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Summer Garden Tips & Garden Tour – Garden Maintenance in the Summer
My gardens are the big love of my life this time of the year. I spend hours outside tending them. I have 10 garden beds on a block that is about 1/2 acre and I do things to improve the look of them each year. These summer garden tips will ensure that you have […]
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Red Hot Poker – Growing and Caring for Torch Lilies
The red hot poker is a showy and dramatic plant. If you love growing perennials that give color all summer long, this is the plant for you. Other names for this showy plant are torch lily and poker plant. The botanical name for this plant is kniphofia uvaria and there are more than 70 known species […]
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25 Succulent Planters – You Can Grow these Hardy Plants in Just About Anything!
These 25 fun succulent planters will show you that if it can hold dirt, it can be planted with a succulent! From teacups to wooden drawers, these planters are unique and a fun way to pot your succulent houseplants. Succulents are so versatile and easy to care for. They are very drought tolerant, perfect if you […]
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Astilbe Companion Plants – What to Grow with Astilbe
These astilbe companion plants like the same moisture and light conditions and will make a beautifully coordinated garden bed. Astilbe is a gorgeous perennial that is right at home in a shady moist garden. You can grow it alone, but a well designed garden looks better with more than just one type of plant. Keep […]
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Growing Begonias – The Showy Houseplant with Amazing Flowers and Leaves
Begonias are a very popular plant worldwide. They are used as bedding plants and can also be grown as indoor plants. There are lots of different leaf types, colors and flower formations. Growing begonias is a little bit of a challenge but you should do fine as long as you follow a few tips. Tips for […]
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African Violets – Tips for the Care of this Popular Indoor Plant
If you go to the big box hardware stores around the holidays and during the winter months, you will most likely find African Violets for sale in a lovely variety of flower colors. Even though African Violets can be somewhat picky about care, they are still one of the most popular indoor plants grown. If you […]
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My 10 Most Popular Posts of 2016
Each year, at the end of December, I take stock of what worked (and what didn’t!) on my blog. Sometimes, I am surprised when a blog post makes my top 10 list for the past year when I wasn’t expecting it. Other times, I think “not you again” when a tried and true favorite post […]
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Biltmore Estate Gardens Tour
Biltmore Estate Gardens are a highlight of a visit to this iconic estate in Western North Carolina. The gardens, while not classified as a Botanical Gardens per se, is a fabulous place to see plants of all types. My husband and I recently spent several days in the mountains of North Carolina with our daughter. […]
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Tips for Growing Heirloom Seeds
It’s time to learn about growing heirloom seeds! Heirloom vegetable seeds have so much going for them. They end up giving you plants that you can’t go to a big box store and buy, they cost less than hybrid vegetables and you can save your own seeds from one year to the next. Have you […]
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Creative Garden Art
Turn everyday items from around the house to make these creative garden art creations. Garden containers can cost an arm and a leg if you purchase it from garden centers. But this does not have to be the case. It is easy to create instant interest in the garden by making use of recycled or […]
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12 Tips for Summer Time Gardening to Beat the Heat
If you love to garden but don’t like working in the summer heat, check out these tips for summer time gardening to beat the heat. Summer has finally arrived for real at my house and I couldn’t be more thrilled.I really enjoy spending the summer tinkering around in my garden, especially since I know that […]
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Coleus Plants – One of my Favorite Annuals for Color
You Can’t Beat Coleus Plants for Summer Color I am always looking for plants to give my garden a burst of color which will last throughout the season. I plant the normal flowering annuals such as pansies, petunias, zinnias and others. But there is one variety which gives huge color impact, and is one of […]
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Plant Propagation Tips – New Plants for Free
Follow some of these plant propagation tips and you will have a whole slew of new perennial garden plants without the outlay of cash at the garden center. If you garden, you will know that the cost of buying new plants can get very expensive over time. You don’t have to spend a lot of money […]
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11 Tips for Gardening with Arthritis
Don’t let pain stop you from your favorite hobby. These 11 tips for gardening with arthritis may be just the thing that you need, too, to keep enjoying your time in the garden this summer. Getting older does not mean that the love of gardening has to be abandoned. Everyone who reads my blog knows […]
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Shade Tolerant Vegetables vs Sun Friendly Veggies
Vegetables, just like flowers and other plants, need plenty of sun, but not all are equal. Veggies, by nature, like a lot of sunlight to grow. They typically have a short growing season, so the more you can give them, the better they like it. But there are some shade tolerant vegetables, too. I would […]
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10 Ways to Transform my Garden With Mom in Mind
Mother’s Day is right around that corner and spring has us out in our gardens. That made me think about a project for ways to transform your garden with mom in mind. I’m sure many of my readers are looking for something wonderful to give to their mothers for this special day. After all, it […]
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Natural Ways to Treat Poison Ivy or Poison Oak
If you garden a lot, you will likely have a run in with poison ivy at some point. These natural ways to treat poison ivy will help you beat the itch. Leaves of three, leave them be. That is the old saying for dealing with poison ivy. If you garden a lot, you will most […]
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10 Frugal Seed Starting Pots and Containers
These frugal seed starting pots and containers make use of household items and do the job of starting seeds for annuals and perennials just fine! I love this time of the year. Vegetable gardening is at the top of my list of things to come. The temperatures keep teasing us that spring is on the […]
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Early Spring Garden Projects
These early spring garden projects will get a jump start on your garden and will get you outside too! From lawn care ideas to tips for growing perennials in the spring, i’ve got you covered. I know that in most parts of the country, the ground is still covered with snow, but as any good […]
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Power Washing Tips and Tricks
Keep these power washing tips in mind while you tackle the project and your home will be like new in no time at all. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that my husband Richard and I love to do labor intensive projects that really make a difference in […]
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22 Ways to Create Curb Appeal
These tips to Create Curb Appeal will not only jazz up your entry but may also increase the value of your home. There is a saying that one can only have one first impression. That saying applies to the front of your home as well as to your personality or appearance. The front door and […]
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17 Tips for Creating a Cottage Garden
I love a cottage garden. I am not a rule follower by nature, especially when it comes to gardens, and I love the way a cottage garden throws caution to the wind in the rule department. Do you like lots of flowers, flowing lines and a not so formal look? Then a cottage garden might […]
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When to use Ratcheting Pruners
One of my favorite pair of pruners for heavier garden work is my ratcheting pruners. They make light work of heavy tasks It does not matter if you have one small hydrangea bush or a yard full of garden beds. At some point, you will need to remove some dead growth, overgrown branches or untidy […]
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Pros and Cons of Gardening with Raised Garden Beds
Many homeowners have smaller yards, but would still like to enjoy the benefits of home grown vegetables. For them, gardening with raised garden beds may be the answer. Vegetable gardening normally requires large plots of land in order to get good harvests. But this is not always possible in today’s world. This is where raised […]
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Garden Make Over – 14 Tips for a Success – Before & After
This year, we spent the summer on a garden make over. I thought it would be fun to share the tips that I learned during the process. It’s that time again. Time to transform one of my garden beds that just won’t seem to keep to a single design. I call it my “what will […]
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5 Tips for a Flourishing Summer Garden – Help Your Garden Take the Heat
Gardening in the summer months can be a challenge. These 5 tips for a flourishing summer garden will help to get the best out of your plants, both outdoors and inside. If you’re late to the game on spring gardening, no fear. There’s still time to create a beautiful, vivacious garden at home. Given the […]