I love old books, especially old gardening books, and I thought I’d share some wisdom from a thin, little volume I stumbled upon recently. Despite it’s name, The Old Wives’ Lore For Gardeners, the first sentence in the book had me wondering if I’d been duped. The opening line reveals the book was written by [...]
Archive for July, 2009
Book Preview…Old Wives’ Lore For Gardeners
Posted in Book Previews on July 31, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Purple Beautyberry…The Cinderella Shrub
Posted in Gardening Inspiration, Plant Possibilities, Zone 6 gardening on July 29, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Purple Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) is a hidden gem in my woodland garden. Right now, her gracefully arching branches, whose tips just touch the ground, are a nice feature in the garden but certainly not a show-stopper. In the spring and summer garden, Purple Beautyberry is a true background plant. Purple Beautyberry grows to about 3′ [...]
Landscape Design 601…The Principle of Interest
Posted in Gardening Inspiration, Landscape Design on July 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This is the final post in a series about the basic principles that should be considered when designing a landscape or garden. The first installment, an overview of the five principles, can be found here. The first four principles of good landscape design are: Unity, Balance, Proportion and Rhythm & Movement. The final principle of sound landscape [...]
Some Truths About Gardening
Posted in Gardening Inspiration on July 27, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I just received my October 2009 edition of Fine Gardening magazine and I wanted to share something from the magazine that made me laugh out loud. It’s not an article but rather the monthly letter written by the editor, Steve Aitken. If you’re like me, you probably don’t often read the editor’s letter, instead you [...]
Welcoming Wildlife In My Garden…Baby Robins
Posted in Gardening Inspiration, Natives, Plant Possibilities, Sustainable Gardening, Test Garden on July 24, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Several weeks ago a mother robin started building a nest in our blue spruce shrub (Picea pungens) located right outside a kitchen window and the backdoor to the garden. While this is not the quietest location in the garden, it seems to be a preferred nesting spot, especially for robins. The mother robin laid three [...]
Dealing With Insect and Fungal Diseases In Your Garden
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, Sustainable Gardening, Zone 6 gardening on July 23, 2009 | 4 Comments »
It’s been a tough growing season here in Stamford, CT (zone 6), just like it has been for gardeners across the country. June was incredibly wet and cool, the perfect conditions for many garden insect and fungal diseases to develop. There was barely an opportunity to get out in the garden and try to be proactive [...]
Check Your Tomatoes For Late Blight
Posted in Edibles, Gardening in Connecticut on July 22, 2009 | 4 Comments »
If you haven’t already heard about it, there is a very serious fungal disease currently affecting many tomato plants, especially on the East Coast. The disease is called Late Blight, a strain of fungus that was responsible for the Great Potato Famine in Ireland. While minor late blight outbreaks are often seen in late August or [...]
Rosebay Rhododendron – The Queen of the Early-Summer Garden
Posted in Gardening in Connecticut, Gardening Inspiration, Natives, Plant Possibilities on July 17, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Many gardeners tend to think of rhododendrons as reliable spring bloomers since many of the most common hybrid rhodis have brightly colored flowers in April and May and make colorful companions to late flowering bulbs. One of the lesser known, and in my opinion underused, species rhododendrens, Rhododendron maximum (Rosebay rhododendron), is native to much of [...]
It’s Not Too Late To Sow Some Seeds
Posted in Edibles, Zone 6 gardening on July 16, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Even though it is officially mid-July, there is still time to direct sow some seeds that will reward you with flowers or edibles before the end of the growing season. Here in zone 6, we have a fair amount of options for both flowers and vegetables. Depending on which zone you garden in , your [...]
Happy Bloom Day!
Posted in Bloom Day, Gardening in Connecticut, Zone 6 gardening on July 15, 2009 | 7 Comments »
It’s July 15th and that means garden bloggers around the world observe the well-honored tradition started by Carol of May Dreams Gardens blog. On the 15th of each month, dubbed Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD), bloggers post pictures of what is growing in their gardens. GBBD is a wonderful way to see what fellow garden [...]
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