Share my passion for all things gardening!
Do deer drive you insane? It seems like they are a huge problem in so many areas of the country. As a result, I get a lot of questions about how to keep them out of the garden. While visiting a friend late last summer, I saw how she is dealing with deer — easily and successfully. And you need […]
Read more
I recently wrote that February is the month to pot up any geranium plants you may have overwintered. Well, it’s also time to pot up your overwintered Canna lily bulbs. That’s pretty exciting, right? Think of how nurseries and garden centers sell a single potted Canna lily for anywhere from $6 to $12 each. This method is well worth your […]
Read more
Our winter has been unseasonably mild for the most part. In December, we did have a spell of some very cold temperatures. I was sure it wiped out my lettuce crop in the hoop house. Well, surprise surprise! It’s back so it’s time for a winter garden update. I was certain the lettuce plants were toast. They certainly looked like […]
Read more
If you overwintered your geraniums using my method of knocking the soil off the roots and storing them in a bag or box, it’s time to pot them up again. I don’t know about you, but that’s exciting because it means spring really is coming! I just potted up mine and had fairly good results from the overwintering process. There […]
Read more
I recently wrote about using “vernalization” for starting artichoke seeds. There are two other seed-starting terms that you might find both interesting and useful. Those are stratification and scarification and they apply to the seeds of different plants. I thought it might be helpful to define and elaborate on all three terms here. That way, so everything is together in […]
Read more
For the past couple of years, I have been growing microgreens. Why? They supply us with fresh salad greens during the winter months. I’ve had quite a few readers asking me how to grow microgreens. I decided to shoot a video on the entire process. But first, what are microgreens? Growing them involves thickly sowing seeds that will be later […]
Read more
I know I’m forcing the issue here but I can’t help myself! The bulbs we’ve all known for so many years as Amaryllis are actually called Hippeastrum. So here is an update on how my Hippeastrum is doing! (After all, as a garden writer, I should probably be using the correct terms myself, right?) This gorgeous flower is ‘Papilio’ and […]
Read more
Do you grow artichokes in your garden? I’ve been growing them for quite a few years now and have noticed that the plants can vary widely in productivity. Here in Spokane, Wash., which is in USDA zones 5 and 6, artichokes need to be grown as annuals. Each year, I start the seeds indoors around the first of March. I […]
Read more
Well, here we are in the dead of winter and I’m talking about how to propagate geraniums by taking cuttings. Why now? Well, the cuttings I took of my ivy geraniums last fall have been doing so well, I decided it was an important skill to share with you. The take-home message from my latest video is simple: Don’t be afraid […]
Read more
Did you grow a fair amount of garlic last year? Are you wondering how you’ll use it up before it becomes bitter? Well, here’s a simple way to preserve garlic for future use. When garlic is put into storage, the cloves eventually develop a sprout in the center, which can be quite bitter. One solution is to trim it out […]
Read more