The rain last week was welcomed by all of us who like to watch things grow. There's a patch of grass growing beside a creek where I live that is the brightest neon green I've ever seen. Whether you call it apple green or lime green or chartreuse it shouts spring officially started on March … Continue reading March Gardening Tips
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah, this time of year is special to each of us in our own way. We really do greet friends and neighbors with a bigger smile and a warm holiday wish when we see them on the street, at a community event or even in a store. It means … Continue reading Merry Christmas from The Mountain Gardener
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. The garden's been put to rest for the winter covered with a nice blanket of compost. The recent wind storm provided me with lots of material to make a beautiful holiday wreath for the front door or swag to decorate a window. Wreaths … Continue reading Holiday Wreaths
There’s a gentle guy among us with a beautiful garden in Scotts Valley who’s a serial killer – a killer of moles, that is. "The first one’s the toughest" he said while showing me around the other day. Caddyshack has nothing on this determined gardener and from the look of his landscaping he’s definitely winning … Continue reading How to Combat Moles and other Critters in the Garden
Nature’s favorite color is a washed out magenta. It’s the original shade of many plants and the one hybrids will revert to if they go to seed. Petunias, garden phlox, sweet peas, nicotiana and foxgloves, for example, will all revert to this shade. The favorite color of many gardeners is firehouse red, the winner among … Continue reading Blue Flowers in the Garden
I don’t know about your plans for the summer, but I’ll be sticking close to home. What with the price of gas and groceries, I’m planning a couple of camping trips in our great state. I guess you could say I’m going to be enjoying a "staycation". With my attention directed more to the home … Continue reading Color your Garden-Every Month of the Year