When I first heard the term “rain garden” I thought it was something for people in Seattle. I was wrong. Rain gardens are a way all of us can improve the water quality of our Wisconsin lakes, streams and groundwater. Rain gardens are just that – gardens that soak up rain water from roofs, [Continue]
During gardening season, my philosophy on housecleaning is this: it can wait until just before company comes. Many gardening chores are not as forgiving as dirty floors and dust bunnies, however. For example, when a plant starts getting too tall or top heavy and needs staking, don’t wait to do the job. A day’s [Continue]
Just because you don’t have a vegetable garden doesn’t mean there is nothing to eat growing in your yard or flower garden. Most herbs have flowers that are edible, as do many pretty annuals and perennials. Fancy restaurants use colorful blossoms as garnishes and as flavoring ingredients in many dishes and you can [Continue]
By mid-August, many gardens start to look a bit unkempt. With a little attention, your garden can be spruced up to carry on well into fall. Begin by cutting back the straggly flowering stems and seedheads from perennials and annuals that have finished blooming. Cut off any tattered or overgrown foliage. August is also [Continue]
I am an organic gardener, so you will never see me write anything in this column about applying pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. There is an alternate organic method for solving just about every garden problem. There is, also, the alternate mind set. For example, my lawn is not full of weeds; it is a [Continue]
When you buy transplants for your garden and flower beds this spring there are several things you should know before exchanging your hard-earned green dollars for green plants. First, I strongly recommend that you do your buying at a local greenhouse rather than at a department store. Prices for plants are comparable at a greenhouse [Continue]
Our Wisconsin growing season is too short for some vegetables to ripen or flowers to bloom if you wait to plant them outdoors in May. They need a head start indoors. Starting seeds indoors is easy and doesn’t cost much. Use a sterile soiless seed starting mix and a container that drains well. [Continue]
Wisconsin gardeners may look with envy on their neighbors to the south whose growing season extends year round. But if you’re like me, you feel a little sadness at the first hard frost each fall, and then breathe a secret sigh of relief that a well-deserved few months of rest are ahead. Then around [Continue]