Today I put alfalfa pellets around my roses and scratched it into the soil. The odd thing was, I couldn't remember why I was doing it. I knew I had read, or had been told, that it was good to give roses some alfalfa as they're just leafing out. But I couldn't remember where I [...]
Garden chores
Climate is What We Expect;
Weather is What We Get*
April 10, 2010
– Posted in:
Garden chores,
Weather,
What's up/blooming
The weather has been unseasonably warm here. It's a great cure for cabin fever, but a worry to the true gardener. If it's this warm and dry in early spring, what will July be like? It also incites the gambling tendencies inherent in our noble profession. I wonder if we've had our last frost? (Not [...]
Mud Season: Clean Up Quandaries
March 25, 2010 – Posted in: Garden chores, Mailbag, Mud SeasonA fellow gardener emailed me earlier this week: Oh cold climate wise one, Have you seen the forecast for Friday?! Snow and lows in the high teens. What does this mean for all the little perennials I've pulled leaf mulch off of? Should it go back on? I'm really looking forward to actual gardening this [...]
Choose locations to plant fall bulbs now
March 10, 2010 – Posted in: Garden chores, Plant info, Snowdrops, What's up/bloomingIn January, the snowdrops in the Secret Garden looked like this: This Sunday just passed--March 7th--those same snowdrops looked like this: Such are the vagaries of an upstate New York winter. Since then, the temperatures have been mild and the sunshine brilliant, and the snow is receding. This, my fellow cold climate gardeners, is the [...]
Planting Tulips, Part 2
November 11, 2009 – Posted in: Garden choresYesterday I told you how I finally realized species tulips planted in the peony bed would help to bridge the bloom gap of late spring. I got the tulips chosen and purchased, and now I'm going to show you how I planted them. But first let's talk about the most efficient way of planting them, [...]
Planting Tulips, Part 1
November 10, 2009 – Posted in: Garden choresAfter the snowdrops, after the crocuses, after the daffodils, there is just about nothing blooming in the front of the house until the June show of peonies, irises, and poppies. I have not been the first person to notice this bloom gap, not by a long shot, and the traditional recommendation is to plant tulips [...]
One Chore Begets Another
October 5, 2009 – Posted in: Garden chores, Garden TweetsSpent 2 hours cutting dead stuff down (mostly peony foliage), revealing weeds that will have to be pulled another day. Sigh.
A Little Bit of Deadheading
July 31, 2009 – Posted in: Garden chores, Garden TweetsJust deadheaded for 15 min. Long overdue & makes me feel better, even though it's the tip of the iceberg
All Annuals Planted Now
June 28, 2009 – Posted in: Garden chores, Garden TweetsPlanted 6 Henna coleus and the last 2 Mint Mocha coleus and Midnight Lace vine. All annuals finally in the ground. Weeding next.
Planting Coreopis and Rearranged Heucheras
June 20, 2009 – Posted in: Garden chores, Garden TweetsPlanted Redshift coreopsis and rearranged some heucheras last night and weeded here and there. The coreopsis is a trial plant from Skagit Gardens. On the tag it looks like it has a maroon ring around the center, so I planted it near the purple smoke bush. But in the accompanying literature it is pictured with [...]
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