“Mom! We Have To Save The Monarchs!”
Imagine: Her kids came home from school all excited about a science program that had been presented in the auditorium. “Mom! We have to help save the monarch butterflies,” her son said. “They need plants to eat,” her daughter added, jumping up and down. “There aren’t...
Weeding Meditation
One of the questions I frequently get on the radio goes something like this: “How do I get rid of the weeds that are in the cracks of my patio?” The caller wants something non-toxic, effective and easy, of course. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to...
Vegetable Garden in Late June
We are finally at the time of year when I can walk into the garden and ask, “What’s for dinner?” Lettuce, peas, broccoli rabe, and heads of broccoli fill the basket along with arugula and other greens. It’s time to harvest and take note of...
Eryngium ‘Big Blue’ – not boring, not pink
Imagine: Garden Designer’s Diary, June 23 The client said she wanted unusual plants in her garden. “I’d like pods, and grasses and quirky things I can pick and put in bottles on the table,” she told me. “I don’t want flowers that are pink, boring or things that look...
The Glorious Kousa Dogwood
Name: Cornus kousa aka the kousa dogwood Type of Plant: A small tree that’s native to Asia but grows so well in Zones 5 to 8. There are a few named cultivars that have larger flowers, slightly later blooming or pink flowers. Why I love this: Yesterday I had the...
In My Gardens ~ Week of June 5
It was a cool and damp month of May at Poison Ivy Acres and the first four days of June continued in the same mode. This is fine with me, because I’m still planting. The veggie garden is planted, but I still have annuals to add to perennial gardens and...
Tree Peonies
Imagine: The early morning sun streamed into Karla’s yard as she stood with her morning coffee, contemplating the space around the patio. She wanted something in that bed that would celebrate her mother’s birthday every year. “Mom was exuberant…maybe even a bit...
Saponaria Ocymoides, aka Creeping Pink Soapwort
Imagine: I pictured a sea of color below some grasses. I needed a plant that would do well despite the fact that half of the area it would be growing in was more gravel than soil. And yes, I was greedy…I wanted a plant that would self-seed and fill in, but not in an...
Growing Sunflowers
Imagine: When I first moved to Poison Ivy Acres the front entry to the house was a lawn. That’s all, just a lawn. I knew I wanted a flower garden to be the first “room” that someone entered when coming to our house, so the lawn was immediately tilled and planted with...