Martinis and Marigolds - Refreshingly Quick Tips for Home and Garden

What Are Those Brown Patches in My Lawn?

What Are Those Brown Patches in My Lawn?

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!

Posted in beginner gardener, landscaping, lawn, low maintenance gardening

Spring Gardening Questions and Answers

Spring Gardening Questions and Answers

Spring is getting closer and closer 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!

Posted in beginner gardener, container gardening, flower gardening, gardening tips, herb gardening, low maintenance gardening, spring gardening, vegetable gardening for beginners

Orchids 101

Orchids 101

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!

Posted in beginner gardener, flowers, indoor gardening, indoor plants, low maintenance gardening, orchid, orchids

Growing Herbs Indoors Made Easy

Growing Herbs Indoors Made Easy

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.

Posted in beginner gardener, herb, herb gardening, herbs, indoor gardening, indoor plants, low maintenance gardening, vegetable gardening for beginners

Getting Started with Growing Plants from Seeds

Getting Started with Growing Plants from Seeds

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.

Posted in beginner gardener, garden planning, low maintenance gardening, starting seeds

Spending Too Much Time Watering?

Spending Too Much Time Watering?

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. 

Posted in beginner gardener, drip hose, drip irrigation, gardening, low maintenance gardening, soaker hose, sprinkler, watering

Getting Started with Growing Vegetables - A Beginner’s Guide

Getting Started with Growing Vegetables - A Beginner’s Guide

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!

Posted in beginner gardener, gardening tips, low maintenance gardening, vegetable gardening, vegetable gardening for beginners