Cold Climate Gardening

I’ve just read about a wonderful hydrangea at the Renegade Gardener website. I’ve recommended Don Engebretson’s site before, and I’m glad to do it again. His description of Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’ convinced me that I’ve just got to have one. Too bad it won’t be available nationally till next year. Well, that just gives me more time to figure out where I will plant it. Besides, it will probably be too pricey for me for several years after that. Maybe. Or maybe it will be next year’s birthday present of choice.

While you’re reading up on this shrub, check out the other great features on his site, such as Don’t DO That! and Myth of the Week. P.S. …

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For my birthday, my oldest son Teman got me a wireless min-max thermometer, but we discovered that it didn’t go down lower than 32°F unless you used the probe, which, of course, isn’t wireless. I remembered the one I had admired (at our car mechanic’s office) had the Weather Channel logo on it, so I went to the Weather Channel website, and, sure enough, they have a store. A little search revealed a min-max thermometer pretty similar to our mechanic’s, but a little more searching revealed this.

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Just came across the November/December 2002 issue of Organic Gardening, and on pages 34-35 they had plans for the mother of all coldframes. (Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the plans on the Organic Gardening website, so you’ll have to find the issue at a library and photocopy it.) The author, David Wann, and his neighbor designed “a frame that could deliver fresh food straight through our harsh Colorado winter. Our plan of attack was to give it a sheltered spot oriented directly south, sheath it in insulation, sink it several inches below ground level . . . and equip it with thermal mass–basically, water-filled milk jugs–to store solar energy.” The coldframe is built around the dimensions of a discarded …

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I was just looking at Richter’s on line and saw all the rosemary varieties. They sell plug tray’s of 120cts of many plants that I am always tempted to buy because it is such a great deal, but can’t really reconcile why I need 120 of anything. Part of me would love to sell plants at the farmers market, but I know that it is not the right time in my life to embark on such endeavors. They do have the Limelight helichrysum, Kath, which I think you got in poor condition from Whiteflower farm, if my memory serves me.

I have been wasting time drawing diagrams of the next hunk of sod I want to remove from …

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Okay, Lynda, tell us what some of your fave companies are, and what did they offer that tempted you so?

I have gotten very frustrated over the last several years over my seed-raising performance. Oh, I start them just fine, but when it comes time to plant . . . well, the spot where I want to plant them needs to be weeded first, the final paperwork for homeschooling must be completed, one of five children’s birthdays during that time period must be prepared for . . . The end result is, my seedlings don’t get planted out until the end of June, completely rootbound and leggy. This is not the way I want to run my garden! So I …

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