Blog

    The Other Lilies, Brussels Sprouts and Kohlrabi, Grow Some Nasturtiums and Flea Beetles     The highlight of my day was getting my tractor back from the mechanic's shop so I can start mowing and moving wood chips and compost. It's these simple pleasures that make a gardener smile! It's just in time because with cool temperatures and rain in our zone 5 Vermont garden, everything is growing fast! The planting continues and it's time to pop in some bulb lilies. The most popular are the Asiatic and Oriental lilies, but...

 Alliums for Everyone, Saving Herbs, Vines for Fall Color, and Scotland Garden Tour Slideshow    It's October and time for our New England zone 5 garden and landscape to be ablaze in color. Because of the drought this late summer and fall, the colors aren't as dynamic as usual and many leaves have dropped from the trees already. But there still is plenty of color around to enjoy! I'm always amazed at how daily the colors of tree and shrub leaves change this time of year. The weather has been generally warmer than normal for fall, but...

    Luscious Lamiums, Let's Beet It, Strawberry Pots and What's Up North Garden Blog   I'm taking a break from racing with the weeds. It seems they're winning. With cool temperatures and lots of moisture, our zone 5 garden has exploded with weeds. I spent a day weeding out most of the gardens last week, but they're back with a vengeance this week with more rain. I'm just trying to keep up! But many of our perennial flowers are loving this weather including our lamiums. These colorful ground covers are spreading and will be...

Delightful Dianthus, Heirloom Tomatoes, Gardening with Kids and Rubber Trees I know it might be my imagination, but the days seem to be getting noticeably longer already! It is happening! Spring is getting closer so it's time to really start planning your next gardening moves. I have all my seed orders in and soon I'll be starting onions and leeks indoors for a spring planting. Also, this time of year it's good to have a plan for growing some new perennial flowers. One that we like, and have grown for years, is the Dianthus family of...

    Milkweed for Monarchs, Bring on the Beans, Cosmos and Japanese Beetles   Summer is here in our zone 5 Vermont garden in a big way. With record setting temperatures and lots of moisture still in the soil, plants are exploding with growth. Fortunately, we stayed on top of weeding earlier this month, so it's manageable now. But insects have arrived. Most of the insects in our garden are neutral or beneficial. And some are even rock stars. Monarch butterflies have gotten a lot of press for their impressive flights to...

  Creeping Phlox, Quick Carrots, Let's Eat Dandelions and Pruning Hydrangeas   Spring arrived on schedule in our zone 5 garden, then it decided to go on vacation. So now we get snow showers, chilly nights and flowers that are in suspended animation. It will change and I'm okay with the slow down. Things were moving along quite fast there for awhile. One plant that's showing lots of life is the creeping phlox. This is one of the first perennial flowers to bloom in spring and the colors put on quite a show. I talk about varieties...

    Peony Splendor, Perfect Peppers, Climbing Roses and Controlling Japanese Knotweed     With lots of rain in Vermont, we have lush, overgrown growth throughout our gardens. We've been spending time weeding, edging, transplanting (the rain is good for that chore), and caring for all our seedlings and new plants. We've been dividing and moving late bloomers, such as tall garden phlox, and transplanting self sown seedlings of lettuce and calendula. It's fun to watch it all come together as June approaches. In our zone 5...