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Charlie’s Late April Newsletter

    Two Large Perennials, Snacking Peppers, Honeyberries, and Hydrangea Happiness Book   April is wrapping up and for some gardeners, it's been a tough one. While our zone 5 Vermont garden stayed on the cool side most of the month, gardeners in Southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic states dealt with hot temperatures that pushed plants into flower early. Then, of course, there was a freeze and many flowers were lost. Gardening isn't for the faint of heart. At least our tulips and daffodils withstood any cold weather we...

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Charlie’s Late December Newsletter

Last Call for Webinar Sale, Holiday Plant Care, Growing Microgreens Indoors and My New Book     The holidays are continuing and the end of December is coming closer. New Year's will be here before you know it! That means New Year's resolutions, new habits and the end of my annual Gardening Webinar Sale. If you haven't taken advantage of my sale yet, read more below about the different webinar packages and how to save lots of money. The sale will end on Friday. With the holidays you might have received many holiday gift plants....

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Charlie’s Late February Newsletter

  Arugula Indoors and Out, Your Lavender Retreat, Flower Shows and Tropical Hibiscus   As a very snowy February wraps up in our Vermont garden, it's hard to believe that spring is technically only a few weeks away. I know the weather changes quickly this time of year and I have noticed that traveling to flower shows and garden talks. All I have to do is travel a few hundred miles South and the snow disappears. Speaking of traveling, I'm busy this time of year doing garden talks. And it's flower show season. I highlight the next...

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Charlie’s Late February Newsletter

  Flower Show Recap, Growing Hollyhocks, Companion Planting, and Tropical Hibiscus   I just returned from speaking at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. It's one of my favorite flower shows. I has a nice diversity of display gardens, many vendors and and incredible seminar series. There are more than 100 talks over a 5 day period. Some attendees purchase a 5 day pass just to soak up as much of the gardening information as possible. I highlight some of the gardens here in this newsletter. Hollyhocks are a delightful,...

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Charlie’s Late January Newsletter

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...

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Charlie’s Late January Newsletter

    Self Sowing Vegetables, New Coreopsis, Sweet Peas, and Propagating Houseplants As I look out at 5F temperatures and 1 foot of snow, it's hard to even imagine a garden growing out there in a few months. But I know it will happen. Nature is resilient and one of the ways I've been impressed by this with self sowing plants. Certainly many perennials self sow and spread their seed around the garden. But what about annual flowers, and more importantly, vegetables? In my new book, The Continuous Vegetable Garden, I talk about self...

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Charlie’s Late July Newsletter

  Garden Phlox, Succession Planting Veggies, My New Book and Tomato Hornworms       August is rolling in and the heat and humidity continues in our zone 5, Vermont garden. It's made for an amazing blueberry crop year and the tomatoes are huge. We have lots of flowers enjoying this hot, wet summer and one of our late summer favorites is the tall, garden phlox. This hardy, tough perennial starts flowering now and can last into fall. There are lots of good varieties to choose from and I talk about growing them in this...

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Charlie’s Late June Newsletter

    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...

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Charlie’s Late March Newsletter

  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...

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Charlie’s Late March Newsletter

  Butterfly Gardening, Cherry Tomatoes, Deer Solutions, and Clivia   The end of March is starting to feel more like spring in our zone 5 garden. The winter aconites and snowdrops are blooming, the flower buds on our Cornelian cherry are fat and ready to burst and the birds are singing a happy song. Many gardeners are interested in growing gardens to support and attract butterflies., especially the Monarchs. It's a great idea and I talk about some of the best plants to grow for butterflies, including the best milkweed varieties,...

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