New blooms!

You know how when you first get a plant and it blooms for the first time and you just can’t stop taking photos? No? Well, you’ve been warned then, cause that is so me.}:P My lovely German Bearded Iris, ‘Celebration Song‘, bloomed overnight, surprising me this morning with not one, but TWO blooms. Given the [...]

Muscadines

Anyone have experience growing muscadines? I’ve got them all over my property and want to bring some into our garden area. We had a huge harvest last year, with fruit that was literally twice the size of what I’m used to finding in the woods. I want those giant fruit in my yard! LOL I’m [...]

flowers in the rain

It’s windy and rain keeps threatening, sending out sprinkles here and there. I love the look of rain on flowers click picture for larger and more detailed photos bottle plant. I love the way the unopened flowers look like jacks. more back hereIris spider lily daylily Izzy, hiding under the awning where it’s dry and [...]

Splitting a Rosemary Plant?

Hi all, I have the most amazing rosemary plant growing in a pot in my kitchen; I’ve had it for three years now; I replant it about once a year so the roots aren’t crowded and it stays indoors in the winter. It’s a beast and it’s out of control. In a month’s time it’s [...]

the things that have not worked … or lessons hopefully learned

NOT: The squash and cucumbers went in too early and died in the cold even though there were no actual frosts. The turnips, beets, lettuce, spinach and kale were way over seeded. Eating thinnings is a very labor intensive notion and I fear the plants are suffering. Carrot, pole beans, scallions and edamame don’t seem [...]

sugar snap pea experiment

I’m attempting to grow a 4 by 4 foot bed of sugar snap peas using a horizontal trellis. Bamboo canes with bit of branches still on them are used for the corner posts. Twine is tied in an outer square and then every 6 inches in 2 directions additional twine is tied to the square. [...]

State of the Garden, Month of April, 2010

I really should do these more often. For the uninitiated, this is a layout of sorts, of the front gardens. I don’t have one for the backyard, mostly due to the fact that the back is where I do trial and error, figuring out what will do well in hard, rocky soil, and until last [...]

Slugs and snails

Has anybody tried using copper tape as a repellent for those slimy pests and did it work?

Mattress foam question

Hello! My partner and I just moved in to our first very own place together, after previously jumping from apartment to apartment together with roommates (and even at some point his mother’s house). We’re very excited! However, I have a question about mattresses. We are currently sleeping on a futon with a very thin mattress, [...]

Please tell me what this plant is? Solved! <i>Echium wildpretii</i>

These are in a town square in my hometown of Lompoc, CA. I live on the Central Coast of the state. They are over 6′ tall, some of them. Thank you so much!