Vinca plays a major and minor role in garden design
Periwinkle is more than a paint chip or crayon color. The paint and crayon get their name from the bloom color of Vinca minor. The small flower in that glorious shade of blueish-purple appears in the spring. The blooms are a bonus from this workhorse groundcover. Vinca minor is an evergreen perennial vine that will […]
Greenbrier Valley House & Garden Tour
Hop on the bus, Gus. Make a new plan, Stan – the Greenbrier Valley House & Garden Tour is back. Mark your calendar for June 11, 2022, 10 am – 4pm. This is one of my favorite days in one of my favorite towns. Eleven properties will be open for touring in Whites Sulphur Springs […]
Flowerpot exchange is happening
I love it when a plan comes together. That is just what happened last July when my friend Lisa mentioned the idea of a flower pot rescue in Charleston. Yes, that’s right, a flowerpot rescue. Bet you are wondering what the heck is a flower pot rescue. Well, it is a fabulous idea, and I […]
Feeling fancy and creating a potager garden
Maybe it’s because I watched a movie set in Paris, maybe it’s because I ate French fries for lunch on Friday-whatever the reason I’m feeling the love for all things French. So why not a French-inspired vegetable garden? A potager garden. I have always referred to my raised beds and herb garden as a kitchen […]
Rock gardens have a rocky history with this gardener
I have nurtured a rock garden on a sunny slope near my back door for the past three years. It was beginning to fill in and become something that reflected the effort I had applied. That was then. Before broken pipes, before busted concrete, before removed decking boards, and before plumbers, not gardeners, dug into […]
Crop Rotation-good for the soil and good for the plants
I’m a creature of habit. I wake up at the same time every day, have the same breakfast, and sit in the same spot to read. Some would call this dull – I call it comforting. Because I like routines in my life, I must remind myself of the importance of crop rotation every spring. […]
Daffodils bring sunshine to the early spring garden
I love the early blooms of snowdrops and crocuses, but nothing gives me hope that spring is on the way like a swath of daffodils. Those sunny yellow blooms reassure me that yes, spring is coming, and the garden is waking up from the winter and beginning to grow. To enjoy the beauty of daffodils […]
Grab your garden tools, this is a busy week for gardeners
Today we spring forward and gain an extra hour of daylight. Great! It gives us an extra hour to spend in the garden. There is much to do in the garden this week; that extra hour will come in handy. It’s time to plant peas, radishes, spinach, and leeks in the garden. Peas like cool […]
A good time to plant ornamental grasses
Years ago, I watched a neighbor fuss, fret, and use a chainsaw to trim his very tall, very full and very beautiful ornamental grass. He was so cranky that day after all the work that I have never planted my own. This might be my year. I am drawn to the way the tall, slender […]
Spider plants and devil’s ivy have scary names, but easy to grow
The itsy bitsy spider grew down the windowsill. Pardon me, as I take liberties with the nursery rhyme words, but know that I did the finger climb and used a singsong voice as I was writing. I am thinking of spiders, specifically spider plants. I am not the only one; spider plants are among the […]
