Did you Get Lost in the Garden?

Back in the fall I collected quite few seeds heads from our heucheras for the purposes of growing more heucheras this spring. Heucheras don’t necessarily come true if grown from seed but some do like ‘Palace Purple’. ‘Palace Purple’ is easily reproduced from seed which is probably why it is the cheapest of the heucheras and most easily found throughout…

There are very few gardens in Middle Tennessee that go without Chrysanthemums (Mums for short) or Asters for fall colors. With such a variety of colors there is one that can fit in nearly any garden. Both asters and chrysanthemums belong to the same family, Asteraceae, along with many other popular plants. In our garden we a have a few…

I’m starting a new theme for Sundays that will last through winter until Spring time after all the seeds have been planted. Seed Sundays will be all about seeds! Seed planning, plotting, planting, and any other seed related subject that can be thought of and written about. You’re welcome to join in if you wish to talk about your seeds….

Jan at Thanks For Today is sponsoring a meme in support of Earth Day (April 22, 2010). I have to admit I’ve had trouble with this. It’s not that I have any problem with Earth Day or writing a post full of great tips for saving the world but when coming from a personal perspective to share something new my…

After my post yesterday about the Snowy Owl Visit to Spring Hill, TN, Pete sent me a few of his pictures of the owl. He was able to get much closer to the bird than I could and his pictures are fantastic! He prefaced the pictures with a story that I’ll share with you in this post. I am a…

This may be an unusual tool to consider a garden tool but I have found my Swiss Army Knife very useful in the garden. As you probably know Swiss Army Knives have many useful attachments from the knife itself to toothpicks. I don’t use the toothpick at all but there are many other parts I use frequently. Disclaimer: Some affiliate…

I never let a good container go to waste (much to my wife’s dismay – 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 instant garden. Well, maybe not…

Last week I was out of town teaching and was forced to come home early due to a awful case of food poisoning (watch out for those buffets!) When Saturday rolled around my outdoor work plans were drastically changed. I had planned on getting some mulch on a few spots but just couldn’t stand being in the heat and humidity…

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!

Here are just a few of the gardening events happening in Tennessee. If you have one that you know of and would like to submit for me to add to this list please send me an email.Bloom N’ Garden ExpoThe Williamson County Ag Expo CenterApril 11-12, 2008: 10 AM to 8 PMApril 13, 2008: 12 AM to 5 PMTickets: Adults…

Starting a fall garden is a great thing to do. Especially so when there is so much uncertainty in the world. A fall garden provides food security and is a great way to relieve stress! Fall gardens are not hard to get started but there are a few things you need to know in order to get one going successfully….

This week we had our peak fall color.  Not to be confused with a peek at fall color which we will do also!.  Our fall color is loaded with maples, sassafras, and a few other trees along the way. We’re gifted to have our property situated on one side of a woods that gives us a great fall color view….

It’s almost that time of year again: Fall Planting Season! When the weather cools off, the days become shorter, Pumpkin Spice is everywhere (OK that may not be the greatest thing), and it will be time to get your fall bulbs and rhizomes planted in the ground. Planting these plants in the fall allows their root systems to acclimate over…

The other day the rain garden completed a mini-test. It really was more of a pop quiz. It wasn’t multiple choice or fill in the blank. It was true or false, did it work or not? There was only about 0.34 inches of rain but it easily handled that amount. Here’s what the drainage looked like before the rain garden…

Over the last two months life has thrown many curveballs that have beaned the batter on numerous occasions. You would think that I’d be making some runs here or there but unfortunately I seem to be getting out at third every time. What does this baseball analogy have to do with anything? Well sometimes we get taken away from what…

Milkweed Seeds Seed starting is just about to begin in earnest for the year. In some cases the seeds you might want to grow may require some extra steps to germinate best. Annuals tend to do just fine without much pretreatment but often perennials need a period of cold to break dormancy and begin to germinate. This cold period is…

For a couple years now I’ve 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 18″ little bush with glossy green leaves and…

If you plan to sell plants you have to have plants to sell. So how does one go about getting a supply of plants for a nursery business? As plant retailers we really have only two options: produce the plants on our own or buy them from someone else and resell the plants. Both options have some very good advantages…