When I finally grasped the concept of placeholder plants, it changed my life. Well, what I mean is, it reduced my garden maintenance load and I enjoyed my garden more, with less work. Not precisely life-changing, but definitely life-improving. A placeholder plant is a garden-worthy plant that you happen to have a lot of, which [...]
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A Tour Of The Gardens: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2016
June 16, 2016 – Posted in: Bird Sanctuary, Cutting Garden, Deck Alcove, Fern Alley, Front of the House, Herb Garden, New House, New Gardens, North Deck, Parking Pad Bed, Roadside Beds, Slope Garden, South Deck, The Secret Garden, West DeckIt's been four years since I started working on the gardens here at the "new" house. I thought it was about time I gave you a full-fledged tour. It takes a bit of time to see all the gardens, so prepare for a leisurely visit. Can I pour you something to drink? Let's start the [...]
Garden Color In Dreary November: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day November 2015
November 15, 2015 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingI'm not going to pretend that November's garden looks as good as October's. I'm not even going to pretend that mid-November's garden looks as good as early November's.But I do want to celebrate the mild November we've been having. Yes, mild. Here in Cold Climate Land, it has actually been unseasonably warm. In fact, the [...]
Frost-Tolerant Flowers: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day October 2014
October 15, 2014 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingLife as we know it doesn't end with the first frost. Beauty doesn't stop, either. We have had several light frosts (28.5F/-1.9C was the coldest) but no hard freezes, which means many garden plants are still going strong. (Do you know the difference between a frost and a freeze?) I was able to gather several [...]
8 Plants That Look Good After Bitter Cold: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day November 2013
November 15, 2013 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingAfter a mild start to November, we have recently had snow and bitter cold*--down to 15F(-9C) one night and in the low 20s for several others. You would think there would not be any plant worth looking at after that, and you would be mostly right. However, if one looks carefully, there are still some [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2009
June 16, 2009 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingTo every plant, there is a season, and I find that pretty much the same plants are blooming that were blooming last year and the year before at this time. So even though I'm intoxicated with my peonies and wowed by my poppies, I'll use this post to showcase some of the other plants that [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2008
June 15, 2008 – Posted in: About this site, Colchicums, Recommended LinksPoppies, peonies, and iris: the three Grandes Dames of June In a cold climate, the gardening season is shorter and more compressed. By the time the spring flowers get going, boom! it's summer. Consider this: on May 29th we had our last frost. The next day it hit 80F (27C), which we reckon to be [...]
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