The course of true spring never did run smooth, but it's getting off to an early start this year! How many different kinds of plants do you have blooming during mud season? Bet you I have more!
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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.
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!
The Last of the Hardiest
November 15, 2017 – Posted in: Hellebores, What's up/bloomingNovember started out marvelously with highs in the 50s(F) and one day even hit 66°(19C). The second week the switch flipped and the real November showed up with a vengeance. Most nights have been in the teens, but we also got two nights that dipped into single digits (9F=-13C)--that's unseasonably low for November and was [...]
Is It A Garden Plant Or A Weed Wildflower?
September 27, 2017
– Posted in:
Native/Invasive
Every flower is a wildflower--a native plant--somewhere, though this is easy to forget when that "somewhere" is on the other side of the world. On the other hand, it's easy to take our own native wildflowers for granted, or even despise them as weeds. And many popular garden plants native to North America had to be recognized as garden-worthy by gardeners in other countries before they were adopted by gardeners here. So, how do you tell if a plant belongs in the garden, or is a wildflower--or a weed?
How to Grow Mediterranean Herbs in a Cold Climate
April 20, 2017 – Posted in: Herb Garden, How-toWant to grow perennial Mediterranean herbs--specifically, rosemary, lavender, thyme, tarragon, oregano, and sage--in your cold climate garden? There's a secret to getting them through the winter, which I share in my latest blog post. Hint: it doesn't involve moving to a war
Spring Is Buried Under A Blizzard: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day March 2017
March 15, 2017 – Posted in: Weather, What's up/bloomingI just knew a mild February would mean trouble later on. Spring in February doesn't happen here without some sort of counterbalance later on. But even I couldn't guess it would be the snowstorm of the century. I thought those sub-zero temperatures the week before were punishment enough. Read on to learn what was blooming before Snowmageddon and what is currently cheering me in the house.
The January Thaw
January 24, 2017 – Posted in: Weather, What's up/bloomingThe January thaw is an accepted part of weather lore around here--thaw being a relative term--meaning warmer than you would expect but not necessarily warm enough to melt all the snow. But this year almost all the snow did melt, save the piles that accumulate from removing it from the walk, driveway, and road. As a matter of fact, it was 58°F(14°C) on Sunday as I glanced at my phone and read "Winter Storm Watch in effect for Monday." What? It's gorgeous out! But--it is January, after all.
Kathy’s Speaking Engagements
January 8, 2017Every so often I get out and about. I'd love to meet you at one of the following events! September 19 - I'll be telling the Southern Hills Garden Club of LaFayette, NY all about Colchicums: Autumn's Best-Kept Secret, at the LaFayette Community Center, 2508 US Route 11 (next to Dollar General), LaFayette, NY 13084 [...]
My First Day of Gardening–in February?
February 23, 2016 – Posted in: Garden chores, Mud SeasonI blame it on the sunshine. If the sun hadn't been shining, I wouldn't have had the overwhelming urge to get outside and DO something. Because, really? February is too early for garden cleanup. But of course, this hasn't been a normal February. A normal February looks like this: So, in a normal February, I [...]
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