I don’t know about you, but I just go gawking around in wonder and awe during Spring. After the dullness of winter, (as beautiful as it can be, but it is minimalist, after all) I just drink in the color explosion of spring. I missed lots of the early bulb time due to being so […]
Plants
Sprouting Bulbs In My Garden
Spring is hinting of its arrival. I saw the sprouts of tulip Fosteriana ( I know that is where it is planted) and the crocus bulbs. Even some of the perennials were greening up. There are a few residual streaks of snow where it had drifted particularly deep, but almost all of it is gone. […]
Holiday Plants
Poinsettias: don’t save, not worth it and you probably won’t get good results Christmas Cactus: do save, you might pass them on to your grandchildren someday Cyclamen: do save, although they are particular and need a cool window Narcissus and other bulbs: Don’t save … they lost all their strength giving you a good show
Autumn and Orchards
Autumn in the Midwest is quintessentially apple time. Wonderful apples in abundance and sweet cider that rivals the ambrosias of the Greeks. Ok, that is a little overboard, but nothing beats apple cider from a farm market in the fall. Nothing! If you have a freezer and a good source of unadulterated cider ( no […]
Pruning Your Mugo Pine
Don’t Butcher Your Pine The Mugo gets large when left unpruned. This shrub is now about 6 feet tall I have to make this small entry, to save someone out there from the butchering their mugo pines, as once seen in my neighborhood. On the other hand, if you don’t keep up timely pruning (done as […]
Purple Leaf Sand Cherry, Prunus x cistena
I have a large purple sand cherry that I planted in the first years here at this place, which I now call “Flatironed Acres“. What many people don’t realize is that this shrub grows quite wide with a floppy graceful form. Perhaps that is because many try to use shears to shape it to form. […]
