A week or so ago, a bird was attempting to build a nest above the light next to the back door. Since she hadn't gotten too far along, I knocked down the bits and bobs of leaves and grasses and figured she'd take the hint. She did not take the hint. By the time I noticed the nest again, she was almost finished building it. I didn't have the heart to remove it since it was finished, so she and I are going to have to learn to get along. After all, several times a day, I'll be going in and out … [Read more...] about Birds, Bunnies, Bees, and Blooms
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May Dreams Gardens
World’s First Hardy Tomato Plant
I'm so excited today because I am finally able to talk about a top-secret tomato breeding project in my garden which has produced the world's first-ever hardy tomato plant. This tomato plant is able to withstand temperatures down to at least -20 degrees Fahrenheit! That's right. It grows AND FLOWERS all through the winter, and sets fruit as well. Frost and snow do not kill it! Here are some common questions and answers about it. Does it really set fruit in the wintertime? Yes. … [Read more...] about World’s First Hardy Tomato Plant
Forgiving Forsythia: From Here to There to Here, Again
Forsythia 'Gold Tide'. A smaller, forgiving forsythia that melts into the background of the garden after it blooms. Mine top out at around three, maybe four feet. Forgiving because though it spreads and gets wider with running roots, it's easy to yank those outer branches out, cut the runners, and toss them. Or you can sever those runners from the mother plant with a sharp spade and then go back later—I suggest fall—and dig out the resulting self-sufficient stems to plant elsewhere or give … [Read more...] about Forgiving Forsythia: From Here to There to Here, Again
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – March 2022
Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for March 2022. Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, I am pleased to report that spring flowers are popping up every day. I am not pleased to report that after several lovely spring days, winter returned a few days ago with temperatures in the teens. "Brrrr," said the flowers. But for the most part, most of them, like these little 'Pickwick' crocuses did just fine and showed little damage once it warmed up … [Read more...] about Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – March 2022
Forcing Snowdrops Like It’s 1877
“Here’s a snowdrop—for “hope”—and here’s pansy—for thought”— C. Preston-Wynne While looking through a stack of vintage postcards for images of violets and pansies, I ran across this one which also featured snowdrops, and a few other flowers. Then I found this postcard featuring a New Year's greeting and snowdrops. I'll take this as evidence that snowdrops, back in the day, were considered a flower of the holidays, including Christmas. Since they are most often found … [Read more...] about Forcing Snowdrops Like It’s 1877
The Genus Viola: A Presentation
Last week, my garden club's speaker "ghosted" us, as the kids says. We attempted to contact the person, we did online searches for the person, and we came up with nothing. A no-show. It happens. So when the vice-president of the club asked me for ideas on what we could do instead, I suggested that if she thought others would like it, I could present a short program on the genus Viola. Well, long story longer, she loved the idea of a progam on the genus Viola, who wouldn't? And so I was … [Read more...] about The Genus Viola: A Presentation
