A couple years ago I was fortunate to participate in the Better Homes and Gardens 48 Hour Blog Challenge. Three other blogs and myself competed with projects subject to online voting to see who would win. The winner took home $5000, unfortunately it wasnāt me but the whole project was fun anyway ā and it ā¦ Read more
A few weeks ago I dropped a fairly large sweet potato in an old plastic peanut butter jar filled with water to make some sweet potato slips. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables. To me having a simple baked sweet potato at dinner time almost seems wrong, it tastes like I am eating ā¦ Read more
OK itās not really a strawberry patch as much as it is a raised bed in the vegetable garden that is overflowing with strawberry plants. A couple years ago I planted the bed with these strawberry plants, I believe there were twelve plants total, and let them grow in the bed. I fertilized after their ā¦ Read more
Irises! when you think of springtime, do you think of irises? Of course Iām sure you think of all kinds of flowering plants, bulbs, and trees but irises are distinct. They offer a variety of colors, of shapes, and sizes to decorate the spring garden. The irises in my garden have recently begun to color ā¦ Read more
I wonāt be posting a Seed Sowing Saturday post this weekend since itās Easter weekend. Iāve 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.Ā Also for an update on the plants in my garden shed feel free ā¦ Read more
Cover crops are an excellent way to improve the soil without adding chemical fertilizers ā and they look great too! Today while driving home from a talk I gave on plant propagation I drove down an old country road and took a few pictures of the red clover. Most likely the farmer is using the ā¦ Read more
One of the first plants I began planting here in our garden/landscape was the Japanese dappled willow āHakuro Nishikiā (Salix integra). Itās a beautiful shrub willow with dappled foliage that is said to grow from 10-12 feet tall. I planted it for several reasons. First of all I liked it! The dappled foliage gives three ā¦ Read more
At my parentās house there is a small garden location where the contemplative gardener can go to relax. Nestled between the cherry trees the garden bench that my dad and I built for my mom several years ago. What I thought made this scene so special was the fallen cherry blossom petals from the nearby ā¦ Read more
The Corner Shade Garden ā April is when it all gets seriously growing. Itās not completely full of hosta foliage since the season has really just begun but as the days pass, the plants will grow, and the garden will fill in very nicely! Looking at the corner shade garden through the arbor you can ā¦ Read more
Spring is hitting us full force right now in mid April. Flowers are blooming everywhere! The mailbox garden is covered in spring time flowers and in just about every other garden is a spot of color to talk about. This post is plant and garden photo heavy so be prepared! April Blooms in the Mailbox ā¦ Read more
OK gardeners and garden bloggers I need your help. Years ago I bought our first video camera to help film the antics of our children.Ā I bought it just before our oldest was born and many things have changed over the years. Essentially technology has made my old mini tape video camera obsolete. I canāt ā¦ Read more
This was a historic day. It was the first day Iāve ever seen a frog in my garden. Iāve seen a toad or two but never an actual frog! Amphibians are a good indicator of the heath of an environment. They are kind of like environmental canaries in a coal mine, if something is wrong ā¦ Read more
It seems to me that phlox and rocks just go well together. Itās not just the rhyming sounds that make the words blend but itās how the plants and rocks function together. Creeping phlox just loves to wrap itself around nearby objects and rocks are no exception! When I added the border rocks to the ā¦ Read more
Itās time again for another Seed Sowing Saturday post where we talk about what we sowed over the week, how the seedlings are doing, and any tips or tricks that we run across in our seed sowing adventures. This week I finally got around to sowing basil, peppers, eggplant, and a few others! I planted ā¦ Read more
Today was my day to visit the Bloom Nā Garden Expo in Williamson County, TN. Itās a garden show put together by the Williamson County Master Gardeners which features talented speakers and all kinds of vendors ranging from carnivorous plants and daylilies to soaps, jams, and grape juice. Thereās all kinds of neat stuff to ā¦ Read more
THis first of the irises to bloom this year are the reblooming white irises we have in the Japanese maple garden. Itās a small garden just to one side of our patio that ,of course, has a Japanese maple! It was a gift a few years ago to me for Fatherās Day. The reblooming white ā¦ Read more
I posted this picture the other day on The Home Garden Facebook page but thought Iād share it here too. Dandelions may be the bane of the lawn care perfectionist but if you look close I think you can appreciate the beauty in even the weeds.
There are few things a gardener appreciates more than see the positive results of his hard work payoff. Over the years Iāve moved plants, added plants, trimmed plants, propagated plants in various areas and in some places Iām just now beginning to see the results. One such location is my front sidewalk garden. Itās the ā¦ Read more
Creeping Phlox ā April 2011 I wish I could have gotten to this post earlier but Mondayās storms kept the computer off for most of the day. Itās pretty difficult to type a post without electricity! As of this morning 18,000 people in Middle Tennessee are still without power. Over the weekend the weather was ā¦ Read more
This weekend I am proud to say that our edible landscaping situation has been improved by two plums! We planted two (hopefully delicious) plum trees along our sideyard. To get proper pollination you have to plant two varieties that bloom within the same window so that they may cross pollinate. The two plums trees were ā¦ Read more
This post is about two of my favorite vegetable garden plants: tomatoes and sugar snap peas! Both are delicious right from the garden and I have both growing in my home and garden! The snap peas are about 6 inches tall at this point. The pea growth has been slowed some by the cool temperatures.Ā ā¦ Read more
Hereās a quick press release from the Herb Society of Nashville about their quided walking tours. For more information contact using the email addresses below! The Herb Society of Nashville has created a variety ofĀ Guided Walking Tours of their Cheekwood Herb Garden for May and June of this year.Ā Ā The tours are conducted by ā¦ Read more
By far my most favorite shrub is the viburnum. Iām working on collecting as many as I can, either through propagation or buying them, to fill in areas around our gardens. If you donāt have a viburnum in your garden you really should plant at least one or two. Some are fragrant, some are evergreen, ā¦ Read more
I know that you know that I like Yoshino Cherry trees. I thought I would highlight the Yoshino cherry tree that is flowering in our front yard so that you can enjoy its blooms too! Hereās why the Yoshino makes a great garden tree: they grow relatively fast, they look great when in bloom and ā¦ Read more
The days have once again become cold and wet. The beautiful spring like days we had in early March have been replaced (temporarily) with winter like cold and drizzle ā ugh. Itās definitely disappointing for the gardener but spring is right around the corner. I canāt wait to see the sun but the wet and ā¦ Read more
I really like plants that decide to take the work away from the gardener and sow their own seeds! Of course even the best plant that self sows could technically become a weed if planted in the wrong place, but since most are easily moved I really donāt mind.Ā Todayās Seed Sowing Saturday post is ā¦ Read more
Iāve mentioned before that Iām a huge fan for the genus Prunus so you wonāt be flabbergasted when I tell you that I like this little ornamental dwarf peach called āBonfireā (Prunus persica). I bought it last year for my wife who wanted a peach tree. Unfortunately at the time I didnāt realize that it ā¦ Read more
I planted these daffodils late last fall. I found them after they went on sale in December and planted them soon after. They are just now blooming while all the other daffodils are fading which is pretty neat! I may plant a few late daffodils each year to achieve the same effect!
Have you been wondering for months what ever became of Daveās Japanese maple seedlings? I bet you haveā¦er well maybe not but Iāll show you even if you werenāt wondering all winter about my Japanese maple seedlings!Ā In case you are wondering how to grow Japanese maples from seed the big secret is stratification. Stratification ā¦ Read more
Iāve always been a big fan of raised bed gardening. There are significant advantages to gardening in raised beds which is why when Greenland Gardener offered to send me one of their raised bed kits to test out I said āyes please!ā My vegetable garden is almost completely made of raised beds built from non-pressure ā¦ Read more
So the calendar says itās spring.. Front Yard and Garden and I agree! Front yard and garden with Arbor I hope that wherever you are spring weather finds you soon! Patio Peach Tree Flowers in Bloom
I thought with this Seed Sowing Saturday post I would update you on how my seeds are coming more so than talk about new seeds. In fact I can sum up the new stuff in with simple sentence: I sowed āRudbeckia Cappuccinoā, āStarlightā Coneflower, and Penstemon. There, that was easy! Iāve been busily getting the ā¦ Read more
Every now and then itās fun to go back and look up the statistics from The Home Garden to see what people are looking for and eventually wind up here. Sometimes the search terms are funny but hopefully the results lead the searcher to great info. So here are ten search terms that showed up ā¦ Read more
Since today is St. Patrickās Day and tradition dictates that we do all things green and as Irish as possible here are a few things green from my garden! We have green in the vegetable garden in the form of sugar snap peas, spinach, and lettuce! Other things havenāt come up yet for a visit ā¦ Read more
Over the weekend I tackled more prep work in the vegetable garden. Iāve already planted several things in the raised beds including onions, potatoes, lettuce, and spinach but planting wasnāt the main weekend task. One of the things I really didnāt like about my vegetable garden is now officially a thing of the past ā ā¦ Read more
Everyday new flowers and blooms are coming to our garden this March. Spring is officially here, even if the calendar doesnāt agree. We still have a good chance of frost between now and mid April but so far everything is looking grand! The maple trees have bloomed although many people donāt stop to observe them. ā¦ Read more
This week I started another batch of tomato seeds. For the last set of tomato seeds I used peat seed starting trays, this time I used washed mushroom containers, yogurt cups, and an old refrigerator plastic drawer! Not too long ago our refrigerator decided to quit and we had to replace it. I kept the ā¦ Read more
Today I begrudgingly bring you some very beautiful flowers. The only reason Iām hesitant is because of the tree that these perfect little white blooms flower from each spring. Can you guess it? If not Iāll give you a couple clues ā itās over planted. Still canāt guess? Itās smells awful in the spring, Iām ā¦ Read more
The plants are gradually beginning to come to life here in my garden. Yesterdayās post highlighted a few of Marchās blooms, today here are a few more flower photos! The hyacinths are blooming all over. So far I havenāt been able to detect their sweet scent on the wind, but maybe I havenāt been outside ā¦ Read more
Here are a few of the early March blooming flowers in my garden. Crocus, daffodil, and forsythia. The forsythias have burst into full bloom since the picture was taken!
I think in many ways March is the busiest month in the garden. So many chores need tackled this time of year from mulching to pruning to planting that sometimes itās hard to figure out what to tackle first! Among the major chores like lawn mower servicing and tree planting there are quite a few ā¦ Read more
I think itās important for anyone interested in gardening to visit the local garden shows every now and then. Nashvilleās Lawn and Garden Show was this past weekend and I stopped up to pay a visit. Overall it was a nice show but I have to say I wasnāt as impressed with it as I ā¦ Read more
Todayās Seed Sowing Saturday post for me is more about the results than starting new seed. My daughter and I did plant some onion sets (probably about 70 some werenāt worth planting) and some potatoes (about 16 red potatoes). We still need to plant the Yukon golds which are my favorite potato. So lets take ā¦ Read more
Yesterday I spent some time out in the garden with my 3 year old daughter. We dug, we raked, we planted, we played with worms, simply put ā¦ we gardened! Here are just a few photos from our time outdoors in the beautiful weather and in the garden. (Oh and just so you know āfree ā¦ Read more
The greening of the willows! Itās just more evidence that weāve left winter behind and are heading full speed into spring. The leaves on the āHakuro Nishikiā dappled willows are emerging. And so are the catkins! The catkins are the reproductive mechanism of many plants like willows and birches.Ā Willows are dioecious and have separate ā¦ Read more
It really seems that spring has sprung already. The warm temperatures have brought everything to life, I only hope that the plants arenāt doomed by the next freeze happens to come along. Itās reminiscent of the spring of 2007. Back then we had an early warm-up followed by a hard freeze that damaged a significant ā¦ Read more
For a couple years now Iāve watched and waited for our hellebore to bloom. Every year I jealously read the posts of other gardener bloggers who are happily displaying their hellebore blooms but alas, I had no flowers to share! But now the single Lenten rose I have has grown into an 18ā³ little bush ā¦ Read more
This week finally found me getting into some real seed starting action. The first of my seed orders came in within three days of ordering (here is my seed order for 2011) and today I started my tomatoes! Tomatoes are always the main crop in our garden and without them our garden is incomplete. Fresh ā¦ Read more
The daffodils are officially in bloom here in my Tennessee Garden! Every year I like to mark the beginning of the daffodil blooms as it is one of the many signs of spring. (Coming very soon: Forsythia) Itās hard not to get excited about springās arrival after such a cold winter isnāt it? The first ā¦ Read more
Coming soon to a lawn or garden near you ā¦ Henbit (Lamium amplexicauli)! The cover-all-lawns-with-purple-spring-color ground cover. If youāre tired of the green look ā consider purple. Itās easy care with absolutely no maintenance and pollinator friendly! You donāt even have to plant it as henbit will find its own way to your lawn. Itās ā¦ Read more
When selecting seeds for the vegetable garden it always pays to be early ā in this case I was not. Several of the selections I had planned on making were in fact sold out when I finally got around to ordering from Baker Creek. The early bird gets the worm is the old saying but ā¦ Read more
The first yellow crocus of the year has emerged from the front garden! Many more blooms to come!
The weather this past weekend was perfect for outdoor gardening activities! Unfortunately we are still a good six weeks away from safe outdoor planting and many of the tasks on my long term spring agenda need to wait until the frosts are done, but there is always something that can be done! Garden preparation! By ā¦ Read more
You just have to love a flower that brings the sunshine down into the bland February garden. Winter Jasmine (Jasmine nudiflorum)Ā is a perfect fit for those gardeners who are fed up with winter and canāt wait for spring. It isnāt very showy the rest of the year with its normal looking deciduous green foliage ā¦ Read more
This week I actually found myself outdoors sowing seeds directly into the soil of my garden. Thanks to wonderful Tennessee weather, where you can count on a few days of warm even in February, weāre able to plant a few cool season crops this month. So far in the vegetable garden Iāve planted: Lettuce ā ā¦ Read more
Its that time of year, just before blossoms begin to bloom when the garden looks itās worst. Mulch hasnāt been spread ā or at least not enough, old dead growth from perennials hasnāt been cleared away, and in general things look like a mess. But thatās OK! You have to start somewhere right? Every garden ā¦ Read more
Itās been a very, very long time since I mentioned anything new with the garden shed. Today I went out and took a look around at my overwintered plants, watered a few things, and saw some good signs that most of my plants made it through the winter ā at least so far! Garden Shed ā¦ Read more
I wanted to say thank you to Barbara Wise for an excellent container gardening presentation this past weekend at the Spring Hill Garden Club Meeting! The slides and photos of the work you do were fantastic and the garden club appreciated seeing the ideas created by a expert in the field of container gardening. It ā¦ Read more
When gift giving holidays are upon us (and happen during the growing season) I like to find gifts that can be planted in the ground and will give back the pleasure of the first gift many times over. I did that again this year with Valentineās Day. My usual gift to my wife is the ā¦ Read more
This weekendās weather was a sign that there really is a light at the end of this dark tunnel we call winter ā and itās not another trains headlight! Spring is coming and the warm weather that weāre having this week has me itching to get in the garden ā which is exactly what I ā¦ Read more
I never let a good container go to waste (much to my wifeās dismay ā admittedly, I do save way too many)! These foam containers are perfect for sowing seeds just like the store bought flats. Just poke a few holes for drainage in the bottom add soil, seeds, and water and you have an ā¦ Read more
The Nashville Lawn and Garden Show is coming up soon, hereās the info! Press Release: Tennesseeās Largest, Most Popular Gardening Event ! Thursday, March 3 ā 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 ā¦ Read more
Last week I was in one of the home improvement stores and started wandering the gardening shelvesā¦always a dangerous thing! I looked around at all the packaged plants which in most cases are way too early to plant out and got sucked in by the displays. I ended up coming home with one Arapaha thornless ā¦ Read more
This winter has just been weird. The weather, despite the weather prognosticators claiming a milder winter back in fall, has been colder than usual. Todayās snowfall just makes it seems like a second white Christmas here in Tennessee. Now before those of you north of here disparage what Iām saying keep in mind that Tennessee ā¦ Read more
The other day I mentioned that the Winter Jasmine would be the first thing to bloomā¦ I was wrong! Itās the Witch hazel! Itās the first time it has bloomed in our garden. So whatās blooming in your February Garden?
Recently I received an email asking me to review a video all about backyard food production systems. I was curious so I said sure. I grow a large vegetable garden in the backyard every year and if there were ideas inside this DVD that I could use and incorporate into my garden it might be ā¦ Read more
It wonāt be long now until the first bloom of the new gardening season will be on its way. In just a few more days the Winter Jasmine will be coloring our front porch with its bright yellow blooms. I traded for the jasmine at plant swap a couple years ago and have found it ā¦ Read more
Last week was the first Seed Sowing Saturday on The Home Garden! Starting Seed Sowing Saturday hasĀ definitely motivated my planning, thinking, and preparations for the seed starting this year. I failed this week in one element of my seed plans ā the planning! I had intended to put together a list of the seeds ā¦ Read more
This time of year more than any other when the cold weather is still stuck upon us we look for any signs of spring. We scour the garden for any hints of warmer weather that will hopefully be on its way soon. We have it lucky right now here in Tennessee. While the snows are ā¦ Read more
Yep, the title says it all. I really have lettuce growing among the weeds in one of my garden beds. I planted it in the fall and despite a few nights of subzero temperatures and several cumulative inches of snow over the course of winter itās still there! The lettuce is small, barely even 3 ā¦ Read more
Welcome to the first Seed Sowing Saturday of 2011! Where all of us seed starting fanatics recap our weekly seed starting experiences and share with each other what weāre working on, how weāre doing it all, and of course the results! I chose to start my seed sowing this week by starting shallots. We do ā¦ Read more
Oh I know, Iām keenly aware of the Superbowl coming up but this post has nothing to do with it. You see Saturday is destined to be a day outdoors ā nothing short of the weather forecasters getting it completely wrong can stop that. We all know that never happensā¦ The temperatures are said to ā¦ Read more
What can I say really? Itās January and my vegetable garden is awfully sad. The winter air has been colder than Tennessee cold should be.Ā If I were by myself I might be brave enough to get outdoors but bringing my almost 7 month old son outdoors during the day really isnāt an option. Heāll ā¦ Read more
The Lion stalks through the underbrush. In search of his preyā¦ He stops to inspect his surroundings, ā¦ ever aware, ever watchfulā¦Ā he quickly and stealthily crosses the open spaces for cover, still on the huntā¦ close now to his prey, he stalks again behind the cover of the underbrushā¦ and fertilizes!
The other day I had a surprise. While washing dishes at the kitchen sink I looked over at a small yogurt cup on the counter top to see this: Several small seedlings had appeared from some tomato seeds I was soaking. Iām going to have to admit one of my major failings here to properly ā¦ Read more
Next week Iāll be starting my seed sowing and I wanted to invite all other bloggers to join in to share their experiences. Each Saturday weāll post about what weāve done with our seeds, what weāve selected, what weāve planted, and how itās doing. From sowing to growing itās all fair-game! What can we talk ā¦ Read more
Recently I ordered plants (which Iāll cover in another post) and while choosing the plants I used a few criteria to guide my selections.Ā I wouldnāt rule out purchasing plants just because they might miss one or two of these characteristics but I do know that when all five can be found in the same ā¦ Read more
āHennaā Coleus When the outside temperatures began to drop in the fall I knew there were a few tender plants that I wanted to preserve for next year like my coleus. I brought 2 varieties of coleus indoors in the hopes of planting them again in the Spring of 2011 and both are doing good! ā¦ Read more
When I started putting together our first garden areas in our blank slate of a yard I always second guessed myself. Every planting was met with the oncoming thought āis this going to work like I want it to?ā or ādoes this look right?ā Ideas flow freely from my mind all the time and I ā¦ Read more
Another year comes and guess what ā I make more changes to my vegetable garden layout! I havenāt done anything yet but below youāll see what I intend to change from last yearās vegetable garden design. This is step one in altering my garden into what will eventually become an awesome parterre layout. I can ā¦ Read more
OK Iāll have to admit when I was sent Sustainable Landscaping For Dummies for a review I had some mixed thoughts with the title. Iām a fan of sustainability, I think itās of the utmost importance as we remodel our landscapes and improve our homes, but something about the dummy part of the title got ā¦ Read more
When stuck indoors on a cold winter day while layers of snow blanket the ground there isnāt much else to do other than watch the birds! Well maybe there is something else to do but chores are not as much fun!
ā¦SNOW! Yep the southern Blizzard of 2011 got us pretty good this time. We have somewhere around 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. Here are a few pictures of our winter wonderland! Snow on the Arbor Snow on the Blue Garden Shed Snow on the butterfly bush Snow on the eastern cedar Snow on ā¦ Read more
A few years ago I drew a rough drawing of a garden area for my in-laws.Ā They had just built their new house and were excited to fill the landscaping in with something they would enjoy. What I came up with was a sitting garden. Essentially an area where they could go outside and relax ā¦ Read more
āWhite Swanā Coneflower picture taken in June of 2010.Ā Dwarf Boxwood hedge in the background.
Iām sure you can understand why the January garden doesnāt get much picture time here. Itās not because it doesnāt look great ā even though it doesnāt ā itās because itās pretty darn cold! This winter has been one of the coldest weāve had in a long time here in Tennessee and I like it ā¦ Read more
Each year Iāve posted about the projects I hope to accomplish in the New Year. They arenāt resolutions, just goals or ideas. I may not even get half of the projects accomplished but I find that if I get some ideas before the garden season starts in earnest I can be pretty motivated to get ā¦ Read more
Last January I came up with 9 garden projects that I wanted to accomplish. As is my tradition over the last several years itās time to review and see what I actually achieved! The block areas are from my 2010 project list and the bullets are what was accomplished. 1) First and foremost I need ā¦ Read more
The holidays are almost past and that means it is time to start thinking and planning for the spring garden. Below are 5 things to do to start planning for that spring garden. Aside from getting a better start each year making the to do list puts my mind on the sunny days ahead rather ā¦ Read more
Itās amazing how fast time flies, isnāt it? It seems like just a short time ago I posted my 2010 garden project list (which I can never fully complete!) Soon it will be time to write a new project list and bring back some of those projects that have been hanging around for years! Iāll ā¦ Read more
On Monday while all three of my children were napping at the same time (that is a major feat!) I spent some time preparing some cuttings. Until Monday I really havenāt had many opportunities to get outside and garden. The weather has been too cold and with my youngest, who doesnāt seem to like taking ā¦ Read more
A little more guessing fun on this first day of winter! Do you know this evergreen tree with the black berries? Iāll give you a hint ā Iāve written about it before!Ā No links ā that would be too easy! No rhymes either ā that would be too cheesy! Oopsā¦ Yesterdayās post āWhat Seeds are ā¦ Read more
Can you guess what seeds these are?Ā If you guess a certain state tree you wouldnāt be far. No prize for the winners, just a job well done! I thought a little game, might make winter more fun!
Maintenance-Free Gardens: Everything You Need to Know A flower garden in full bloom is every gardenerās masterpiece. And like most great masterpieces, each brush stroke is calculated, the color palette chosen in advance, and the overall composition exists in the artistās mind well before touching brush to canvas, or in this case, trowel to soil. ā¦ Read more
Do you want to know where you can find tons of awesome photos of amazing fall color? Right here in these posts listed below! Over the last couple months weāve been treated to fall color all over the northern hemisphere courtesy of bloggers all over the world. In many places the weather of 2010 was ā¦ Read more
So what can you do while itās under 20 degrees outside and you are stuck inside but still want to do something garden related? Extract seeds from ornamental peppers! That probably wasnāt the first thing on your mind but it works for me! Extracting the seeds from these āBlack Pearlā ornamental peppers was one of ā¦ Read more
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. Thatās the great thing about living in Tennessee ā or one of the great things ā the mild winters! It will snow ā¦ Read more
Tonight Middle Tennessee is resting peacefully beneath a blanket of snow. Bitter cold set in here as it has in much of the eastern United States.Ā With the cold came swirling winds and all this white stuff.Ā So far this winter cold weāve been experiencing is about 20 degrees below the normal averages for our ā¦ Read more
