If someone invited me to their garden and asked me to give them some advice, I would first look for their compost bins. And, if I didn’t find any compost bins, I would immediately set about helping the gardener find a place to put compost. Regardless of the style or type of garden, there has to be a little corner or hidden area where one can put a compost bin or two. That’s my advice. I myself prefer to have three compost bins. I fill one, then the other, then a third throughout the season. I … [Read more...] about Black Gold
books
Mums and Cold Saturday Mornings
A few mums around my garden and neighborhood.I refuse to call them by their new botanical name Dendranthema.And now, I'd better get to my garden chores, as I think of this quote from The Essential Earthman by Henry Mitchell...“… but fall--not spring—is the great planting season for woody things. If, in other words, you had thought of lolling in the warm weekends admiring the chrysanthemums and the dogwoods turning red, congratulating yourself perhaps that the weeds are losing heart, let me … [Read more...] about Mums and Cold Saturday Mornings
Be Not Afraid…
I sometimes find that some gardeners, especially newer gardeners, are a wee bit skittish about cutting back plants, lest they kill them.In some cases, you do want to get rid of the plant, as in the case of these perennial sweet peas, Lathyrus latifolius, which I cut back to the ground on September 11th, less then two weeks ago. Look now at all that lovely new growth!See, don't be afraid to cut plants back. Of course, do a little research to be sure it is a plant that can be cut back, and then if … [Read more...] about Be Not Afraid…
Gleanings from Old Gardening Books
I explored Google Books this evening, an evening that is rainy, damp and cool and more like the end of September than the eve of September. Brrrrr… I am wearing long sleeves!A few days ago, Google announced that they have added a download feature for books that are in the public domain. That drew my interest and I started searching through some of the books. I’ve just started looking and here are some of my finds:Gleanings in Old Garden Literature by William Carew Hazlitt (1892). He writes in … [Read more...] about Gleanings from Old Gardening Books
Gardening Goes On and On
“I could go on and on. But that is just what gardening is, going on and on. My philistine of a husband often told with amusement how a cousin when asked when he expected to finish his garden replied ‘Never, I hope’. And that, I think, applies to all true gardeners.” – Margery Fish – "We Made A Garden"Even as I start to see unmistakeable signs that this gardening season is coming to a close, at least in the midwest, I am planning for next year. I know everyone is. I'm figuring out what worked, … [Read more...] about Gardening Goes On and On
