From the monthly archives:

February 2006

Answers to Betsy & Heather’s questions

February 28, 2006

Hi gals, isn’t it fun to dream of gardening when it’s raining too much to set foot in the garden? And, yes, Betsy, this is not the end of winter. In Boundary County we can have snow & freezes every month of the year so it’s not over yet. It’s a very [...]

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Gardening for the Long Haul

February 28, 2006

I myself would like to meet Death in the flower garden–falling facedown onto a cushion of Dianthus gratianopolitanus, if it’s not to much to ask. ~ Elisabeth Sheldon, Time and the Gardener : Writings on a Lifelong Passion
But last and best, I’d like to thank my grandmother Elizabeth McIver, long dead, who when told she [...]

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Garden Book Meme

February 25, 2006

Ever since the Bookish Gardener posted this meme on her blog, I’ve wanted to try it, but with the additional twist of limiting it to gardening books. Then Judith of knitagarden tagged me, and I figured if I’m ever going to get around to it, winter is the time. It seems there are two versions [...]

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Renovating a Garden: Where to Start?

February 22, 2006

Donna Marie emailed:
I am desperate! I have recently bought a property with a huge front and back garden. Both gardens are completely overgrown. Huge bramble bushes and unidentified shrubs loom out at me each time I walk out onto the tired old patio at the back of the house. The [...]

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Gardening in February

February 21, 2006

Forget the weeding. That was an anomaly. Back, sort of, to the real February. I say “sort of” because yesterday and today the temperature is hovering a bit above freezing, which is on the warm side for February around here. (Average high for the month is 30F, and my outdoor thermometer registers 35F right [...]

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Wacky Winter Weeding

February 20, 2006

Is there anyone in North America not having an atypical winter? These twigs were photographed by Justin in January. After I took the photos for the preceding post the first Saturday in February, I was able to spend a good two hours weeding before being chased inside by rain. For those of you who live [...]

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Kathy’s Hall of Shame

February 19, 2006

I took all these pictures on February 4th, when I was trying to decide on plant orders. It was mild enough to go outside and take a cold hard look at what’s out there. The photo above is the section of the Birthday Garden where I have uprooted 5 Malva alcea ‘Fastigiata’ and innumerable self-sown [...]

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An Herby Botanical Valentine

February 14, 2006

With apologies to John Gerard…
Oh faire Rosemary,
There’s never enough thyme
To write fines valentines.
Oh rue the mind that’s dill not sage
And leaves undone this pot de fun.
Chive me knot for I mint well,
And woad you true, my savory one.
Ye are free to lovage you wish,
But please, a teas, do not be.
Celery be aligned?
Shallot be “yea” or [...]

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Lee Valley Valentine

February 14, 2006

It being Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d tell you about my favorite garden tool company. Lee Valley Tools is based in Ottawa, Canada. It was started in 1977 by Leonard G. Lee and his wife Lorraine, and their son Robin now runs the company. They sell woodworking and gardening tools, though you will also find [...]

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I can’t believe I did this

February 12, 2006

I’ve wanted a birdbath for a long time, but most birdbaths I’ve seen just didn’t appeal to me. They either seemed too crude or too faddish, and every single one that didn’t look shoddy was too expensive. I really liked the classical good looks of this one, but it was $375 in an upscale catalog, [...]

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TundraGarden

February 2, 2006

Anne Brygger claims to have the northernmost garden on the North American continent. She gardens in Barrow, Alaska. Is that Zone 2?
Indeed it is. Plus the average summer temp is around 45F, and day length is about May 10 through August 2 (sunrise to sunset). And we are a poorly drained desert…. [...]

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Christopher Lloyd dies at 84

February 1, 2006

In case you haven’t heard, Christopher Lloyd died last Friday. I know many of you enjoyed his writing, as I did. His books could be frustrating, because so many things he grew were not hardy, but I found when he was writing for North American audiences, such as articles in Horticulture, he took [...]

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