Groundhog Day


Mon. Feb. 3, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Groundhog Day

Well, here he is….  the rodent responsible for Spring:

The little fella rose early yesterday morning, did NOT see his shadow and declared an EARLY SPRING FOR 2020! But I will say that statistically speaking, I wouldn’t bet on Punxsutawney Phil.  Apparently he’s been right 39% since 1887. He does have his own fan club! 

Phil is one old groundhog… according to legend, every summer, Phil is given a sip of what’s called Groundhog Elixir,  … [Continue reading]

Pericallis – pair o’ what?


Fri. Jan. 31, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Pericallis – pair o’ what?

As I was perusing new plants on the National Garden Bureau website, I found a beautiful white flower with dark blue/gray eyes. It looks like a daisy but it’s called Pericallis ‘Senetti White’.

Senetti is a series of cultivars created by a company out of Japan called Suntory.

Honestly, I’ve never heard of them but I’ve seen them and, likely you have too as you shopped for your annual Spring planting  … [Continue reading]

Romaine heaven


Thu. Jan. 30, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Romaine heaven

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced just a month ago that it had confirmed 138 cases of E. coli in 25 states, with the most recent one occurring on December 1. The good news, on January 15th of 2020, the CDC believes the outbreak over. 

But here’s even more good news. Grow your own romaine! 

And the National Garden Bureau suggests a window delight. It’s called Lettuce Bronze Mini Romaine. It’s a  … [Continue reading]

EAB treatment and tree replacements


Wed. Jan. 29, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: EAB treatment and tree replacements

The Emerald Ash Borer has slowly but surely made it’s way into many of our towns, if it’s not there already, it will be. 

Cities that planted all Ash trees because of Dutch Elm disease are now faced with Ash tree removal. The city I live in hired an Arborist to check over the trees and we have plenty that are on the chopping block, a few that will be treated. 

My friend  … [Continue reading]

Companion planting


Tue. Jan. 28, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Companion planting

Gazing out at a winter wonderland, I’m making soup using herbs from last year.  They are a wonderful family of plants. They offer fragrance, taste, medicinal properties and they repel some pests.

They offer fragrance, taste, medicinal properties and they repel some pests.  While not always substantiated by University based information, there are a number of books and articles, as well as old gardeners around that swear by the use of herbs and companion planting.

So  … [Continue reading]

Bunnies – the bad and the good? Monitoring your plants


Mon. Jan. 27, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Bunnies – the bad and the good? Monitoring your plants

It’s always a good idea to monitor your shrubs and newly planted trees this time of year to see if there’s been bunny, vole or deer damage.

If you wrapped the new trees with hardware cloth or put chicken wire around your shrubs, then good for you, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about!  I’ve lost a few shrubs by not paying attention.

Hardware cloth comes in a  … [Continue reading]

Native grasses


Fri. Jan. 24, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Native grasses

I think it’s safe to say we’ve established the fact that native plants offer more than just beauty

such as:

  • wide diversity – with an established track record
  • don’t require a lot of extra attention – just the right sun/shade and soil
  • environmentally friendly – they belong here, or there, depending on where you live!

We are so fortunate to have some fantastic native grasses that are hardy to zone 3!

Prairie Dropseed is a favorite  … [Continue reading]

2020 Vegetable introductions


Thu. Jan. 23, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2  min. Garden Bite radio show: 2020 Vegetable introductions

I talked this week about vegetable garden cost comparisons and the fact that, just being outdoors is a huge return on investment, and also gave some information on the terms used in plant catalogs that are quite helpful.

Today I want to talk about more 2020 vegetables to let your mouth water over! One of them is a sprouting burgundy broccoli! Called ‘Burgundy Hybrid’, it’s florets are purple on top of pale green stems. … [Continue reading]

Plant catalog terms – it can be another language


Wed. Jan. 22, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Plant catalog terms – it can be another language!

As you all know by now, I could spend countless hours curled up on the couch with a good plant and seed catalog!  I know, I live on the edge!   While many gardeners already know what many of the terms used in the catalogs mean, others might not be so familiar.  So today’s garden bite is an effort to clarify some of those terms for you.

A mini glossary  … [Continue reading]

Vegetable garden cost comparison


Tue. Jan. 21, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Vegetable garden cost comparison

I’ve talked about this many times before and continue to get the question…

Do you really save money planting your own vegetable garden?   That depends.  Things to consider:

  • how much effort will you put into creating your garden
  • how much you spend on seeds and/or plants
  • are you buying soil?  amendments?  fertilizer?
  • your time spent watering, weeding and harvesting
  • will you be building a raised bed
  • do you need to buy equipment

Your first  … [Continue reading]