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Nature’s Carpet

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Moss: Nature’s Carpet Edit: Here’s just a short note to mention that I finally managed a little more work on the greenhouse! If you go to the post you’ll see the beginning of a green roof overhang for the front door.

Putting Things Off

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We’ve all done it before, put something off to do later. We justify it as we don’t have time or come up with other reasons that may cover our laziness. Sometimes it’s not laziness but life that interrupts things we want to get done. Really who could blame someone for not doing a gardening task … Read more

Chickadee Ready for A Closeup

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This little chickadee was seen on my back deck going after some birdseed.  It’s always fun to watch the chickadees fly around. They seem fearless and will often just land a few feet way while I’m working in the garden. I didn’t participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count last weekend but I think next … Read more

The Home Garden Weekend Update

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This week finally brought us some nice temperatures, or at least nicer temperatures. We’re still a little under the normal highs for February and will most likely drop down again next week but the warmer weather is definitely something to brighten the spirits. Not only that it also improves the frequency of garden activities! Sunday … Read more

Building A Raised Bed for the Garden

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Building a new raised bed for a vegetable garden isn’t difficult and  doesn’t have to be expensive. This week I put together a new raised bed that measures 3’x10′ with materials I had laying around the garage. It’s wider than I originally intended in my garden layout but I discovered after remeasuring the area that … Read more

Winter’s Light: Shadow Play

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The Gardening Gone Wild photo contest for February is all about Winter Light. The picture below is my entry which I took from our upstairs window out across the yard. I’m calling it Shadow Play, you can probably figure out why! The shadows of the ice covered trees are dancing across the backyard and the … Read more

Gardening with Variegated Liriope

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Among many potential plants a gardener should consider in the garden are ground covers. Groundcovers allow you to fill in areas of the garden for a lush seemless scene. One such groundcover that is very low maintenance is liriope and in this post I’m specifically talking about Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’.  There are other varieties of … Read more

A Few Vegetable Garden Seeds Planted

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While this post might be more interesting to me (for record keeping purposes) than anyone else it contains the list of seed varieties I planted on Monday Feb. 15, 2010. They were planted in peat pots and seed starting medium and are currently under lights indoors in a roughly 70 degree environment. Warmer temperatures might … Read more

Greenhouse Garden Landscape Ideas

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While the snow is coming down I thought I would put together a rough draft garden layout of the gardens I hope to cultivate around the greenhouse once it is complete. The Landscape Garden Layout around my Greenhouse/Gardenshed Garden Landscape Layout for around Our Greenhouse Shed (not to scale) When planning out a landscape project … Read more

Monarda is Called Bee Balm for a Reason!

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Monarda is called bee balm for a reason! This bee balm was brought home as a division from a plant in my wife’s aunt’s garden in West TN. Monarda is a great plant for attracting pollinators! It doesn’t only attract bees, butterflies are more than happy to land upon this flowering perennial. I planted it … Read more

Perennials Around the Vegetable Garden

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This time of year when the weather is inhospitable I take a look back through the pictures I’ve taken and informally review the previous year. That’s one great advantage when you blog, you have a record of most things and photographs of almost everything else! Here’s a picture from September just outside our vegetable garden. … Read more

How to Add Magic to the Garden

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Magic is something I’ve been fascinated with since I was a kid. Not card tricks, rabbits out of hats, and other birthday party magic.  It’s the stories from fairy tales and King Arthur to the myths and legends of various cultures have always caught my attention. I’ll admit it, I’m a science fiction and fantasy … Read more

It Won’t Be Long…

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…before the daffodils bloom! We are definitely behind last year’s blooms. The only daffodils I saw outside today were 1-2 inch leaves protruding from the ground. Anyone have a guess as to when the first daffodil in my garden will be blooming? Latest Greenhouse Post: How I’ll Use My Greenhouse.

How I’ll Use My Greenhouse

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I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to use my greenhouse lately. There’s just enough complete on the greenhouse construction to tantalize my imagination and since people use greenhouse in so many ways that the options are virtually limitless. I don’t grow orchids or many tropical plants which means the greenhouse won’t be used for … Read more

Snowhenge and the Ziggurat of Ice

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Surely one of the greatest mysteries to appear in the history of the state of Tennessee. Recently strange shapes have appeared across the landscape. Covered with a cold and white mysterious substance these shapes reportedly have been erected by the mysterious “snowpeople” (the exact gender cannot be known except by manner of dress. Top hats … Read more

The Home Garden on Facebook

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I have to admit it, I’m way behind on the Facebook thing! I’m just now getting around to adding an official Facebook page for The Home Garden where people can follow the blog. Many other garden bloggers have already created pages there and it really looks like an easy way for people to keep up … Read more

Winter Around The Greenhouse Shed

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The recent snowstorm here in Tennessee has given us some very nice images.  I showed some of the images from some ornamental grasses and other plants a couple days ago but here are a few from around my still incomplete greenhouse shed project. The trees behind the greenhouse are covered in ice making them appear … Read more

Putting Siding on the Greenhouse Shed

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It’s been a little while since my last greenhouse shed update but things are coming along. It’s been difficult to deal with the cold temperatures and find suitable days to work but that’s the challenge of working on an outdoor project in the winter. Lately we’ve been focusing on applying siding to the solid areas … Read more

While at the Book Store…

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…I noticed something odd on the shelves and it was a little disconcerting to see. I went to the big chain bookstore in Franklin to see what kind of garden books they were carrying with the intent on purchasing one with some leftover money I received for my birthday last July. I know it’s been … Read more

How to Root Viburnums from Hardwood Cuttings

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Around Thanksgiving I took 6 small 4 node cuttings from a single viburnum at my in-law’s house. I don’t know what variety the viburnum but that doesn’t bother me, I can find out when the leaves begin to grow and the flowers start to bloom (which admittedly might be awhile). For now though I’ll just … Read more

You Don’t Need Much Space to Propagate Plants

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You don’t need much space to propagate plants. In fact you can propagate a bunch of plants in some very small spaces like in the containers in the picture. Together I have 5 different kinds of plants ready for rooting including red twig dogwood, rhododendron, azalea, Purple Leaf Plum Propagation, Japanese maple, and Yoshino cherry. … Read more

Great Home Gardens: An Italian Garden

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A few weeks ago an email came in my box asking me a question about propagating irises. I answered the question then received a picture of the questioning gardener’s garden. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. Climbing roses mixed with many varieties of perennials create a living painting in Ennio’s backyard. … Read more

Wacky Winter Weather

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You know the saying “If you don’t like the weather in {Insert your state here}, just wait a few minutes!” In the last two days, and possibly much of January, truer words could not be said about the weather here in Tennessee. Gray skies have been intermittent with occasional sun. The temperatures have been warm, … Read more

My Seeds, A Report From a Collecting Addict

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Today I sat down during a massive deluge of precipitation and came to a realization, I’m a seed collecting addict. It wasn’t a conscious choice to collect all these seeds, it kind of just happened over time. I counted 53 varieties of vegetables and 16 varieties of herbs. I didn’t even attempt to count the … Read more

Best Materials for Raised Beds in Your Garden

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I’m a huge fan of vegetable gardening – or any gardening for that matter – in raised beds. There are many reasons raised beds are great for gardens like being able to garden nearly anywhere (even on rocky ground), controlling the soil, or planting more plants in a smaller space but what actually makes a … Read more

Signs of Spring and Greenhouse Updates

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Sometimes looking at plants from above just makes you think of more winter, more cold, more rain, more sleet , more snow… ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum – seed heads …but if you look underneath you just might find a little bit more to look forward to! ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum – sprouting Greenhouse Update: I completed some … Read more

Blocks, Bricks and Floor

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Before I began building my greenhouse shed I did some research into what makes a good greenhouse. Among many important aspects like positioning (for ideal sun), materials, and passive heating I learned that a porous surface for flooring is essential. It makes sense, plants need water – plants will drip water, it has to go … Read more

My Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Changes for 2010

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Each year I try to expand the vegetable garden a little bit more. The first year in our home I didn’t have time to put together a garden before the growing season started and we missed out on any vegetable garden. The “L” Shaped Raised Beds: The second year I put together a set of … Read more

A View From The Greenhouse

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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 … Read more

How Heucheras Begin (Starting Heuchera Seeds)

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Recently I started some heuchera seeds while we were suffering through the record setting deep cold of the last several weeks. I had to do something garden related to lighten my spirits that were quickly being squashed by the weather’s entrapments and starting some seeds seemed to be a good choice.  It’s easy to start … Read more

Bricks for the Greenhouse Floor

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Today I picked up nearly 300 bricks for use in the greenhouse floor. Bricks are a good choice for flooring since they are solid yet can allow water to flow through the cracks. They will also help to absorb heat during the day and release it at night when the temperatures are cooler which is … Read more

Thinking of Warmer Days

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I’m definitely ready for warmer days ahead. How about you? ‘Forest Pansy’ Redbud Cercis canadensis Here’s just a quick picture from our ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud (Cercis canadensis) taken back in May. The purple foliage reverts to a greenish foliage in the summertime. These are usually propagated by grafting the ‘Forest Pansy’ scion onto seed grown … Read more

Parterre Vegetable Garden Layout – Raised Beds

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While stuck indoors over the last several days because of the cold weather I thought perhaps designing a couple vegetable garden layouts might be a fun use of my time. This particular vegetable garden design fits into the classic parterre layout. A vegetable garden with the parterre garden design would easily lend itself to a … Read more

How to Separate Heuchera Seeds to Save and Grown

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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 … Read more

Our “Massive” January Snowfall

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As usual the weather forecasters just couldn’t nail our weather forecast. Several days ago they began hyping the massive snowfall of 1-3 inches that was on its way. The forecast at one point even predicted 2-4 inches! OK I know you northern gardeners are saying “massive snowfall?” Please keep in mind that everything is relative … Read more

Chilly Days and Things to Do

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There’s not much happening on the greenhouse right now – it’s too cold! I walked out this afternoon to see if I could add some weather stripping to the front windows but it was too cold to add them as it needed to be higher than 40 degrees, or so said the packaging. This time … Read more

Cold Cardinals and Mockingbird Backsides

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Is it cold enough for you yet? Too cold if you ask me! Temperatures are not destined to be above freezing in the foreseeable future here in TN. I’m intentionally laying low indoors due to those low temperatures but others are not so lucky. The birds are fluffing their feathers out as much as they … Read more

Working on the Front Door

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Before Christmas we managed one more work day on the greenhouse shed. It was the last work day since the recent temperatures have been unbearably cold for working. It’s not predicted to be above freezing at all in the forecast. Snow is even being mentioned but I’ll believe it when I see it! We managed … Read more

Plant Nurseries and Resources

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Here are a few plant nurseries that you may find useful. But first a little advice on buying plants from nurseries: Always do plenty of research before buying any plant to make sure it will do well in your garden. Check for light requirements, water needs, soil types, recommend fertilizer regimens, and pest and disease … Read more

Garden Projects for 2010

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Last year I began what will become an annual tradition of laying out all the garden projects I plan to work on for the year. This way you can get an idea what I’ll be getting myself into even if I don’t! Last year’s list changed as I went through the year and inevitably this … Read more

Garden Project Review for 2009

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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 … Read more

Some Good Plants to Propagate with Hardwood Cuttings

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I thought I would take a moment to talk about hardwood cuttings. It is the beginning of winter and which is also a great time to go out and try to reproduce many of your favorite woody trees and shrubs in the garden. Many plants will easily propagate through hardwood cuttings and I’ve included a … Read more

Coral Bells of December

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To say I’m a fan of heucheras is an understatement. I like to think of myself as a collector of coral bells, as they are often called, even though my collection is still just a work in progress. I’m gradually adding different varieties to my garden but seem to be running out of room in … Read more

More on GM Seeds

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Last week the idea of genetically modified seeds popped up due to a seed giveaway I was hosting. I mentioned that it would be a good topic for further discussion and recently Susy at Chiot’s Run put together a great post explaining everything that you need to know about GM seeds. It’s frustrating to realize … Read more

Greenhouse Roof Finally Enclosed

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Finally the major air gap that lurked just beneath the roof line has been enclosed and trimmed up. It’s not air tight yet and needs sealing but the major 3.5 inch x 16 foot gaps are no longer open on the sides of the greenhouse. I’m not ready to open the champagne yet but I … Read more

An Alien World of Moss and Fungus

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Sometimes when you look really close at things they appear much different than you expect. Sometimes closeup pictures appear almost…alien. Like a strange land that contains unique flora of its own. What do you think? Can you imagine the foreign fluffy ferns and gigantic puffy cup-shaped mushroom fungi? Can you disappear for a moment into … Read more

The Greenhouse: What To Do Next?

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It’s been several days since I’ve been able to accomplish anything on the greenhouse. I’m hoping that Monday will be the day to get things done as it’s predicted to be 60 degrees with only a 20% chance of rain. Usually the 20% chance of rain will happen right when I don’t want it so … Read more

Something I’ve Neglected

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From afar the garden doesn’t look too bad and fairly typical of a garden in December. Dead branches, bare bushes, and fading perennials are all common this time of year. But there is something in these garden areas that I’m disappointed in and it’s my fault…weeds! The winter weeds are creeping into every garden all … Read more

Feed Scrapers and Me

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I am by no means and expert on the subject but over the last couple months I’ve learned a lot about feed scrapers and content theft. It’s an insidious problem that just seems to get worse. Mr. Brownthumb recently invited me to do a guest post on his blog GardenBloggers (a great place for garden … Read more

Sharp-Shinned Hawk in My Garden

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Imagine my surprise when I looked out of the back door and saw an accipter yesterday! That’s a member of the Acciptridae family which are birds of prey like hawks. Don’t worry I didn’t know that either until now. I looked into what kind of hawk-falcon this bird was and finally settled on a Sharp-shinned … Read more

Not GMO

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I think the whole subject of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) in our food supply is definitely worth its own post as many people (including myself) have some great concerns. I will not knowingly advocate for GMO’s and definitely caution against their consumption. I am not a scientist and don’t know all the facts regarding the … Read more

A New Branch

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Since changing my URL to www.growingthehomegarden.com from thehomegarden.blogspot.com over the summer I’ve realized that I have been under-utilizing my fancy new domain name. There’s this whole concept of subdomains that can fit right in with your main domain that can really enable blogs to branch out in different directions, which is what I’m in the … Read more

Greenhouse Security

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Despite recent events at the White House the security of my greenhouse shed just won’t ever be as good as that of the Secret service. Since it is also a shed and will be housing my lawnmowers, weedeater, various garden tools, hoses, and all the plants I hope to propagate I need something to keep … Read more

Under the Cover of a December Frost

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One cold December morning a frost covered the land. It was still as everything and everyone was awaiting the sun to add warmth for the day. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebra Grass’ Rain Garden Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) Birdbath Garden ‘Powis Castle’ Artemisia, ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia guaranitica, Viburnum, and the remains of many others. Birdbath Garden Frozen … Read more

The Cold of Winter is Coming

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Today more than many others I felt the cold of winter beginning to enter our Tennessee garden. The weather has been mild all throughout November and as December approaches noticeable changes are entering my consciousness. Overcast skies seem more prevalent than the sunny days we’ve been fortunate to enjoy, colder air seems to last here … Read more

Leatherman Pruners?

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I was looking on Amazon at some of the bestselling garden tools recently and I noticed this little tool that I found interesting: A Leatherman Pruning tool. It’s a neat idea but as I pondered it I began to wonder exactly how useful it might be. Would it be able to replace my Swiss Army … Read more

Happy Thanksgiving!

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I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday this Thanksgiving! Visit well, eat well, and most of all give thanks for all the wonders of life that we take for granted each and every day. I would like to thank everyone who reads this gardening blog for adding something extra to the enjoyment of … Read more