-
Iris – Perennial Bulb with a Majestic Appeal
Iris is one my favorite flowers when it comes to growing perennials. I remember that my mother used to have them in all her garden beds, and when I see them now, I get very nostalgic. What I love most about irises is the color they, and other early spring bloomers, bring to my garden. […]
-
Nasturtiums as Companion Plants Help your Veggies
I’ve always loved garden nasturtiums in my flower beds. But there are many other ways that these fairly common plants can be a great addition to your vegetable garden. Companion planting is a method of planting plants together so that they benefit each other in some ways. Some enrich the soil and others attract attract […]
-
Cosmos – Easy Care Annual That Does Not Mind Poor Soil
Do you possess a brown thumb instead of a green one? If your soil very poor? Then this is the flower for you! One of the easiest annuals to grow from seed is Cosmos. They are prized for their prolific, silky, daisy like flowers and their easy-care nature in the garden. They will tolerate even […]
-
Saving Seeds from Heirloom Beans
My family comes from a long line of vegetable gardeners. I can still remember when my great grandmother had her vegetable garden, I used to wander through it when I was about 6. My grandfather on my mother’s side also had a huge veggie garden. (we used to snitch peas from it, hoping we would […]
-
Flamingo Flower – Anthurium Plant – A Tropical Delight
I just added a new plant to my indoor plants collection. This anthurium plant is commonly called Flamingo Flower, also known as anthurium. It is a tropical plant that has a stunning flower and is easy to grow. This pretty plant doesn’t mind lower light conditions so it is a great choice for beginners. It also […]
-
Growing Brussels Sprouts – A Cool Weather Crop
I live in zone 7b so I am able to start vegetable gardening fairly early. I did not get a crop of brussels sprouts last year but I am hopeful that my plants will be full of sprouts this year. Brussels sprouts are a healthy cold weather vegetable that even has its own National Day. […]
-
Hydrangea Wreath – DIY Fall Door Decoration
This pretty hydrangea wreath uses the beautiful big blooms of a mop head hydrangea bush for a door decoration. My hydrangea bush flowered late this year and gave some lovely color to an otherwise fairly bare garden bed. Did you know that you can make a holiday hydrangea wreath from hydrangea flowers that are done […]
-
Propagating Tomato Plants with Cuttings
Most of the time when cuttings are mentioned as a means of propagation, it is with house plants. I decided to try it this year with tomato plants from my vegetable garden. Propagation is the art of taking one plant and using parts of it to make another. Sometimes this is done by division, such […]
-
Butterfly Bush Makes Great Cut Flowers
I have several butterfly bushes, also knows as buddleia, in my garden beds. I love them because they attract butterflies and bees like no other plant in my garden. My main butterfly bush was put in a large island bed early this spring, when it was about 12″ tall. It is now at least 5 […]
-
Water Bath for Vegetables & Fruit – Is it Necessary?
If you grow vegetables in your garden, it’s probably second nature to give them a wash when you bring them inside. After all, they are growing in the dirt and those that grow on vines often have dust and other particles on them. But what about the fruit and veggies that you purchase in a […]
-
35+ Creative Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is one of those things which people have in their bathroom, that they use primarily for healing wounds and cuts. It is a shame to save this handy bottle for just medical uses, when there are so many more uses for it around the home. And it is so inexpensive too! Hydrogen peroxide […]
-
How to Grow Your Own Pineapples from The Leafy Top
Did you know that growing pineapples from a discarded top is quite easy to do? I love pineapples. They are so sweet and the fruit makes great salsas and is perfect in cocktails and drinks. It’s wonderful grilled with a barbecue too. And one of the beauties of this project is that, if you don’t […]
-
5 Generations in One Garden Bed
My family has long loved gardening. It all started with my great grandmother (and I am sure her mother before this but I never knew her). She loved vegetable gardening and particularly yellow pole beans. The seeds from her pole beans have been passed down from generation to generation and are now growing in my […]
-
Testing Alka Seltzer and Copper to Clean a Bird Bath
As much as we all love to see birds splashing around in a bird bath, bacteria and grime will soon make it not such a pleasant sight. For today’s project, I am testing Alka Seltzer and copper to clean a bird bath. I have several bird baths in my garden beds. I just love to […]
-
DIY Wooden Spoon Herb Plant Markers
Growing herbs adds a ton of flavor to all your recipes, but keeping track of what is growing can be challenging. These wooden spoon herb plant markers are both functional and decorative. Herb Identification might seem easy but those tiny seedlings have a frustrating way of looking the same! I have a large group of herbs […]
-
It’s Lily Time – Varieties of Lilies in my Garden
My husband used to buy me lilies all the time because he loved the look of them so much. I love them too, but not as cut flowers indoors (they have a stinky smell inside that I don’t like.) I never had the inclination to tell him that they were not my favorite cut flower […]
-
Edging A Garden Bed with Vigaro Edging Strips
I have a garden bed in my front yard that I call my “Jess border.” The reason for the name is because my daughter and I made the bed together and it always has a big patch of sunflowers in the middle of it each year. Sunflowers are Jess’ favorite flowers. Like all my other […]
-
How to Move a Raised Playhouse
When my daughter was young she had a swing set, sand box and playhouse on the left side of my garden. She loved playing there, and we chose this area of the garden so that I could see her playing from my kitchen window. All that is left of the set up is the playhouse, […]
-
Container Vegetable Gardening for Small Spaces
Container Vegetable Gardens are a great way to garden when your yard is small. Vegetable gardening is such a satisfying experience. There is nothing quite like biting into a tomato that was just picked from your garden. The flavor is nothing like that of the ones bought from a store, even the vine ripened ones. […]
-
My Front Garden Make Over
It’s time for my front garden make over! This has been a year of garden make overs for me. I spent so much time last year dealing with my squirrel problem and tending my vegetable garden that I did not have a lot of time to deal with my flower garden beds. And I can […]
-
Red Vols Daylily is a True Garden Stunner
Red Vols Daylily is a spectacular daylily that was a Better Homes and Gardens winner of the year in 2000 and it’s easy to see why. Anyone who gets interested in growing perennials while find themselves also interested in daylilies. These showing perennial bulbs are dramatic, come back year after year and are easy to […]
-
20+ Plants for A Shade Garden plus My Garden Make Over
Trying to get color and interest in a shade garden can be a challenge. But there are some that don’t mind it at all . In fact, these 20+ perennial and annual plants love the shade. There is a lushness about them that I really enjoy, too. Keep reading to learn what you an grow […]
-
My Garden In June – Early Summer Garden Tour
Join me for an early summer garden tour. Let’s discover my garden in June! Spring starts early here in North Carolina, so many of my plants have been flowering for a while. It’s been a long spring with a ton of work put into my gardens. So many of them were overgrown, and neglected last […]
-
Can You Name This Flower?
Let’s test your garden smarts. I thought it would be fun to take a photo from my garden, and enlarge it to show only the bloom, and see if you can name it. A few hints: it does not mind if the soil is dry it flowers all spring and summer the flowers come in […]
-
Elizabethan Garden Statues – Manteo – Roanoke Island
My husband and I recently attended a wedding on the coast of North Carolina. While we were there, we took the time to visit the Elizabethan Gardens at Manteo on Roanoke Island. Seeing statues that depict characters from real life is so inspiring. For another post on this type of experience, be sure to check […]
-
My Vegetable Garden Make Over
I love vegetable gardening. There is nothing quite like harvesting and cooking vegetables that you have grown. If you like to grow vegetables, be sure to ready my post about how to troubleshoot vegetable garden problems as well as some solutions. One of the problems that can happen when you start a vegetable garden is […]