I worked in the garden this afternoon and evening. One of the tasks I completed was to plant several pots of Fairy Lilies. This is a not-too-good picture of some I had a few years ago. From this small pot, I've saved bulbs year-to-year so that today I had enough bulbs for three good sized pots, and I put a lot in each one. The genus is Zephyranthes. These are also called Rain Lilies, but I prefer to call them Fairy Lilies. One of the great things about many plants is they reward you for growing … [Read more...] about Fairy Lilies and Money Wort

Somehow, in a conversation with a co-worker, he confessed that he no longer "did mulch". I wasn't quite sure what he meant. Was he letting the ground go bare? No! He had "mulched" with rocks, specifically lava rock. The permanent mulch!I humbly submit that rocks are not mulch, rocks are loose paving. Show me a garden with rocks for mulch, and watch me run the other way, fast! When you have rocks, it is difficult to replant anything where those rocks are. And, no matter how hard you try, the … [Read more...] about An Opinion on Mulch

What I like about spring is there is something new in the garden every day. As early spring flowers like crocuses and daffodils fade, the tulips start to bloom. When the forsythia drops all its blossoms, lilacs are ready to make their big showing for the year. And, after the blooms fade on the service berry, the crabapples and redbuds take (and demand!) center stage.And not to be out done, or so it seems, are all the weeds calling out to be pulled or else!I've posted a few more pictures. Click … [Read more...] about Something New Every Day

I got a note from my Aunt Susie that they had tried some early mushroom hunting, but didn't have much luck. They plan to try again this weekend, and hope to find enough for a meal. I wrote the following note a couple of years ago about when we "kids" used to go mushroom hunting. It's a bit long, but I hope you enjoy it.Here’s the story of how we learned to hunt for mushrooms…Spring meant a trip to a place called “Bob’s Farm” to hunt for mushrooms. Bob’s Farm was a few acres of farmland and a … [Read more...] about Mushroom Hunting

A colleague at work said his wife was working on a garden with all orange flowers. To figure out what to plant, he looked at a book of perennials and tried to find the orange flowering plants that were hardy in zone 5 and were not noted to be aggressive or spreading. I did a quick Internet search on "Orange Flowers" and within a few seconds came up with a good article on orange flowering plants in the magazine Garden Gate and shared that link with himGarden Gate is one of my favorite magazines. … [Read more...] about Orange Flowers & the Internet

I thought I would comment on some of the "passalong plants" that I have. These are plants given to me by others. Generally, I got plants that were prolific in the giver's garden, and so they are equally prolific in my garden.The number one plant on my list is not prolific, it is a big, awkward, house plant. It is a "night blooming cereus", more specifically Epiphyllum oxypetalum. I got mine from Dad, who got his start from Louisa Valentine, who was an immigrant from Czechoslovakia. (Though I … [Read more...] about Passalong Plants – The Night Blooming Cereus