The weather has proved unusual, and here is the impact for my garden; plus some jots about other notable conditions and effects. It has been far wetter than usual, and then there is the inverted effect of our temperatures… June was as miserable as any July-August might have been. The heat and humidity was horrible…
year in review
The Blog Move Finally Gets Attention
This blog had 1000plus postings and was moved to its own domain with a new WordPress platform. It has taken awhile to get to cleaning up everything around here, especially while trying to adjust the theme and look and write new posts! The gist of it is that I am today fixing old posts, getting…
Garden Update And Late Starts
Every year I promise I won’t go AWOL during the main growing season of the garden. Just so I will get everything done and catch up with the past year’s neglect. but every year I manage to break those unspoken, informal vows. Usually family related, but sometime through the call of far off places I…
Autumnal Sweetness
The door is closing on this growing season. To make up for the sense of loss, somehow the season has incredible sweetness. Frost has that effect on things. On fruits, on the the ground, on our souls. It is as if to placate our mournful sense that the pleasant days of fall will give way…
Monarch Butterflies In The Garden
This year I saw a big uptick of Monarchs, along with many other types of butterflies in my garden. The most promising thing is the many Monarch caterpillars that I see happily munching on my plants. I don’t begrudge them. The garden has lots of Milkweed in it ( grown just for Danaus plexippus), but surprisingly…
New Year, New Look, New Plans
What’s Ahead Christmas Roses More Video in 2015 The blog has a new look. In keeping with the changes of the internet,i.e. more mobile users, I attempt to create a more functional design. You may notice the emphasis on including a video gallery. That is the direction I hope to go this year- always choosing…
2014 Garden Retrospective
American Meadows had sent me some seeds. They bloomed well, but I didn’t get many pictures of them. I was neglectful of the garden, while visiting family for almost 2 months. In many ways, the garden season of 2014 was challenging. The losses were probably the result of cumulative stresses, but I am sure that…
Word To The Wise
Do you wait around for the last minute to put your gardens to bed for the winter? That may not be the best thing to do this year. Winter seems to be fast approaching in many areas, and Ohio might get cold quickly. In 2013, the deep cold came with the Thanksgiving holiday, and in…
The Growing Season Review
July looked best You know how people like to summarize their year during December and especially at the turn of the year? Well, this is that time for Gardeners. Premature you say? For me, I will yet again be absent from my garden and al that remains for me to do this year is planting…
Winding Up July
I didn’t say “Hot enough for you?” once this month. Not that I am given to using that phrase, anyway, but the weather in Ohio could not have been more beautiful. We had “Polar vortex” in July. Normally I write off this month in terms of garden work. Only mad dogs and Midwesterners work in the heat…