Did you Get Lost in the 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…

OK folks, I’m more than a little irritated at the moment. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case then several someones have really enjoyed what they have read here on The Home Garden. It’s not the idea of someone using my content to promote gardening, to teach someone something, or to display a…

Last year I planted two ‘Winter’s Snowman’ camellias in the front garden. I was hoping that they would bloom last year but alas it was not to be, but they have started blooming this year! The first of the white camellia blooms opened today.  It wasn’t fully open when I snapped the picture but I just couldn’t wait to share…

After being cooped up all winter my daughters and I hightailed it to the backyard and spent the day outdoors digging in the dirt. We accomplished many of the chores I mentioned on Friday (wait they weren’t chores because I enjoyed doing them!). One of those tasks was a rearrangement of the vegetable garden. I wanted to move four small…

It won’t be long at all before we can go wild and plant everything we want in Middle TN. I’ve been holding back my tomatoes until all signs of frost are gone in the forecast and it looks like this weekend will be the weekend for tomato planting! Just so you know the best way to plant a tomato is…

We had another harvest of tomatoes this week! We’ve been loving the sheer volume of tomatoes this summer and are sadly lamenting the end of the harvest that will be coming soon. The weather is still warm enough for the tomatoes to produce and there will probably be another crop before the frosts but the end is near! Most of…

Among many garden chores that come in spring perhaps the biggest is the trimming of the ornamental grasses. Trimming back perennials can be time consuming but the ornamental grasses can be a bear. It’s not the tiny little hair-like strands of the Nassella tenuissima (Ponytail grass), or the tall and narrow ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grasses. The panicums aren’t a…

As I’m writing this post I’m hearing the buzz of riding lawnmowers from various neighbors in our community and I thought why in the world are they mowing? It hasn’t rained and dust clouds are flying up everywhere which leads me to a second question why are they mowing the dirt? Things like this drive me nuts so I thought…

It’s never too late to plan! Very soon, if not already for some vegetables, gardeners here in Tennessee need to begin plating for your fall harvests. Fall crops are generally cool season although warm season crops can continue to produce until the first frost, which is a very important date to know! (If you need to find that information check…

Here is the new plant of the week. Obviously this is an old picture since nothing is growing right now, but here’s a little taste of the spring to come. This isn’t from our yard but it is a nice example of a vine being used to accent a structure. Go ahead and make an educated guess!

When starting a new garden there are a million things you may be thinking about. While they may be important, or at least important to you, there are 3 key elements that are absolutely the most important things to consider when starting a new garden. I’m beginning the challenge to starting a brand new vegetable garden from scratch and these…

One of the best times to work out in the garden is the early morning before 7:30 AM. Anytime thereafter the temperature and humidity skyrockets, at least here in Tennessee. Early morning is also one of the best times for watering. It gives the plants water in the coolest part of the day when they can absorb the most since…

I do a lot of cuttings and have experimented with quite a few mediums but over the years I’ve found that sand is one of the best options out there for a rooting medium. Sand is readily available, sterile, and versatile, making it an excellent choice for successful propagation. In this post I’ll tell you about the advantages of using…

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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!

While earlier in the week brought progress to the outside of the greenhouse garden shed this weekend brought some progress to the inside. I had already insulated parts of the shed where there is no glass but I needed to cover the insulation. Fortunately there is plenty of scrap plywood laying around the shed from doing the outside sheathing plus…

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…

We have three children in our household who love to be outdoors.  It’s extremely hard for this gardener to sneak outside without someone tagging along.  That’s a good thing! I’m thrilled that they love to be outside in the open air experiencing what all kids should have the opportunity to experience.  It’s important though that the garden be a safe…