Cold Climate Gardening

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and many retailers who normally don’t feature gardening products have potted flowering plants and other quasi-gardening gifts prominently displayed. I thought I’d take the opposite tack and share with you my favorite non-gardening garden “thingies.” Most of them don’t qualify as tools. Some of them, quite frankly, would look like garbage to most people, and I am always a bit anxious that some of my favorites might be thrown out by mistake. [Read more →]

These plants don’t look too happy, but I’m not sure if it’s the cold that put them in a snit, or a viral infection. Left to right: Daylily 2E, Colchicum giganteum, Daylily 4B, C. ‘Harlequin,’ Daylily 4C, C. speciousum

After nearly two weeks of warm, frost-free weather in April, my garden got socked with a 22 degree (-6C) night. I would like to think these poor plants are suffering from frost damage, but I know streaking in the leaves is a symptom of many plant viruses. [Read more →]

“We considered dressing up for the hoedown, but we’re pretty casual folks, and felt more comfortable in our regular duds. The rock rake is a little unusual, but the rest of us are pretty average. Well, Ms. Ho-Mi is not your average hoe, I suppose. We’ve all been here at Purdyville long enough that we’re not exactly sure when we all got here, or why. But now that we’re here, we’re glad to help out whenever we’re needed. Thanks for inviting us, Carol. We don’t get out much.”

My sister gave me two dahlia tubers in March. I left them carelessly banging around the kitchen for a couple of weeks, and noticed they had tiny little sprouts showing.

So I planted them in shallow pots. And they are doing great, as you can see. Only problem is, they are frost tender and I dare not plant them out for another month. Case in point: frost is predicted for tonight. So, I’m thinking I need to pot them on, but what size pot should I use? Shallow or deep? And should I pinch the stems? Cold climate gardeners, I need all your dahlia tricks and tips!

Dahlias have never done well for me. Yes, they grow. But they usually bloom for the first time about three days before the first frost. Every couple of years I try to find a warmer microclimate than the last place I tried. I’ve never gotten much bloom no matter where they’re planted. So I figured it was time to give them a head start, just like we have to do for all the frost tender vegetables and annuals. But I find I really don’t know dahlia physiology; I don’t know if their roots go deep or wide. So help me out here!

On April 19th I met my sister in Ithaca, NY. She is a graduate of Cornell University, and has made many visits since then. We were going to the ACNARGS meeting in the afternoon, but first she wanted to show me a few of her favorite places.

One of the places she wanted to take me was the Agway store in Ithaca. In my area Agway is a feed store that is slowly morphing into a lawn and garden store as the farms die away. Sure, you can get a replacement spark plug for your lawn mower, or pick up a flat of pansies–if you’re not fussy about what kind or color of pansies you get. But Agway as a garden destination? I was dubious. [Read more →]

Thank you for nominating this blog for Best Garden Blog Design. I’ve put a lot of thought and hours into the design, and I’m pleased that you appreciate my efforts.

According to the Mouse & Trowel website, “the Mouse & Trowel Awards were created by freelance writer and garden blogger Colleen Vanderlinden to honor and reward excellence in online gardening. Awards for a variety of blog and website categories, as well as podcasting awards, are awarded every May after nomination and voting phases.”

You don’t have to be a garden blogger to vote. You don’t have to blog at all to vote. But really, you should check out the blogs before you vote, if you’re not familiar with them.

I am sure I first read A Way to Garden: A Hands-On Primer for Every Season in 1998, the year it was published. I may have been the first person to pull it off the library book shelf and take it home. It had everything I ever want in a garden book: great photos that actually illustrate the text, and text that makes you think about the “why” of gardening as well teaching you a thing or two.

Well, the book is now a blog. [Read more →]