Share my passion for all things gardening!
For my garden column today, I wrote about visiting the elegant Chateau de Chenonceau in France’s Loire Valley. What does this have to do with gardening? Well, while exploring the chateau (castle), we saw absolutely stunning floral arrangements AND enjoyed looking at the beautiful gardens. Here’s a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Loire Valley chateau […]
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I had a goal while putting together the itinerary for the French garden and chateau tour I led last month. It was to find the French version of the Chelsea Flower Show. Even though the International Garden Festival isn’t quite on a par with Chelsea, it definitely filled the bill. This festival takes place on the grounds of Chateau de […]
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For this week’s garden column, I wrote about tomato care. You’ll learn what we gardeners need to be doing for our tomato plants this time of year. Then they’ll grow their very best. You can read it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Proper staking, consistent watering key to best tomatoes. (or you can read my column lower in this […]
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I recently learned something interesting about broccoli harvesting from our friends. And it’s so intriguing that I wanted to share it with you. Keep in mind that it’s still in the experimental stages in my garden, though! During a recent visit with our friends, Mark and Jane, we had the opportunity to stroll through their vegetable garden. They are the […]
Read moreAs you probably know, we get plenty of critters in our garden. Many of them are certain the garden was planted specifically for them. Sometimes, dealing with them means you need to get creative. This year, Bill and I have found some new methods that are working pretty well. That’s the topic of my column today, which you can find […]
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If you live in the Inland Northwest, you owe it to yourself to attend the Spokane County Master Gardeners’ Fall Banquet on Oct. 10. Why? The keynote speaker is none other than Joe Lamp’l, the creator and host of the popular PBS program, “Growing a Greener World.” This event is open to all and I wanted to make sure you […]
Read moreOn June 11, my tour group and I visited the spectacular Chateau de Villandry. Chances are you’ve seen photos of the gardens here and put it on your bucket list. Well, this was my second visit to the chateau and gardens and it was even more magnificent than I remembered! Chateau de Villandry history This chateau was built next to […]
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One of the stops during the France tour I led was Chateau de Valmer in the Loire Valley. What a beautiful garden! We also were treated to a wine tasting and a tour of their impressive wine cellar. There garden is comprised of 8 terraces and a moat. The terraced gardens are in the Renaissance style and very enjoyable to […]
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One of the most enjoyable things a gardener can do during the summer months is go on garden tours. It’s a great way to get inspired, learn new things and meet other like-minded folks. Next Sunday, July 14, the Coeur d’Alene Garden Tour will take place. That’s the topic of my garden column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: For […]
Read moreOn Wednesday, I wrote a blog post about our travel group’s visit to the beautiful Chateau du Rivau and garden. I saw something really cute in their children’s garden: creative sculptures made from clay pots. They definitely caught my eye because they were so delightful. I’d never seen anything made like this before. I thought you might get a kick […]
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