I went out to the garden yesterday evening, just before sunset, to cut a few flowers to bring inside. My few flowers included coreopsis, foxglove, a few last dianthus from its first flush of bloom, an open flowered Clematis, its name long forgotten, plus Clematis 'Pagoda', 'Rooguchi' and C. integifolia 'Alba', speedwell, columbine and a hardy orchid. I don't think often enough about cutting flowers and bringing them inside to enjoy. I don't consider myself good at arranging flowers. This … [Read more...] about Secrets to Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Eighteenth Secret
Secrets
Secrets to Happiness with Peonies
Peonies anyone? You may have your fancy peonies, your new varieties, even your tree peonies. I am sure they are very nice and give you joy when they flower. But for me, I only need the peonies that I got from my Dad's stand of peonies. They are like family. Good family, who don't need a lot of attention and return faithfully year after year and when they are here, they are no trouble at all. There are just a few tips, secrets, that you should know about them if you are going … [Read more...] about Secrets to Happiness with Peonies
Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Seventeenth Secret
A new season of gardening is upon us. Fall. And with fall comes another secret to achieving happiness in your garden. This secret is one that people have been told time and again, but they don't always believe it. I'm not sure why they don't believe this secret. I suspect part of the reason is that many people think of gardening as something that begins in the spring and ends in the fall, more precisely on or about the first day of fall or when they get the first frost of … [Read more...] about Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Seventeenth Secret
Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Sixteenth Secret
OSO EASY™ Cherry Pie Rosa 'Meiboulka' by the green chairs. Now that it is June, the weather has done a complete reversal from last weekend's temperatures in the 90's to today's shivering temperature of 60F. I guess June got the memo from March, April, and May about how fun it is to be some other month than what you are. Ha! Fun indeed. These unseasonable months are mostly just confusing and unsettling for gardeners, plants, and critters alike. Yet, even with the confusing … [Read more...] about Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Sixteenth Secret
Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Fifteenth Secret
Lurie Garden - Chicago, Illinois I never thought much about salvias before I saw them in big drifts in the Lurie Garden in Chicago. They seemed a bit, oh, I don't know, ordinary? The dark bluish-purple spikes just seemed to fade into the shade in my garden. But when I saw the big drifts of them in the Lurie Garden, mixed with the lighter shades of purple Baptisia, in a sea of green punctuated with occasional yellow blooms, I changed my mind. Now I can't get enough … [Read more...] about Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Fifteenth Secret
Listening for a secret
I will remain vigilant and alert as I look for the 15th secret to achieving happiness in your garden. Perhaps I will hear it in the faint whispers of the flowers? … [Read more...] about Listening for a secret
