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Our kitchen garden these days is strictly a patio affair. In the summer of 2007 we grew cantaloupe and were pretty pleased with the results. The only problem is that I am allergic to cantaloupe. My husband suggested we try something I could eat, too. So the quest was on for a small watermelon, the smaller the better.
It all started in September in the Cottage Gardening forum. It was innocent enough. A forum regular wanted to organize a seed swap just among a few others on the forum to increase our "cottagey" plants for the coming year. This is the story of what it grew into.
Are you the gardener in your group with the geek status? That's me...there's a gardener in my soul, but the computer systems analyst in my head pays for the plants. You need some computer savvy to learn to use some of the garden design software that is available, but you certainly don't need to be a 'PC professional'.
Native shrubs can greatly benefit your home landscape. One that you may not know is snowberry. It provides nice dark green foliage spring through fall and white flowers tinged with pink in the spring. The real show is the waxy-white berries that give this bush its name and provide food for many species of game birds from fall into winter.
You may or may not be familiar with the spice cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum. Here's a little history, tips on growing it yourself and some ways you can add it's wonderful flavor to your holidays.
Garden sage is one of the first herbs I ever grew and it is still one of my favorites. If you enjoy the flavor of sage...think here of your standard turkey stuffing...then you might be interested in reading on.
For those of you with small spaces, no yard, or no urge to dig in the dirt, I am here to tell you that you can still grow a large variety of vegetables for your kitchen. My 'patio farm' was a great success this year. Let me tell you about it.
They are called volunteer plants. The ones that grow in your garden with no rhyme or reason. You did not plant them, yet there they are. Sometimes you can just sit back and enjoy.
Ruby and Little Jade are two female ruby-throated hummingbirds that spent the season with my husband and me this year. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and I thought I might share them with you.
Dianthus, the genus that carnations belong to, range from the little jewels of Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' ('Dianthus gratianopolitanus') to the long-stemmed and fully-double flowers we think of as florist's carnations ('Dianthus caryophyllus'). They are perennials and do best in full sun. And they are often used as men's boutonnieres. But what else can I tell you about carnations?
You've purchased a new garden design package for your computer. If you are very computer savvy you're probably already working with the software and designing your gardens; but if you are more gardener than computer whiz you may need a little help getting started. Read on.
You know that you can use house plants to 'green' up your home. Many of you are probably familiar with flowering house plants as well; african violet, orchid, hoya and so many more. But there is another way to introduce color into your home with potted plants.
"The red rose whispers of passion, And the white rose breathes of love; Oh, the red rose is a falcon, And the white rose is a dove." - John Boyle O'Reilly
What do you know about Daylight Saving Time? All I knew is that I had trouble remembering when to reset my clock. So I set out to do a little research.
Do you remember in the story of 'Peter Pan' when the fairy Tinker Bell was sick? Peter asked everyone to clap their hands to let Tink know they believed in fairies so her light would not go out. Well, there are things you can do to let the garden fairies know you believe in them.
So you say you love cantaloupe? So you never buy one because you can't finish a whole one before it goes bad? So you don't think you have room to grow melons because you're a patio gardener? Then this article is for you!
First let me say that a day is not nearly enough. I could wander through these gardens for a week and still come back for more. Maintained by the Niagara School of Horticulture in Ontario, Canada, there is an enormous variety of plant life here. If that is not enough, the Butterfly Conservatory is the icing on the cake.
Blueberries are ideal for the home grower. They do not need much space and can even be grown in containers. I just started my blueberry 'patch' last year, so start yours now and we can become blueberry farmers together.
Pollen bees? These are the native North American bees that were responsible for all of the pollination before the Europeans brought honey bees to the New World. There are over 3,500 species of pollen bees in North America alone.
Trained artist, accomplished craftswoman, garden designer, turn-of-the-century garden author, avid gardener...this, and much more, was Gertrude Jekyll. Her garden writings are as valid today as they were 100 years ago.
There are many reasons to buy from specialty growers, either through mail-order catalogs or online, but the biggest one is the huge variety of plant material they offer. You can find plants that you have never heard of and did not even know you needed until you read about them. If you have never bought anywhere but from a local nursery or a big box garden center store, you might just have to take the plunge after you read this.
Autumn is in the air, this season's flowers are developing seedheads and that means that the fall seed swaps will be starting soon here at Dave's Garden. Here are some thoughts about how to have fun trading seeds.
Yellow roses bring light to your garden. It's almost as if they have grabbed the sun and brought a piece of it to share with you. They can range from very pale cream to a deep amber and include a wide range of blends with other colors, mostly pinks and reds. Pictures can say it better than I. Come see.
Boxwood has a use in almost any garden. It can be sheared into neat geometic shapes for a formal garden setting, or left to grow into it's natural shape for a more casual look. As far as height, you will find anything from 2' to 15'. There are cultivars with variegated foliage for a different look. It is as well suited for a hedge as it is for a specimen planting. Come with me as I take a closer look at this very popular shrub.
Ralph Moore celebrated his 101st birthday on January 14, 2008, the same day he retired from 70 years of hybridizing roses, most notably miniatures. What follows is a brief look at what inspires a man to dedicate his life to always question, always wonder what is next, what the new rose will be.
Butterflies are a welcome sight in any garden. If you really want to attract the beautiful "flying flowers," you will need to provide a variety of plant material. As gardeners, we are also interested in the aesthetics of our gardens. So you will want to include some shrubs in your butterfly garden design as the backdrop for the other flowers.
I never cared for orange flowers. They seemed kind of garish. The color was ok for pumpkins or (ahem) oranges, but NOT for roses. Then I saw some of the gorgeous photographs of orange roses posted on the Rose Forum here at Dave's Garden.
Ah, the classic red rose. I would bet if you asked ten people to picture a rose in their mind, at least eight of them would picture a red rose. Men in particular seem to be drawn to red roses. Let's take a look at some favorites, old and new.
Pink roses are feminine, soft, romantic...and my absolute favorite. So in this article, instead of listing the most popular pink roses on the market, I'm going to share the ones that I love the most. Here is a bouquet of two dozen pink roses from my garden to yours!
You've purchased the garden design software that's right for you and worked through the tutorials and practiced with some simple designs. You should be ready to design that new bed for spring. I'm going to show you one that I did last year. It's an herb garden that sits at the center of a 70' long cottage garden. The herb garden has some interesting elements, so I'll just concentrate on that here. This is the final article in this series. Please join me.
No, he never promised me. But now we can finally afford it and I can have any kind of rose garden I want for my birthday. Come along as I design, plan, build and plant my dream rose garden.
It's time to choose your garden design software now. There are some things you need to consider before you make your decision. When I was first contemplating such a purchase, I was in the process of having a new home built and had a completely unlandscaped 3/4 acre lot that was purely mud and rocks; a blank canvas, if you will. You may be in a similar situation, or you may have 25 acres, or possibly a tiny city lot that's already planted and you just want to rearrange. Your software should be tailored to your needs.
Here is a perfect gift for someone you know who already enjoys hummingbirds in their garden, or for someone who would like to attract hummers to their yard. If you like hummingbirds and don't already have this, get one for yourself, too... they're inexpensive and so much fun! A hummingbird window feeder.
