Every gardener does it at some point: deliberately plant something in the garden that turns out to be a thug that takes years to remove--if ever. Read on to learn more about the plant I'm struggling with.
Kathy Purdy
Rose Purgatory
July 16, 2019 – Posted in: Design, Rose Purgatory, RosesThe mystery rose that came from my neighbor's garden started sending up suckers throughout the bed, threatening to take it over. What did I do? I sent it to Rose Purgatory.
Fly Honeysuckle: My Earliest-Blooming Native Shrub
April 26, 2019 – Posted in: Native/Invasive, What's up/bloomingDo you know fly honeysuckle? It's blooming in my woods right now. A humble, modest plant--but I treasure it. Read my blog post to find out why.
A Garden Bed Grows Up: The Evolution of a Flower Border
March 24, 2019 – Posted in: Design, West DeckSpring is right around the corner, and I've been going through photos of the garden bed adjoining our back deck. My, has it grown up--but it also needs tinkering. If you're looking for some flower power to get you through mud season, c'mon over and check this post out. Who knows? Maybe you'll get some ideas for your own spring renovation.
The First Blooms of 2019
March 17, 2019 – Posted in: Mud Season, What's up/bloomingDesperate times call for desperate measures. Thank goodness my “desperate measures” are already in place. I’ve been planting early blooming bulbs where the snow melts first for several years. And every time the snow starts to melt, I check all those places for signs of emerging sprouts. Do you want to see what I found during our most recent thaw? It's easier than you think to have flowers blooming sooner than your neighbors.
Growing The Earliest Blooms: The Challenge Continues
February 16, 2019 – Posted in: The Earliest Flowers, What's up/bloomingChallenging myself to learn more about plants by trying new techniques and by researching and growing unfamiliar plants helps me grow as a gardener--and as a person. It's all about being a hardy soul and not letting winter get the best of me. Read what I've been up to the last month and let me know in the comments: What cabin-fever-fighting tricks do you have in your arsenal?
Buffalo Gardens and Gardening Budgets: Two Book Reviews
January 28, 2019 – Posted in: Book reviewsIt's cold outside and warm inside, but you've read through and marked up the seed catalogs, going through each one twice, and even placed some orders, so-now what? Read some books, like the two I review here and even more linked to at the bottom of the post.
One Way Or Another, I Will Have Flowers
January 16, 2019 – Posted in: Experiments, How-to, What's up/bloomingBulb forcing has had its ups and downs this winter, but I continue to experiment. One day I'll figure out what works best, but in the meantime, come learn along with me!
(Not) Learning From My Mistakes
December 15, 2018 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingForcing paperwhites is supposed to cheer the gardener through the gloomy, dark days of winter. But this gardener is wailing and gnashing her teeth because the paperwhites aren't cooperating!
My Wintering Over Experiments
December 9, 2018 – Posted in: Experiments, Garden chores, How-toIt's an experiment: I'm wintering over a bunch of plants from my summer containers, hoping I can grow them again next year, even bigger and better. I know I don't have ideal conditions, but I won't know what works and what doesn't unless I try. Read along to find out how I'm storing over a dozen different plants.
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