How-to

How to Analyze An Area of Your Yard to Improve It: The Parking Pad Bed

by Kathy Purdy March 9, 2014

In case you are just joining in: About two-and-a-half years ago our family moved from our long-time rural home to a different 19th-century farm house about twenty-five minutes from our previous one. I have been renovating the landscape around the house in a non-systematic frenzy and writing about it as time permits. (Previous posts are […]

8 comments Read the full article →

What Every Cold Climate Gardener Should Know About Growing Kumquats

by Ruth Kassinger February 25, 2014

A guest post about Meiwa kumquat trees for a blog about gardening in cold climates? Oh, yes. If you have a sunny spot in your yard in summer and a south- or south-west-facing window in your house, you’ll love this little tree. I live in suburban Maryland, and am the happy owner of the two […]

6 comments Read the full article →

How To Make Garden Beds Without Too Much Fuss

by Kathy Purdy February 5, 2014

When I first started gardening, the “proper” way to prepare a garden bed was double digging. I wouldn’t recommend that for anything except really long-lived plants, like peonies and asparagus. These days many people recommend lasagna gardening or something similar. I tried that, and it didn’t work too well for me. The biggest mistake I […]

20 comments Read the full article →

How to Pull Your Potted Plants Through the Winter

by Kathy Purdy November 17, 2013

It happens to all of us. At least, it happens to me and a lot of other gardeners I know. Winter is right around the corner and you have all these plants in pots that you were sure you were going to have time to plant during the growing season. And now the growing season […]

13 comments Read the full article →

The Front Walk Is Finished

by Kathy Purdy August 31, 2013

Last weekend the last stage of the front walk project was completed. Every stone had to be leveled and the gaps between stones filled in.

16 comments Read the full article →

Stone Puzzle: The Front Walk Emerges

by Rundy July 28, 2013

The path project, on hold for weeks, finally took a step forward this past weekend. The split blue stone from the quarry arrived last week, three large pallets worth. The stone came in a variety of thickness and sizes, from half an inch thick to three inches thick, and from one foot in diameter to […]

16 comments Read the full article →

How to Rescue a Plant with Yellow Leaves

by Kathy Purdy July 11, 2013

Because my ‘Josef Lemper’ hellebore was turning yellow, I decided to contact my source for advice. This plant was sent to me to try out in my garden compliments of Skagit Gardens, so I contacted Rhonda Jennings, who sent me the sample, to see what she thought. The best thing to do, if you haven’t […]

4 comments Read the full article →

Garden Epiphanies

by Kathy Purdy April 13, 2013

Gardening experience, for the most part, is accrued bit by bit, as decisions are made to do this chore before the other, plants die and we know why–or we don’t–and mental notes are made about what is blooming when. But every so often, the gardener has an epiphany, a light bulb moment. These milestones represent […]

16 comments Read the full article →

Fairy Gardens: Preparing Them for Winter plus Book Giveaway

by Julie Bawden Davis March 19, 2013

They may look delicate with their dainty wings and ephemeral personalities, but don’t let fairies and their gardens fool you. With some weatherizing and a winter vacation indoors, you can tap into the fairy garden craze and enjoy your own miniature landscape no matter where you live. Container preparation Make your fairy’s home as sturdy […]

20 comments Read the full article →

Crocuses in the Lawn: Planting

by Kathy Purdy January 5, 2013

Is This A Good Place to Plant Bulbs? In my previous post on crocuses in the lawn, I explained why I chose the site I did. It had southern exposure, so the snow melted early there, and was near enough to the driveway so that anyone arriving would be sure to see them. So this […]

16 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries