Simple and Affordable Ways To Spruce Up Your Garden

Your yard and garden may be covered with snow, but in some parts of the world homeowners are getting ready for a new planting season. (See my previous blog.) If you happen to be one of them I’m sure the prospect of cultivating delicate blossoms is quite exciting. For those of you who are currently staring at a dormant garden, consider tucking away these simple and affordable garden tips for the spring thaw. Save Money—Chuck the Containers When transporting a plant from the garden shop to your backyard, don’t waste money on its container. A burlap wrap will do fine … Continue reading →

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I just received a beautiful Christmas card in the mail from one of my best friends. It features a photo of her three children sitting in her front yard surrounded by plump hydrangeas, colorful azaleas, and big purple orchids. (Did I mention she lives in Hawaii?) After staring at the picture for a while I looked out my own bedroom window at the brown grass peaking out from what remains of our recent snowfall. When you are surrounded by snow, frigid temperatures, and dormant vegetation you often forget there are areas of the world where homeowners are treated to year … Continue reading →

Exotic Flowers At Home Depot—Who Knew?

Perhaps, it is the region of the country I live in, or maybe it’s the fact that I don’t take on a ton of home improvement projects on my own. Whatever the case may be, I learned an interesting fact this weekend: Home Depot sells exotic flowers. I discovered this, not during a recent visit to the home improvement giant, but because my mother received a beautiful and rare tropical gardenia-like plant from my brother for Grandparent’s Day. Its actual name is: Na’u (Gardenia brighamii). I was shocked to hear that he purchased it from a Home Depot in Hawaii … Continue reading →

Summer And Your Plants

Much has been written about the maintenance of plants during spring. It makes sense–many people are tired of being cooped up indoors and are itching to get outside and resurrect their frozen gardens. However, once summer hits I have found garden tips for seasonal harvests are not as plentiful. Perhaps, it’s because experts assume summer conditions often yield blooms and bountiful crops without much effort. Or, perhaps, it’s the other way around. Gardeners (like me) put so much time and energy into spring gardens that by summer they just want to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. … Continue reading →

Getting The Best Deal On Fresh Produce (Without Having To Grow It Yourself)

Recently, I have written a number of blogs about the benefits of growing your own garden. I have provided tips for the beginner gardener; the non-traditional gardener; and ways to get your children involved in gardening. I hope the tips came in handy. However, I am realistic, I realize there are some people (like my brothers) who wouldn’t be caught dead raking, mulching or fertilizing no matter how many tips I throw at them. And, I know they aren’t alone. So, with that in mind, I have come up with a way that you anti-gardeners can get the freshest fruits … Continue reading →

Garden Tips–Tools and Weeds

Recently, I provided tips for the beginner gardener in hopes it would motivate self-described “brown-thumbers” to give planting a try. If you think that you don’t have time to cultivate a garden, think again. You could enlist help from your spouse or children and make it a family affair. Or, you can participate in some rigorous weeding and consider it part of your daily exercise routine—spend less time on the cardio machines in the gym and more time in the garden. Convinced yet? If so, I have a few more gardening tips to share with you. Hopefully, they will come … Continue reading →

10 Tips For The Beginner Gardener

Summer’s bountiful crops have served as the inspiration for many of my recent blogs. But, today it dawned on me that some of you might not have a garden. Or, perhaps, you really have no desire to grow one. I would hope that this is not the case. But, if it is, consider this blog an attempt to persuade you to think otherwise. Believe me, a few years ago I would have been considered the ultimate reluctant gardener, but once you see (and eat) the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor, I guarantee you will be hooked. If you have … Continue reading →

Top Five Ways To Protect Your Roses From The Summer Heat

I don’t need to tell you how hot it is here in the Midwest. I’m sure you are sweating it out in your own neck of the woods. For residents in the United States and Europe, Mother Nature has made this summer one for the record books. Few have been spared from the ongoing oppressive heat wave that has blanketed hundreds of cities. The hot days and humid nights have undoubtedly taken their toll on you, your children, your pets and your yard. And, what it has done to delicate flowers, well, words like “singe,” “bake,” and “broil,” fail to … Continue reading →

Picking The Right Rose

In previous blogs I shared a few stories about my grandfather’s prize-winning rose garden. If my thumb is the least bit green it is due in large part to my grandfather’s mentoring. He had such a passion for gardening and even though he is no longer alive to tend to his “pride and joy” the lessons he taught me live on. That is especially true about the tips he gave me about raising roses. My grandfather firmly believed that no matter what size the garden, there’s always room for a rosebush. I know, I know, easier said than done. But, … Continue reading →

A New Home For Your Rock Collection

My mom started collecting rocks when I was in my teens. Over the past two decades the little dishes filled with colorful stones that adorned corner tables, bathroom vanities, and her bedroom bureau grew into an impressive stockpile of stones in assorted shapes and sizes. Slowly but surely, my mom’s rocks had steadily invaded of our home. A few years ago it got to the point where my dad suggested that the rocks find a new home. After careful thought and consideration they decided that the rocks would be better displayed in a rock garden than in various rooms throughout … Continue reading →