Guest Post by Allen Bush Willie Nelson warns, in his song of the same name, “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys…” Then he offers a way out: “Make ‘em lawyers and doctors and such.” Willie, I have a better idea. Make ‘em gardeners and such. The pay scale won’t come [...]
Read more in: Guest Rants, It's the Plants, Darling
Body: Posted by Bert CreggLast week I posted about some horticultural disasters I witnessed in the Czech Republic. This week the chamber of horrors. […]
Biodiverse Lawn by Coalition Member Thomas Christopher Like other members of this group, I believe that the contemporary model of lawn has got to go.. […]
Body: Posted by Linda Chalker-Scott If you've been following us for a while, you might remember a post from August 2009 when I got cranky about a pot. […]
I never thought I’d have the patience or the fortitude to plant a themed garden, but all the sudden I’m thinking about a very dark garden. Ironically, dark gardens need a lot of light: my ‘Black Lace’ sambucus goes green in the shade but gets very dark in the...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Shut Up and Dig
If you’ve been watching, you probably noticed the Olympic bouquets. At first glance they look rather traditional, though pretty—a tight, colorful bunch of roses. But as is usual with these, there is a story behind the flower choice and where the flowers come from. They include four kinds of...
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Okay, so before you get all “you people in California can do anything,” let me just say that we all have our challenges, garden-wise. Here in Eureka, my challenge is that it never, ever gets warm (today’s temps are high of 62, low of 54, and I am...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Shut Up and Dig
Boy, when you reveal your garden here on the web, you’d better be prepared for feedback – the honest stuff, not for the thin-skinned. That’s what I got after I posted photos of my new back yard, via comment and email, and I’m sharing some of the suggestions because...
Read more in: Designs, Tricks, and Schemes, It's the Plants, Darling
A miracle has occurred on the Kansas prairie. I have, at long last, grown sweet corn in the Flint Hills. Praise God, and pass the butter and salt! This may not be an earth-shattering accomplishment to many of you from other climes, and perhaps not to any farmer in this area, but...
Read more in: Guest Rants, It's the Plants, Darling
Although a meadow of drought-resistant wildflowers would be great, living under the shade of four big maple trees may be the next best thing. At least this year. This is the first time Garden Walk visitors have complimented me on my shade instead of commiserating. People were talking about...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Shut Up and Dig
Though I missed the boat with Bishop’s Weed and Dayflower, having successfully pulled all these out of my yard years ago, I still have some excellent opportunities with Phytolacca americana, which comes up in various places throughout the property. I had been pulling it out, but this year, a...
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I recently covered the DC-area Daylily Club Show at a garden center I write for, and did some poking around about how this and other shows and the societies that sponsor them are doing locally and nationally. I learned that nationally, membership in the American Hemerocallis Society is now...
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It’s garden walk time in Western New York, where it’s hot, but not too hot to snoop around in other people’s backyards. We have three or four different garden walks in various neighborhoods/suburbs every weekend, culminating in the big Buffalo one at the end of this month. Yesterday, I...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Ministry of Controversy
Guest post by Allen Bush Aside from the Mutiny on the Bounty, where the disgruntled crew tossed breadfruit overboard, I’ve never heard such a High Seas Adventure as the one I learned last month in Israel. My wife Rose and I were on a “Turning Points of History” cruise...
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When I first started gardening seriously, about 12 years ago, I made lists of the flowers I’d always loved and wanted to have in my garden. It was kind of a silly list, keeping in mind that, back then, I barely knew the difference between annuals, perennials, and tropicals....
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This just in from Jay and Ken at Atlock Farm, a most intriguing place in Somerset, NJ: After some 20 years, perched high above the succulents,in a green houses at Atlock Farm, (in Somerset, New Jersey), much beloved Aunt Tilly, cut loose and unceremoniously plopped to the ground. Owner Ken...
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Guest post by Allen Bush Catalpas are seldom planted anymore. Mike Dirr notes these relics in his Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs: “Ever ask the local nursery for a catalpa? Chances are it has none to offer. Southern catalpa and related species nearly qualify for dinosaur status in the landscape world.”...
Read more in: Guest Rants, It's the Plants, Darling
…if I didn’t brag about my tulips. This year, I focused on hybrids in containers, as well as in the two round raised beds on the hellstrip. In the containers: Triumphs Prinses Irene and Passionale (these are the ones I brought inside). On the hellstrip: Temple of Beauty (Single...
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Do gardeners want to put down deep roots, plant trees, and watch them ever so slowly become massive and still presences in the landscapes of their personalities? No, the people who do that are not gardeners. Do gardeners strive to take a slice of earth stuck in this noisy...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Real GardensWashington's new Martin Luther King Memorial sure looks better now than it did last fall when those cherry trees were bare and newly planted and leafless. Really, anything looks better with blooming cherry trees somewhere in view. Thanks to pal Harvey Leifert for uploading these and more of his...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingJust look at this amazing, astonishing, beautiful, very unusual new purple tomato. Does it not fill your heart with lust? Do you not want to order one of these RIGHT NOW? What? You don't see it? Why is that? Because the seed companies make it so damn hard to...
Read more in: Eat This, It's the Plants, Darling, Taking Your Gardening Dollar"At some point, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. roses will be all you have; the beautiful, unique hybrid teas will be gone."—Charlie Anderson, president of Weeks Roses This makes me sad. I’m no big fan of hybrid teas, but for me the romance of growing roses includes all...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingFlickr Creative Commons photo by Franziskas Garten If I hadn’t already put in a sizeable order for these with Brent & Becky’s, I wouldn’t be sharing the news of their new—and startling—availability. The picture in the B&B catalog isn’t the best I’ve seen of these—use Google or Flickr if...
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Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { I'm sure that works most of the time. It worked for another cat I had and in fact my current cat was indoors his first... } – May 22, 12:25 PM Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { You know, I also wonder about the numbers. I'm curious to see figures for wild bird mortality rates as applied to the urban/suburban environment specifically.... } – May 22, 12:08 PM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { Yes dear....that means mesh across the surface of your garden! I cut my mesh fencing (any would work) in strips so it is easier to... } – May 22, 10:22 AM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { Overall, I would say that outdoor cats do kill many birds. They are very bad for island ecosystems. I think it is safer for them... } – May 22, 9:49 AM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { And I should clarify: It's not that outdoor cats CAN'T have a longer lifespan. It's just that the probability of getting hit by a car,... } – May 22, 9:46 AMWe are:
perfect
magazine
gardens.
Gardening
our
asses
off.
Having a
hell of a lot
of fun.
