Fall can be a scraggly time in the garden. Each year I itch to pull out old plants that have faded beyond their glory days to replace them with something fresh. But, when I wait, and put up with the dead looking, seed loaded plants, I am always rewarded! A few days ago a quick movement in the garden caught… Read more →
The area along our back fence hadn’t been touched much in 30 years. Plants had come and gone and ivy had begun to take over. It was beyond our skills and strength so we hired a pro to tear out all that ivy deep enough that it wouldn’t come back. Next, we borrowed stones from the front yard to outline… Read more →
Have you ever wondered where and how the plants you buy at your local nursery are grown? I’ve driven by Gaddis Wholesale Nursery for years and always enjoyed the view of the flower filled greenhouses. So today I went there to talk to James Gaddis about how the plants we buy at garden centers begin life in a wholesale nursery.… Read more →
When I was a little girl I spent summers with my grandmother in Selma, Calif. . Everyday began with sweeping the sidewalks in front of her big old home, followed by hours of moving the hose from one precious flower or tree to the next. She was always up before daybreak and I remember the sound of her clippers as… Read more →
I’ve read about Enchanting Sweet Peas in Sebastopol, Calif. and I’ve even enjoyed the blooms from their wonderful fragrant varieties purchased and grown by my best friend….but, I’ve never actually gone by the once-a-year sale until now. Wow! Glenys Johnson, the owner of Enchanting Sweet Peas, began growing her favorite English Spencer Sweet peas in a vacant lot next to… Read more →
Nasturtiums are such a common garden flower I almost didn’t consider adding any to my garden! But, I read somewhere that chickens like to snack on the flowers….and well, you all know how I feel about the girls! That and the fact that they are wonderful to garnish summer tomato dishes and salads made me do a little research to… Read more →
I love it when a someone says, ” You should see my friend’s garden!” I never pass up an opportunity when that happens. So, when my friend Cathy mentioned the roses and peonies in her friend Judy’s garden, I begged to go see it….and I’m so glad I did! Tiny, charming and overflowing with colorful blooms and blossoms, this little… Read more →
Seventeen years ago I purchased two one gallon Mini climbing roses from the Sonoma County Jail plant sale. I planted one on each end of our deck and now, all these years later, with very little care and no pruning, they’ve become breathtakingly beautiful! Jeanne LaJoie is a wonderful mini rose that puts on a real show once a year… Read more →
There are so many plants to see and learn about at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens just outside of Fort Bragg, California. But this time I was mainly stalking dahlias! (Driving to the garden during the worst fire season California has almost ever had, the car was being lightly showered with ash and the sky was an ominous gray all… Read more →
Last summer I visited Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, Oregon and walked through their gorgeous Dahlia beds for hours. (You can see the trip here.) Eventually I selected six of the many I loved and placed my order. Since the total for these six was $56.00, I thought I’d try just a few before I went crazy! The large healthy… Read more →