Martinis and Marigolds - Refreshingly Quick Tips for Home and Garden
Spring Gardening Questions and Answers
Mar 20, 2025
Spring is finally here so the amount of questions popping up in on-line gardening groups is increasing. I love participating in these groups, trying to answer questions and/or give advice.
There are a few questions that keep coming up over and over and at least one that I never thought about.
Read on for the questions and my answers!
What Are Those Brown Patches in My Lawn?
Mar 13, 2025
If you live in an area that received snowfall this winter, you might be noticing circular brown patches like the ones in the photo as your your lawn tries to come back.
Read on to find out what is causing this and what you can do about it!
Growing Herbs Indoors Made Easy
Feb 27, 2025
I see lots of people in gardening groups just itching to plant even though it's still cold outside where they live. Houseplants are great but some of us are looking for more. However, I found a way to add to my indoor gardening and have delicious herbs to use in my cooking.
Read on to find out how to grow herbs (and other plants) indoors quickly and easily.
Orchids 101
Feb 20, 2025
It's so dreary here in PA. I thought it might be a good time to share my insights from a few years ago when I decided to teach myself about orchids. So if you've got a case of the winter blahs maybe it's time for you to jump in and try growing orchids yourself.
And if you already have orchids, maybe treat yourself to a new one.
Read on to find out more about growing Orchids!
Getting Started with Growing Plants from Seeds
Jan 16, 2025
Now that the days are slowly starting to get longer, I’m yearning for spring. I’m trying to find more winter hobbies, but I really don’t like the cold. And while I like organizing my house, office, car, etc as a way to get a good start to the new year, my fascination with this only lasts so long.
I find myself looking around my property and thinking about gardening. It’s much too cold here in SE PA to do much of anything outside, so what’s a gardener to do?
Well, garden planning is a great winter indoor activity. And this is a great time to plan our your beds and containers and order seeds to so that you can start growing plants indoors. If you’ve subscribed to any seed and plant catalogs, the good news is they start coming now.
Read on to find out how to start plants for your garden from seeds and get a jump on spring.
Transform Your Garden Year-Round with These Stunning Shrubs
Oct 17, 2024
In our effort to add really unique perennials and annuals to our gardens, we can overlook the value of shrubs. Maybe it's because they can seem a bit boring.
But shrubs can provide a great filler for larger beds and become a nice backdrop for flowering perennials and annuals. They are an important addition for curb appeal in your front yard. And, can really add to the backyard landscape if chosen for low maintenance and interesting textures and colors.
My favorite reason to grow shrubs is that they can provide multiple seasons of interest.
Read on to find 4 of my favorite shrubs that add color, texture and interest to my yard throughout the year.
Spending Too Much Time Watering?
Jul 04, 2024
In most of the US the heat of the summer is upon us. This is the time of year that we see our plants drooping under the hot summer sun and we need to spend more time watering. Hmmm or do we?
Not if you use my secret weapon. Read on to find out how to decrease the time you spend watering your flower beds, giving you more time to relax and enjoy your garden.
It's Too Hot to Plant - Now What?
Jun 27, 2024
The heat of summer is upon us in most of the US. While it might be tempting to continue planting, the next optimum time to plant perennials and shrubs is fall.
So what' a gardener to do besides maintenance chores? (And hopefully by following our tips you don't have too many of those!)
Read on for 5 of my favorite gardening-related and relaxing things to do now that the rush of Spring planting is over.
Getting Started with Growing Vegetables - A Beginner’s Guide
May 16, 2024
Although I’ve been gardening for almost 40 years, I’ve never really been a vegetable gardener. I played with a few tomato plants in pots on my deck but never anything more serious than that. Maybe it’s because I spent my teenage years helping my parents in the huge vegetable garden they planted every year. I personally would have preferred to use that field to house a horse, but that’s a whole other story!
But this year, I decided to give vegetable gardening a try. It’s been a really fun journey despite the heat this summer offered and in this article I’m going to share the steps I took.
If you’ve never grown vegetables before, read on. I hope I can inspire you to give vegetable gardening a try!
Veggie Garden Roundup
Nov 17, 2022
For those of you who have been following me this year, you know this year was my first real attempt at vegetable garden. If you missed that post, you can review it here.
I decided to start small with a raised bed. And I tried to choose plants that were pretty easy to grow and did not take up a lot of space. I planted 3 different types of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, jalapeño peppers, green peppers and cilantro.
Read on to find out which varieties I planted, how they faired at the end of the season and what I'm going to do differently next year.