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New Garden Additions
This weekend was the annual Bloom ‘N Garden Expo at the Williamson County Agricultural Center. You can bet that when there are plants and me in the same location I’ll end up coming home with something! When going to these festivals I make two rules for myself with purchases. One, the purchase has to be something I don’t have and…
Migrating Hostas to a New Garden
Migration isn’t just limited to the birds and the butterflies, it happens in the garden too. We have about a month before the frost date here in Middle Tennessee (mid-October) and it’s time to move and divide the hostas in my garden. Once that frost date comes the hosta leaves will fade away and the hostas will be harder to…
Propagation Update: Echinacea, Red Twig Dogwood and ‘Dragon’s Blood’ Sedum
As our gardening season draws to a close I thought I’d update you on the progress of some cuttings and how they look now. First up is an echinacea that was a propagation experiment. I took basal stem cuttings (which come from the crown of the root) in the spring. Once it rooted I planted it in our front sidewalk…
A Plant I Couldn’t Resist (‘Oranges and Lemons’ Gaillardia)
There was one plant that I knew I would purchase the second I saw it ‘Oranges and Lemons’ Gaillardia. I found one last year on a discount rack and rescued it from an unknown fate. ‘Oranges and Lemons’ quickly became one of my favorite plants in the garden. It bloomed forever and had some really attractive seed heads shaped like…
Gables Covered!
While I’m excited that the gables on the garden shed were covered this weekend I’m a little disappointed the garden shed siding isn’t finished. As it turns out I ran one piece of siding short of finishing the job! It’s an awful feeling to realize that you’re only a couple steps away from completing a task but you can’t. The…
A Companion Planting Vegetable Garden Layout
Yesterday I put together a small vegetable layout plan for my raised bed garden. It’s just one of many possibilities for companion planting and it only deals with a small number of plants. This plan features tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and marigolds in a 4 foot by 8 foot bed. All of these plants are listed in various companion planting guides…
A Monarch Butterfly Visit
Yesterday we had the good fortune to witness a Monarch butterfly stopping by our ‘Clara Curtis’ mum for a fill-up. Monarchs are on their way south now to find their winter homes and have to stop for nourishment along the way. We usually see them a couple times a year passing through looking for places to lay their eggs or…
Propagating Plants for Your Landscape
Here is a list of topics about propagating plants for your home landscape. The first three posts have some important information on propagating plants while the individual plant posts offer information about propagating the plant in question as well as my own experiences with them. Enjoy! Propagating Plants: The Basics of Cuttings What in the World are Plant Patents? 10…
Propagating in the Early Morning
Early morning is the best time for so many things including plant propagation. Taking cuttings when it is cool prevents them from drying out and losing too much moisture before they get prepared. If a cutting dries out it very well could be the end of the road for your potentially propagated plant! This morning, as I always try to…
Using a Wheelbarrow Planter for Displaying Fall Mums
Is there a flower more typical of fall than mums? Probably not! There are definitely some flowers worthy of autumnal appreciation but the mum is the most common one you’ll find this time of year. I put together a little project for Lowe’s Creative Ideas that uses mums and reuses my dad’s old wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow planter project was easy…
The Frosted Garden
The first frosts are almost always something that this gardener dreads. Mostly because it is the end of the growing season – mostly, some plants will grow on through the winter. But if you look closely at the frost you can also find it is a thing of beauty. Frost on Viburnum x burkwoodii Frost on Butterfly Bush Frost on…
My Simple Compost Solution
You can go out and spend all kinds of money for a fancy compost bin but sometimes a simple solution can work just as well. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a lazy composter. There I said it. I don’t get out there to the bin to turn it regularly. I don’t check it with a fancy compost…
Garden Shed, Drainage Pathway and Loads of Dirt
This past weekend was fantastic. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for getting outdoors and getting things done. I was looking forward to Saturday and the perfect weather a week in advance and knew exactly what I was going to tackle. My plan: to work around the garden shed! I managed to accomplish one major task that needed done…
A Look Around the May Garden
May is always a great time for the garden. Plants and flowers generally look great this time of year. The weather is beginning to warm but the oncoming heat of summer hasn’t bleached out the beauty of the flowers and foliage. Many things are happening around the garden and here’s a few images from my Tennessee garden at the end…
How to Propagate Lavender from Cuttings for The Home Garden
Who wouldn’t want to make more lavender from cuttings? Lavender is a great perennial plant to have around the garden and is an easy one for home gardeners to propagate. Designers use it in knot gardens, formal gardens, or even in pots. It smells great when touched and also has insect repellent properties to help keep the bites at bay….
Tips for Creating an Organic Lawn
Today lots of people are becoming more conscious of how their activities can change the environment. One of the things you often hear about is getting rid of the lawn. I’m not one of those people who advocates getting rid of the lawn but rather being more responsible for lawn care. Here are a few ways to do that! First…
It Is Most Definitely Fall
It’s no secret that this has been a challenging year for our family. My father’s health issues and fight with cancer completely drained our enthusiasm and many things have suffered. That is one reason why this fall is so welcome. Fall represents the closing of the growing season. Winter will come soon after and gardening chores and projects will become…
Yesterday I Robbed LOWE’S
Yesterday I was shopping at our local Lowe’s home improvement store looking for weatherstripping for the garden shed. While there I casually sauntered over to the plant area (after picking up three rolls of foam insulation) to see what they had in stock. It’s rare that I go to a store that has plants and don’t take a look (unfortunately…
