New meaning to Winter Blues with Pantone’s 2020 color of the year… Blue!


Fri. Jan. 10, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: New meaning to Winter Blues with Pantone’s 2020 color of the year… Blue!

With the announcement of Classic Blue, the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year, I thought I’d share some hardy blue perennials for our cool climate!  Amsonia ‘Storm Cloud’ is a low-maintenance shrub-like delight that grows to about 36 inches tall and about 40 inches wide.

The stems poke out of the soil almost black!

The leaves are a sort of olive green while the periwinkle  … [Continue reading]

Scale – it’s a living thing


Thu. Jan. 9, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Scale – it’s a living thing

That term seems odd to me for a living creature but there it is sucking the life right out of your houseplants. Scale-damaged plants look withered and sickly. Leaves turn yellow and may drop from the plant.

If left, they will kill it and move on to your other plants nearby.  These little nasties also secrete a sticky substance called honeydew that attracts black fungus called sooty mold.

Young scale insects crawl  … [Continue reading]

Why should you bathe your leaves?


Wed. Jan. 8, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Why should you bathe your leaves?

Uh, you might want to give that plant a bath. I’m not saying that there’s an odor, but… no, seriously, that crusty layer of dust is pretty thick… Teri. Yes, speaking to myself!

Periodically cleaning the leaves of your houseplants is actually less work than letting it go until a year down the road the sun shines in at just the right angle and you think, oh man, the air-cleaning machine is  … [Continue reading]

Oh boy! It’s plant catalog season


Tue. Jan. 7, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Oh boy! it’s plant catalog season

I love getting my new year plant catalogs and browsing on a snowy, or right now, rainy, Sunday morning!

There are so many cool new choices from Jung Seed Company and Burpee. Right on the front page of Jung is a tease of a berry called “Boreal Beast Honeyberry”. How could I NOT check this out. This is a lonicera but it’s not like my honeysuckle vine. It’s a shrub. I  … [Continue reading]

Greening up with gardening


Fri. Jan. 3, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Greening up with gardening

I have a saying “The garden is no place to stress for success but to soak up some sun and renew your spirit”.  I really do feel this way.  Not only does gardening relieve stress but it gives us a wonderful opportunity for fresh air, some exercise and fresh produce.  I love the feel of soil in my hands, the thrill of harvesting that first juicy tomato.  I pop that in my mouth without  … [Continue reading]

Clearing the air


Thu. Jan. 2, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Clearing the Air

The aromas of holiday cooking still linger in our minds and perhaps in the drapes too if we’ve burned anything!  Not that I would know about that! But in case I did, I know a way to “clear the air”.

Plants!  Decades ago NASA, yes the THAT NASA, proved plants could remove volatile chemicals from the air Including formaldehyde which is found in, or used to produce, a multitude of everyday products, from fabrics and  … [Continue reading]

Popping the bubbly


Tue. Dec. 31, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Popping the bubbly

No day is more associated with Champagne than today, New Years Eve. The bubbly’s start was dubious and it’s history riddled with lawsuits.

 Dom Perignon, (the guy from the Champagne region of France!) tried many times to get the fizz out of his wine. When wine has bubbles, it’s a sign that it has continued to ferment inside the bottle.  The quintessential guide to Champagne – a little history and a slightly different version than  … [Continue reading]

More AAS winners for 2020


Mon. Dec. 30, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: More AAS winners for 2020

 Last week I shared about how All America Selections was started back in 1932. They do the trials and we get the benefits! Each year they select perennials, annuals and edibles. As you start planning your gardens for next year, think about one or more of these 2020 winners!

An edible is a mini cucumber called ‘Green Light’ F1. This little beauty is an excellent mini cucumber, said many of the AAS  … [Continue reading]

Celestial gardening


Fri. Dec. 27, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Celestial gardening

Celestial gardening sounds a bit mystical.  It is.  It’s also working, according to some experts. Biodynamics, it’s more scientific name, uses the movements of the moon and stars to guide planting and cultivation.

Think that’s a stretch?  Consider how the moon creates ocean tides.  Suddenly it’s not so “out there”.  Well, celestially speaking it is!  ;-)

Biodynamic gardeners plant by the lunar calendar, they also use raised beds believing that this enlivens the soil.  Herbs such as  … [Continue reading]