January 2006

Ten Ways to Use Your Camera in the Garden

January 29, 2006

Judith of knitagarden regards her camera as an essential garden tool. She lists ten ways her camera helps her be a better gardener. Some are pretty obvious, but I for one had never thought to document drainage problems with a camera. Speaking of cameras, one of my goals for this year is to take more [...]

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Jade plant

January 29, 2006

Old Roses mentioned how she has trouble keeping jade plants alive. Heh. She must be too conscientious. This jade plant was started from a piece that broke off a still bigger jade plant that was recently given away. My guess is it’s over ten years old. It grows in my bedroom and is neglected most [...]

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Garden Whimsy

January 26, 2006

Art in the garden. Just hearing that phrase brings to my mind classical statues reigning from alcoves sculpted into centuries-old hedges, or huge, abstract monoliths sitting on perfectly manicured lawns, both completely alien to my way of thinking and my way of life. But there is also garden art that is more casual, personal–eccentric, even–and [...]

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Now I am an expert: Kathy Purdy quoted in AP article

January 25, 2006

I’m an expert, that is, if being quoted in the newspaper makes you an expert. Dean Fosdick writes regularly on gardening topics for the Associated Press, and contacted me for information on gardening blogs and other uses of the computer in gardening. He told me it would run around February 1st, but I just discovered [...]

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Northscaping For Northern Gardeners

January 20, 2006

I go months without finding a single new gardening resource, and then learn of two within twenty-four hours! I’ll let Jim, of Northscaping explain his website in his own words: This web site is the answer, for myself and for all of you who enjoy the pleasure of living in the great north, and who [...]

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She’s back!

January 20, 2006

Mia, the Nature Nut has just posted an entry on her blog. It doesn’t say much, but gives one hope that things are on the upswing.

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Heritage Perennials–A Fun Place to Visit

January 19, 2006

In your plant shopping of the recent past, have you bought a perennial labeled Jeeper Creepers, Happily Ever Appster daylilies, or Trophytaker daylilies? Then you’ve bought a plant that originally came from Heritage Perennials. So what? you say. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but there are very few plant wholesalers that have such a [...]

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My Snowdrops

January 17, 2006

Due to the prolonged January thaw I find that I am actually in the snowdrop race, limping along in last place. These are growing in the same spot as the blooming snowdrops of the previous post. This photo was taken January 12th. Since then, the cold has returned and we’ve even gotten a little snow, [...]

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I need some foreign language help

January 15, 2006

In my sitemeter stats I found this blog linking to mine. I know there are translation utilities available, but I don’t even know what language this is. Can anyone help me out here? I’d like to contact the author and add his/her blog to my directory. I suspect the author knows English, but I can’t [...]

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A Tale of Two Cities. . .I mean, Catalogs

January 11, 2006

So we got this new (meaning, we’ve never gotten this one before, the company’s actually 9 years old) seed catalog in the mail the other day, and I’ve been elected to post about it. They’re called Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and you can find them on the internet here. They’re all about rare, organic, old, [...]

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Potatoes

January 11, 2006

As I’m beginning to get started on my seed order this year, I remember that I meant to post on potatoes. Last year, due to the fascinating varieties offered by Fedco, I ordered my potatoes from them instead of Johnny’s. Most of you probably know that Fedco is divided into several distinct branches; the seeds [...]

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Snowdrop Race

January 5, 2006

Old Roses has won the snowdrop race, but IBOY made a fine showing. Me? I won’t even start looking for snowdrops till February, but I’ll be lucky to find any before March. And what about the Southerners? How far south can one go and still grow snowdrops? These snowdrops were blooming in the Secret Garden [...]

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