layout! I’ll have to own up and admit it that the organization part of gardening is a skill where I am somewhat deficient though … Read more
You can never have enough arbors can you? Arbors are a design element for a garden that add vertical structure and can provide definition to garden areas. Today I put together a very simple gateway arbor as an entrance to the shade garden I’ve built for Lowe’s Creative Ideas. The last I built used gutters … Read more
