Share my passion for all things gardening!
Last year, for the very first time, I started growing cucamelons. If you’ve never heard of them, they are related to cucumbers. They look like teeny-tiny watermelons and have a delightful citrusy crunch. They are also known as Mexican sour gherkins and mouse melons. I bought my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and you can also find them at […]
Read more
For my garden column today, I wrote about why it’s important to get kids in the garden. It gives them the chance to learn where our food comes from and how to grow all kinds of vegetables and fruits. It gives you and the young gardener(s) in your life the opportunity to learn about gardening together. You can read my […]
Read more
Buffalo-Style Gardens by Sally Cunningham & Jim Charlier (St. Lynn’s Press, 2019, 224 pp., $24.95) As soon as I heard Buffalo-Style Gardens would be coming out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Why? In 2017, the annual garden writer’s conference was held in Buffalo, NY. My colleagues and I were given the opportunity to visit several […]
Read more
Today’s an exciting day because my first garden column of the season is in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review newspaper, here in Spokane, Wash. It is a season introduction that includes a list of what we’re growing this year. Here’s a link: The weather outside may be frightful, but spring will come. Eventually. (or you can read my column lower […]
Read more
The Budget-Wise Gardener by Kerry Ann Mendez (St. Lynn’s Press, 2018, 176 pp., $19.95) We gardeners love to save money, don’t we? After all, by stretching our dollars, we can spend even more on our passion right? Before I started reading The Budget-Wise Gardener, I envisioned what it would be about. Perhaps starting your own plants from seed, recycling products, […]
Read more
Last Sunday, I attended a dried-flower wreath workshop and had the best time! It turned out to be the perfect activity for a gloomy winter afternoon. A dear friend and Master Gardener colleague of mine, Cathi, invited several of us to join her for a tasty soup lunch and the wreath-making workshop. We all jumped at the chance to have […]
Read more
I recently received an excellent question from a reader asking about the hardiest roses one can grow, particularly in regions with very cold winters. Here’s Marcie’s question: “In a recent posting, you mentioned roses that grow well in cold climates with something about the kind of root system they have. I live in Eastern Iowa and our winters can be […]
Read more
To borrow a line from Joan Rivers, can we talk? I’m sure many of you are thinking about starting your tomato plants in the next week or so. Let’s see a show of hands. Yup, a lot of you are getting ready to plunk tomato seeds into flats or pots. Well, if you live in a colder climate (i.e., zone […]
Read more
The 2019 Seed Summit was a roaring success. What, you never heard about it? That’s because it’s an annual event I hold with my best gardening buddies each January. We gave it a name a few years ago. And we also like to joke that the flags were raised and delegates were in attendance! (except we were missing 3 delegates […]
Read more
Cool Plants for Cold Climates: A Garden Designer’s Perspective by Brenda C. Adams (Snowy Owl Books/University of Alaska Press, 239 pp., $35) I have found a book geared for those living in a colder climate. Especially those who have a tendency to let their heart govern their plant purchases! I’m sure you know what I mean because I often suffer from the same […]
Read more