I like bunnies. Cute, furry little creatures, I like watching them crouch under the bushes by my office hiding behind a wall of snow. Let's correct that. I used to like bunnies. Now it's war. Do you see the double row of glorious, happy colored nasturtiums? No? Neither do I, at least not … [Read more...]
Glorious Red Hibiscus Blooming in My Garden
Last year we bought a few plants from Parks on clearance, including a hibiscus in a glorious shade of red. We did not have the garden even planned out, much less dug or ready to plant, so Dave found a pretty spot for this plant, slightly protected by tall spruce trees near the pool. It gets … [Read more...]
Adding Magic to Flower Gardens with Pathways – How to Lay a Path
Way way back in our first home Dave and I put in a garden along the back edge of our lot, then we created a big huge circle planting area. Ugh. It was so hard to get into the garden to weed and hard to see the flowers. And it was ugly. I thought about these two false starts and realized that … [Read more...]
Daylilies – Peach, Golden Yellow, Dark Red Vibrant in My Sunny Garden
The garden in our old house was half shady and some of my daylilies did not do well. They survived and bloomed but never seemed to thrive. We moved here two years ago. Our back yard is almost all sun all the time. We moved some of our plants with us, including daylilies, even the ones that I was … [Read more...]
Mulch in the Flower Beds? What Type to Use?
I've read that mulch is a gardener's best friend. Mulch cuts down on weeds, holds moisture, gives you a non-muddy surface to walk. I've tried several different mulches and so far none of them is the panacea we hope. Bark mulch is traditional, what you see around shrubs in many yards and public … [Read more...]
Bleeding Heart – Old Fashioned Beauty for Shade Gardens
Years ago my Mom had a bleeding heart that she found in the woods when we were camping. We dug it up and put it in the shady part of the garden where it bloomed in the spring and died back in the summer. I remember because it was pretty and she liked it and so did I. When Dave and I had our first … [Read more...]