Cold Garden Veggie Soup
When your garden is producing and the weather is hot, you have the perfect ingredients for a cold summer soup. This recipe can be varied according to the veggies you have on hand. This week I used: Summer squash Green Beans Tuscan Kale Cilantro or herbs of choice...
Words to Live By
I Love Maxibel Green Beans
Name: Phseolus vulgaris Maxibel – aka the Maxibel green bean Type of Plant: A bush bean that produces haricot vert style beans, thin and tender. Why I love this: Extremely productive plants (see photos) that are filled with 6 to 7 inches long beans. These beans are...
How to Remember What You’ve Planted
I’ve had several queries by email recently from gardeners who have forgotten what they planted. Some of these are from people who are new to veggie gardening so they don’t recognize what’s growing as it matures. Others either have recently placed...
Growing Hydrangeas in Containers
You say you live where it’s cold, so the blue hydrangeas you plant never flower? Do you want to grow mophead or lacecap hydrangeas but you’re just a bit too far north? The solution is to grow these wonderful shrubs in containers. First, get a large pot...
Why Isn’t My Blue Hydrangea Flowering?
This is the most frequent question I’m asked on my radio programs, and lately I’ve been getting several emails a day as well. We love the blue mophead and lacecap hydrangeas, so it’s upsetting when there are no blooms! Here is what’s going on....
I Love Flower Carpet Pink Splash Rose
Name: Rosa x ‘Noasplash’ aka Flower Carpet Pink Splash Type of Plant: A shrub rose that’s hardy in Zones 5-10 for growing in full sun. Why I love this: First of all, I love the two-toned pink flowers. This was one of the plants that many people asked about during the...
Gardener Vs. Chipmunk
I grow several annual poppies that self-seed around the garden. Since I want them to return each year, I leave the pods in place so that the seeds mature and will fall back onto the soil. But last year most of the poppy pods were stolen, seemingly overnight. I’d...
I Love Hydrangea Invincibelle Spirit II
Name: Hydrangea arborescens ‘Invincibelle Spirit II’ Type of Plant: A shrub for sun or part-shade that produces pink hydrangea flowers from late-June through August…and into September if deadheaded faithfully. Hardy in Zones 3-9 Why I love this: This is the second...