Garden fairies here! We are garden faires and we have discovered a new flower in the containers on the patio. It's a flower we haven't seen around here in, like, never. Immediately, though we are busy and bedeviled with all kinds of garden tasks to do this summer, we went to work to figure out what it was. We sent Seedy and Soddy to the containers to take a closer look. Then we sent Honoria and Hortensis to Carol's library to start looking at books to find pictures. Meanwhile, the rest … [Read more...] about Garden Fairies Discover a New-to-Them Flower
annuals
The Best Zinnias I’ve Ever Grown
I rescued the zinnias from the evil clutches of the weeds and for now, peace reigns in the garden.And it is lovely.Honestly, these are the best zinnias I've ever grown. There are zinnias in all colors, except blue and purple. I don't think zinnias come in purple and they definitely aren't any blue zinnias.Some of the zinnias are over four feet tall!And from where I'm looking, there doesn't seem to be much powderly mildew on them.While I was admiring the zinnias, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail … [Read more...] about The Best Zinnias I’ve Ever Grown
I Might Be Hoarding Petunias
Certain events have transpired that make me think that I might be becoming... A Petunia Hoarder. I should have seen it coming. I quite innocently stopped by the local greenhouse to take a few pictures of petunias to use to promote the latest podcast episode of The Gardenangelists. One of the segments in this episode is on—you guessed right—petunias. Now, here in Indiana, I won't start planting petunias out in containers until probably the third week of May, and we still have one more week of … [Read more...] about I Might Be Hoarding Petunias
The Seedy Side of Gardening
I've recently encountered a few gardeners who never sow seeds. The idea of opening up a packet full of seeds and sowing them somewhere in their garden is foreign to them. Seeds are a mystery they haven't solved, and they have no idea how hard or easy it is to grow plants from seeds. To all those gardeners, I welcome them to visit the seedy side of gardening, which is filled with flowers and vegetables that are easy to grow from seed. How easy? So easy you just need to shake the seeds of the … [Read more...] about The Seedy Side of Gardening
Pansies in February
I wanted a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. Or perhaps sea salt caramel frosting. I'd been wanting one for days, thinking about it off and on whenever I either drove by a cupcake shop or was breathing. Just one cupcake. It would be a treat. One. Then I saw on Facebook that a local garden center had pansies for sale. On February 17th. This is unusual enough for our gardening zone that I took notice. After all, if there are pansies available, I must have them. But never … [Read more...] about Pansies in February
The Smiles of Sunflowers
I don't believe it is possible to look at a sunflower without smiling. I've tried to do so since mine began blooming and have determined it is just not possble. As I stand on the ground and look up at the sunflowers, now nearly ten feet tall, I automatically smile. I don't know if it is because I have to look up so far to see them, or if there is some other force making me smile, I just know I smile without even thinking about it whenever I see sunflowers. This year, I'm growing a … [Read more...] about The Smiles of Sunflowers
