I love seed catalogs. I love how they all work the same way. Vegetables are usually presented first and arranged in alphabetical order. Arugula, then beets, then cabbage, all the way to squash, tomatoes, and watermelon. Then come the flower seeds. Ageratums, marigolds and always at the end, the zinnias. I know the order of the alphabet, I know the order the seeds will be listed. I can navigate easily from one section to the next by turning the pages. Right to left. And … [Read more...] about I love seed catalogs
seeds
Glass Gem Corn
... And every evening after she had finished her chores, if she had been good all day, meaning no whining or fussing, no being mean or unkind to others, no temper tantrums. If she ate all her vegetables without complaining, did enough steps to keep her FitBit happy, and didn't forget to change out of her regular clothes into her gardening clothes before heading out to the garden... Then she rewarded herself with a walk out to the patch of Glass Gem corn where she got to pick an ear … [Read more...] about Glass Gem Corn
Late Winter Session with Dr. Hortfreud
Overheard in a garden... Carol, so good to see you in the garden today. Well, Dr. Hortfreud, it's good to be in the garden today, even it is just to walk around and look at the bare ground. It's nice that the snow has melted. Yes, indeed, Dr. H. 62 degrees Fahrenheit can melt a lot of snow. And look, there's a crocus sprout. I see that, Carol. Which reminds me that I wanted to ask you if you've ordered your seeds yet. Uh, well, no, not yet. Carol! What are you waiting … [Read more...] about Late Winter Session with Dr. Hortfreud
Down the rabbit hole, again
More Lily of the Valley I've gone down into another rabbit hole of old gardening books. Down in this particular rabbit hole, I've been following one trail and then another, sometimes retracing steps just to be sure, and other times finding a new trail, only to have it lead me right back to where I was before. Along the way, I've either found something I never expected to find or I've been taken for a goodly sum of money. I'll know for sure when I get a package from this rabbit hole in five … [Read more...] about Down the rabbit hole, again
Every gardener must decide: Cut Back or Leave Standing
Aster hiding in the Amsonia There comes a time in the fall when every gardener who gardens in a climate with a true winter season with snow and ice and, well, winter, must decide. Cut down those seed heads on the perennials and grasses or leave them standing thru the winter. The proponents of leaving the perennials alone for the winter point out that many of those seeds are food for the birds. Plus, all those perennials, even stripped of bloom and leaf, add that oft-spoken of … [Read more...] about Every gardener must decide: Cut Back or Leave Standing
Selection Sunday, Our thoughts turn to gardening
I bought and planted violas. It's Selection Sunday, when college basketball teams find out if they've been chosen to play in the NCAA tournament, and our thoughts turn to gardening, as they always do. This is to be expected, what with everyone talking about seeding and who will get which seed in the tournament. What gardener wouldn't immediately think about their seed stash and which seeds they are going to start indoors and which seeds they are going to sow outdoors? By now, most gardeners … [Read more...] about Selection Sunday, Our thoughts turn to gardening
