Bird-Feeding Basics  There is something about watching birds feed that is relaxing. While I cannot explain it, I can appreciate the feeling of content.   Maybe it is watching their graceful movements, or maybe it is knowing you are enjoying the day...

Gardening can be intimidating, especially if we did not grow up with it. We watch our neighbors bring plants home, and spend Saturday planting a tree, digging out shrubs, adding new shrubs, and finish up planting trays of flowers. We watch with amazement wondering...

Peonies are stunningly beautiful, and many of us would love to grow them. Past experiences or stories of failures have us intimated and feeling like we cannot grow peonies.  Peonies are not necessarily more difficult to grow, but they do require specific...

Plants for Problem Areas In a perfect world, all the plants we love would thrive anywhere we wanted to grow them. We would have no trouble spots in our yards, and there would be no need for the following lists. But…  Here are some plant suggestions for common...

When to seed? Ideally you want your seedlings ready to be transplanted outdoors once the last chance of frost has passed. For us that is usually mid April.  Your seed packets will tell you how many weeks before last frost date to plant your seeds.  Beans and...

Mention growing roses to most gardeners, and they respond with “I would love to but…” .  We love the idea of growing our roses to enjoy, but the fear of failure often holds us back.  We are told time and time again that roses are hard to grow. While it is...

We create gardens for numerous reasons. Sometimes we enjoy the visual excitement of an explosion of color, or maybe to watch the wildlife our garden attracts. Oftentimes it’s a means to escape and relax. Creating a relaxing or meditation garden is not difficult, but...

Do's Planting a tree Do dig the hole the same depth as the rootball Do dig the hole at least twice as wide as the root ball Do use your native soil when back filling but you can allow as much as 25% be a soil amendment Do loosen the roots from the sides and bottom (if...