Gardening in the Midwest

My Garden Path……..the “bloom where you are planted” philosophy reignsLike so many others, my favorite gardens are in the English style. Ah, if only I lived on the east coast, or in Oregon – but in reality my garden is situated in the intercontinental U.S. Temperature extremes; variable climate conditions; inundated Aprils; drought-stricken Augusts. It has its own beauties, its...

What You Need To Know To Create A Garden

If you have a yard, or a piece of ground anywhere, you can create a garden, but what kinds of things do you need to know? If you have the information you need you will be an ever better gardener, improving your results and enjoyment as you go along.The questions to ask:What is my climate zone? What kind of soil do I have? When do I expect frosts? What kind of gardens do I like? How much time may I reasonably...

The Weather is Dry

So what do you do when drought is drying up your garden, and you are tired of dragging the water hose from place to place just to keep things alive? One permanent thing and several temporary things.The permanent thing to do is called “xeriscaping” which simply means garden in harmony with your climate conditions. If your area is subject to periodic drought, your garden might benefit from planting with...

Who Are The Good Bugs?

As I was listening to a gardening radio show the moderator answered someones question about garden spiders, which tend to be prolific in the garden during the late summer. As he put it, they are fattening up for the leaner winter season, but that makes them “the good guys”, eating up insects destructive to the garden. So, besides garden spiders …just who are the good guys among the creepy crawlies...

Herb Garden Plantlists

sundialsCulinary Herb Garden Links: Culinary GardenCulinary Plantlistchives oregano marjoram fennel parsley oregano sage thyme rosemary garlic angelica borage savoryDyers Herb Garden“Red cabbage leaves, carrot tops, cranberries, curry power, fresh dandelion flowers, fennel leaves and flowers, fresh goldenrod flowers, hop flowers, mugwort leaves, red, yellow and white onion skins, rosemary needles,...