From the monthly archives:

December 2008

Write your garden’s mission statement

December 31, 2008

Many of us write goals or resolutions for the new year, but have you ever considered writing your garden’s mission statement? Helen Yoest of Gardening with Confidence encourages us to do just that.
Many of us have named our garden, but I think a mission statement goes further. It forces you to think about what you [...]

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Why rain gauges break and plants heave

December 28, 2008

It was a balmy 57F out today, a pleasant change from last week’s snow, so I took a stroll around the garden to see what I could see. I saw the new growth of sedums at soil level, and I saw colchicums emerging from the earth, way too early as usual.I also saw the damage [...]

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Snow is good for dormant plants

December 19, 2008

“Finally, a decent snowfall.” That’s my first reaction as an ornamental gardener, thinking about the dormant plants. Snow is a great insulator and keeps the soil–and the roots of plants–warmer than if that same soil were exposed to the air.
This is one reason why Ellen Hornig of Seneca Hill Perennials can grow many plants from [...]

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Still More Garden Tweeters

December 17, 2008

Even as I was writing my first post about garden twitterers (aka tweeters), I was discovering new ones and agonizing about the ones I didn’t include. So here are some more. Plus, at the end, more hints about finding more on your own.

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Garden Bloggers Bloom Day December 2008

December 15, 2008

It’s not much, but it’s more than I had last year.
There are two methods for getting Christmas cactus to bloom. One way is to keep it in total darkness from 6pm to 8am starting September 1st until buds form. The second way is to keep it cool (say 53F) from mid-September to mid-October. (Source: The [...]

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Top Garden Twitterers

December 10, 2008

On his TwitTip blog Darren Rowse challenged people to come up with ten must-follow tweeters for their own particular niche. Naturally, I immediately thought of the garden tweeters.
I found it pretty challenging to decide on ten, because most people who tweet (that is, use Twitter) don’t limit themselves to one topic. So should I pick [...]

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Max-Min Thermometer for Cold Climate Gardeners

December 8, 2008

I think every gardener should know the air temperature where their plants are growing (indoors or out). Most people are aware that it can get too cold for plants, but if you’re not gardening in the South, you may not realize it can get too hot for plants, too. That’s why I put one on [...]

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Stocking stuffer gifts for gardeners

December 3, 2008

You could easily spend a lot of money making your favorite gardener happy this holiday season, but fortunately, you don’t have to. I personally use all three of the items below, and can assure you they are worth every penny of their modest price. Whether it’s a gift exchange at the garden club, a little [...]

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