Edible Ornamentals
When planning your garden design do not forget that you can use vegetables in your ornamental beds. Yes, I said it, vegetables in your ornamental beds. For some reason people see an ornamental bed as...
View ArticleThree Rivers Stone and Stepables Sedum
I want to share a couple recent purchases I made for my garden, specifically, for a water feature I am building that I should be able to share in a week or 10 days. The first is this gorgeous rock...
View ArticleMy New Water Feature
The largest garden bed on my property, my back side garden, has long be devoid of a focal point. When I was doing most of these gardens in the fall of 2004 I needed (wanted?) to create a very large bed...
View ArticleUse Black Mulch to Brighten Up Shady Areas
Mulch comes in many colors, people have long been using the ever present red mulch, and in fact I would venture it probably rivals plain mulch in volume. There are also golden mulches, that look like...
View ArticleTrain Clematis up a Post
File this under “other things you can do with fencing other than actual fencing.” Like my trick for saving shrubs from the ravages of rabbits I like to use fencing to form little cages, trellises...
View ArticleVideo: How to Build a Raised Island Bed with Retaining Wall Bricks
I’m doing videos now, this is the first one I’ve posted (though the fourth I’ve filmed). Some notes. 1. Expect to spend around $5 a linear foot for a 2 brick above ground (3 rows total) retaining wall...
View ArticleThree Simple Tips for a Beautiful Ornamental Garden Bed
My garden beds are looking wonderful right about now, and, not to toot my own horn, but nothing else in the neighborhood comes close. I was pondering my success today, and decided that there was...
View ArticleThe Best Type of Pot for Container Gardening
Garden planters can be made of a wide variety of materials, do you know which is best, do you know the pros and cons of each? Ceramic Ceramic or clay pots from plain terra cotta to fancy glazed...
View ArticleNiwaki: Bonsai in the Garden
Sushi is about the rice, not the fish. This is why a California roll, which contains no fish, is still sushi, but sashimi, which is just a slice of raw fish, is not. So while most people immediately...
View ArticleHow to Build an Island Bed with Retaining Wall Bricks
Island bed? What is that? No, it isn’t a bed with palm trees. An island bed is a bed not connected to anything, such as your foundation or property line. It exists as an island, alone in a sea of...
View ArticleCarpet/Creeping Phlox, A Great Groundcover, Round 2
I previously blogged about this plant in 2009 and it just looks so good this year I wanted to blog about it again. This will be a picture heavy post. Creeping Phlox Emerald Blue, Back Garden Creeping...
View ArticleGrow a Prehistoric Dinosaur Garden
There is something about a primordial forest, it looks old, it looks ancient, it piques my interest. The aesthetic of the old is greatly appealing to me, I think this is one of the reasons I like...
View ArticleLandscaping for Home Security
Your landscape can be beautiful, your landscape can feed you, but your landscape can also protect you. Much like a well trained dog can be both a friend and a security system, your yard and garden can...
View ArticleTaking Your Garden With You When You Move
In about a year I am moving to Tennessee as I’ve mentioned on this blog previously, and it is starting to feel closer and closer. I’m sure this last year will go quickly, and I’m starting to make plans...
View ArticleVibrant Variegated Holly
Recently on a Saturday between kids birthday parties I had some time to kill so wandered over to a nearby Lowes to look at the plants and I’m glad I did. I shop a lot at Lowes and Home Depot but...
View ArticleWeeping Blue Atlas Cedar, Cedrus atlantic ‘Glauca Pendula’
I’ve been pining after a weeping blue atlas cedar Cedrus atlantic ‘Glauca Pendula’ since I first saw it on Paul James’ Gardening by the Yard way back when. It is hard to put into words what I like...
View ArticleMy 2021 Plant Wishlist
2021 is fast approaching, over the last, maybe year, maybe 18 months. I’ve developed a plan (a 30 year plan) to turn my property into botanical gardens. I am now thinking very long term with my...
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