Did you Get Lost in the Garden?

It’s not just a box.  Really it isn’t.  It’s so much more than that.  You built it in your backyard, sideyard, or even front yard.  You filled it with soil.  You tended that box and nurtured every single tiny seed you planted in it.  That box is your garden.  That box with the untreated wood your neighbor told you would…

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…

Last year for Mother’s Day I redesigned a garden area for my mom. Their fence garden needed a little revamping and I’m really happy with the results. Here is what the area looked like before: Here’s how it looks now! In the above picture we set the border stones to give an edge for the garden.  The stone also helps…

In times like these can you afford not to garden? The other day I was thinking about the actual value of a garden. What do you get out of it? Not just the sense of satisfaction of eating the greatest tomato ever grown. That’s pretty valuable in itself. Not just the pleasure of being able to boast to friends and…

The evolution of a garden is an interesting thing to look back at from time to time. For this month’s Gardening Gone Wild Garden Design Workshop: Made in the Shade I thought I would take a look back at where my corner shade garden was and where it is now. Here it is last year before most of the work…

We’re home again! For the last week we’ve been on the road and away from home which means that not much gardening was happening. I was away teaching at a band camp and my family was staying at the grandparent’s house. It was a busy and tiring week at band camp and now that both it and the wedding is…

I’m still actively working on my big garden project – the greenhouse – but I stopped for a minute the other day and took a picture from the greenhouse toward our house. It’s the middle of January and the landscape is still asleep – dormant – waiting for warmer weather to come along. It won’t be too long now before…

It’s time for my end of the year garden project review. In the remote case you don’t know what I mean I’ll explain. This is where I go back and see what I actually accomplished from among the lofty project goals I established on January 1, 2009. I’ll have a new set of projects for 2010 very soon but some…

A few years ago I wrote post about propagating rosemary from cuttings placed in water. That method for propagating rosemary is a viable method for sure but you probably will have more success if you take your rosemary cuttings and stick them in soil instead. Recently I posted a video on the YouTube channel that explains both propagation methods for…

Here’s a random question for you. If you could plant any plant in your garden that exists outside of your zone what would it be and why? The first and only rule with this question is that the plant must not be hardy in your zone. Other than that any plant you can think of is fair game.With my first…

It’s the week of the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show 2017 (Plant a Forest:  Gardening for the Future)! As a harbinger of spring the Nashville Lawn and Garden show happens every year at the Nashville Fairgrounds. It starts this Thursday (March 2nd) and continues through Sunday (March 5th). At the show you can expect to find live gardens, free lectures,…

Schip laurels (pronounced Skip) are a very easy evergreen that you can propagate at home. I mentioned propagating cherry laurels a couple years ago but since it’s a good time of the year to take cuttings I thought I would revisit it. It will take a couple years before a cutting turns into a plant large enough for a foundation…

The forecast is warming up and it’s about time! The cold days might be past us and full time gardening could be about to begin. At least it will for me this weekend as I intend to get more than a few chores done, including some work on my greenhouse-shed, some pine-needle spreading, planting of more cool season vegetables, and…

Saturday was one of those days that you had to be outside.  Sunny and in the 70’s the weather was nothing less than pure perfection. It was truely a spring weather day.  The kind of day that you take in from dawn until dusk without ever wanting to come back inside.  All days end but this one was a good…

Maybe you’ve heard of this already or maybe you’ve seen it in the stores yourself but Triscuit is promoting the “home farming” movement. It’s an interesting idea that backyard gardeners have been doing for many many years. Simply put home farming is growing your own food in the home garden. While gardening may be an all inclusive term to describe…

Since I posted the other day on my Metal Sided Raised Bed I’ve received several questions about raised beds in general as well as questions about the metal raised bed itself. For today’s post I’ll answer those questions as many other people may be wondering the same thing – or may not have but may be curious to find out!…

Emily Rose who gardens and blogs in the Chattanooga area has a very picturesque setting for her fall colors!  What could be better than fall colors reflected in a pond?  Oaks, maples, and other trees all offer up a piece of East Tennessee fall color.  Stop by and check out Emily’s fall color pictures at her blog!

I posted a new update about the front doors to my greenhouse shed. The work was done back before Christmas. Take a look at the Greenhouse Front Door work if you’re curious!