Tag: garden gloves

One of the things we love about our little island in Maine is that seemingly nothing ever changes. And yet things do change-- in subtle, positive ways. For instance it was always difficult to purchase good produce on the island because there is only one market and they tend to bring in produce that travels well, such as iceburg lettuce.   This summer we enjoyed a floating farmers market, which motored into the…

No other shrub personifies the brash exuberance of spring like forsythia. At this time of year it is blooming in almost every garden as hedges, clipped and unclipped, along roadways, and even on the edge of woods. Sometimes it looks wonderful, but at other times it is obviously a case of wrong plant, wrong place. Forsythia shrubs have a beautiful, naturally elegant habit that is destroyed by…

Fragrant Paperwhites and Amaryllis are now a part of my Christmas tradition. I like to have paperwhites blooming on Christmas day and I enjoy amaryllis throughout the winter. I stagger the planting so there's always something blooming. For paperwhites allow 3-5 weeks from planting to blooming. You can extend the bloom time by keeping them in a cool room at night. Otherwise, blossoms can be fleeting.  For Amaryllis, allow 5-8 weeks from planting to bloom time, but each blossom can last for two…

Early last Spring I woke up one morning and decided that what my yard needed was a berm.  Most berms, or mounds, are designed for privacy to block an unwanted view of the street or a neighbor's backyard. By creating a little hill and planting it with trees and other vegetation you can create a very attractive and effective screen. Fences are often used for this purpose too, but a berm is a more natural-looking solution.  …

We keep our garden shoes outside the kitchen door, just steps from the herb garden, but when it rains they can get wet inside. We also use this handy spot on our deck for hand tools and garden gloves and plants that are waiting to be put in the ground. It was always messy looking, so I decided we needed a bench to organize things. …

After letting my cement troughs cure for 3-4 weeks in plastic bags, I took them out, donned my garden gloves and planted them up this afternoon. I bought several succulents at a…

By August, does it feel like the best is over in your garden? Spring and summer bloom is usually abundant, but by late summer the garden may look tired. With just a little extra care you can make your display last until early Fall by growing perennials that keep blooming throughout the season, or produce a second flush later in the season. "Off with their heads" should be your mantra. The act of…

Our greenhouse is moving along slowly, thank you very much. In the meantime, I have noticed that greenhouses come in all shapes and sizes.  For instance, my mother has a "greenhouse" of the type I would put in quotation marks. She lives 35 miles north of me in Sharon, CT.  This morning we visited a couple of garden centers in her neighborhood and presented the Womanswork line of garden gloves, then we went to her house…

So spring is here and the summer and fall-blooming shrubs need to be pruned—right? Well, yes and no. Don't be in a rush. Beware of pruning too early, especially those silver-leaved beauties that have only just started into growth. Through bitter experience, I have found that it is better to wait a couple of weeks until at least 1" of new young growth is showing.  You can always cut back later, but too…

Welcome to my 10' x 9' greenhouse.  It faces south with a sliding door from the living room. When spring comes I can walk through it onto the deck where I pot up lots of fun combinations in planters. Many of the plants I use have been overwintered and propagated in my greenhouse.  My nitrile garden gloves live there too where they are close to hand. At the moment several varieties of velvety-leaved aromatic Cuban oregano (Plectranthus), a current favorite…