This Dianthus is still flowering. A Bud of rolled petals was uncurling in the garden today. It looks like a little Rose. The garden has been battered overnight by strong winds and torrential rain. I'm back to work tonight so my gardening time will be looking in the morning before bed. I have left lots of dried seed heads and stems, simply so there is something to look at. The bird feeders continue...
Remember last winter when there was much speculation over who would be the Obamas' kitchen gardener, and even a website appearing to be taking job applications? (And it was taken very seriously.) I joined in just enough to lobby for...
Ok here it is late November and one of the in-ground figs still has leaves. Our average first frost is a month gone. We have had a few light frosts but not enough to take out these die hards. Now to be fair the fig IS on the south side of the house and [...]
The Hydrangea in the top corner of the garden is festooned with beautiful colourful leaves, and drying flower heads. The flowers were a lovely shocking pink colour. As Autumn draws on the leaves have lost their green chlorophyll and now are red and orange on the edges. The colder weather strips plants to the wooden stems and branches. The rain has stopped for the moment, but it is still cloudy. A collared...
First, look who's posing in my back yard - Anneliese and Geoff Valdes of Cobrahead fame. (I hope you saw that power-wall shot of Anneliese with Ed Begley at DC's Green Fest!) They only had one day to see all...
The weather in November has been a mixture of strong winds and rain. Its still raining outside, which is good for ducks and the mushrooms, but not for gardeners. The leaves of the trees and shrubs are slowly being stripped away, revealing colours of the bark hidden away. The grasses are fluttering away in the wind, and catch the raindrops. I do like the jewel like shape of these fallen raindrops. I...
And managing editor Patty Craft lists 20 of them as top blogs in this month's issue. I was happy to see most of my own favorites among them but quite a few that are new to me. (So are these...
Today I wanted to share with you a short video clip that shows how to replace a sprinkler head. Actually it is a rotor sprinkler head to be specific, the type of irrigation head that pops up and rotates to cover large areas of grass. I hope you like this video, even though I've been writing articles about lawn sprinklers and irrigation repair info on this site for over five years, but haven't really...
MISSY is the randomly-chosen winner of Anna Pavod's Bulb (it's signed, by the way), and a deserving one at that. She has planted 400 bulbs this year, hopes to do 400 more next year, and has drained a swamp to...
After the many attempts I chronicled last week, I have now successfully grown a crop of yeast and made fantastic sourdough bread with it. The keys seemed to be allowing the water to sit out so the chlorine in it...
One of the wisest things I've ever heard about gardening came from C.R. Lawn, the founder of the wonderful Fedco Seeds, who told me, "In the long run, your work is rewarded if you pay attention to details. In the...
The Meyer lemon is about halfway to full bloom now, and it smells heavenly in my dining room. Its wonderful lemony perfume that wafts through the house, especially when the heater kicks on and swirls the scent around. And the pristine white (which I usually am ambivalent about at best) blooms are gorgeous in their elegant simplicity. At first I thought that I would just enjoy the fragrance and flowers...
Yes, I am. But wait! This is the fun part. The publishers have agreed to send a copy of Anna Pavord’s gorgeous and rather pricey bulb guide to a lucky Rant reader. Before we get to the giveaway, I’ve had...
I spent Bloom Day in Mexico, staying with some friends who bought a house there. (Note to self: must cultivate more friends who own homes in exotic locations.) We were in La Penita de Jaltemba, a little town on the...