Everyone has their opinion of what makes something a joy to the eye. In winter everything is finely edited by our cold weather and killing frosts and further focused when snowfall covers the landscape, but that only means we have…
Today my quest is for a natural pest control method to deter deer from devouring my gardens, preferably without sophisticated fencing or expensive pest control services. Or by enrolling in a weaponry class. I jest. Sort of. The first time…
Marigold has an old variety called Victorian (spun orange) marigold. It is an extra-large, attractive, super-double flowers with tubular petals. The color is a pleasing, clear orange rather than the harsh orange-brown so often seen in African marigolds. Plants are…
3 years ago, I planted 10 raspberries around 3 feet apart. About 3 months after I planted them they were all mowed down by deer Fortunately, they were hardy beasts and the next year I was pleasantly surprised to see…
If your plants’ leaves have a white or gray dust on them, powdery mildew is probably attacking your garden. It’s a common disease, and different strains of powdery mildew attack a wide range of plants. This problem usually occurs toward…
Most people think about trying to control their dandelions in the spring when they see them in bloom. However, this is not the best time to try to control them, particularly if they plan to use a broadleaf herbicide to…
Cosmos are freely flowering annual plants that are ridiculously easy to grow. If you’re looking for a flower that will stay in bloom for months and can be grown by simply scattering seeds, cosmos is a great choice. The flowers…
Your yard is an important part of your home; you use it for hosting parties, spending a quiet evening after work and even for attracting wildlife. In any case, most homeowners like to maintain backyard and front yard privacy. So…
“What’s that unusual plant?” is a question that almost always indicates someone has just spied the cleome blooming in my garden. I enjoy watching their eyes widen when I tell them they are “spider flowers.” Cleome common name captures how…
What’s the difference between a cantaloupe vs muskmelon? One of the great joys of summer has to be fresh cantaloupe, either from the local farmer’s market or your own home garden. But is it cantaloupe or muskmelon? There is technically…
I started to cage tomatoes a couple of years ago. Why did I wait so long? Partly, it was money. I didn’t want to spend $5.99 each for 16 sturdy tomato cages. That’s almost $100 for tomato cages that will probably…
Over thousands of years, gardeners and farmers have carefully selected the best specimens of a season’s harvest (say, the sweetest or most frost-hardy carrots) and saved the seeds from those exemplary plants to sow again. Continued across generations, this process…
We now live in the age of self-driving cars, robot vacuums cleaning the floors and your smart fridge is getting the shopping done. Now comes the technology of self watering systems. Time, then, to relax in the back yard –…
Although outdoor water fountains have recently exploded in popularity, people around the world have been enjoying them for hundreds of years. Not so long ago, they were considered to be art for the elite, as they were placed politely in front of…
First of all not all country people are rednecks. They’re people that don’t give a damn about high society. I have seen some that do sport mullets, wear the plaid shirts with the cut off sleeves, have their cars upon…