By Claire Jones
Late summer is Basil time around my house. After growing all summer in my veggie garden, it is full and bushy, even though I am harvesting it regularly. Heat and sun loving, this summer has been both, and the Basil this year is loving it! The hydroponic stuff you buy in the grocery store doesn't compare …
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Maryland is tomato central right now. The ripe orbs are rolling in and I am inundated with a river of them from only 14 plants. Started in early March in my greenhouse, the spring was so warm that I planted them in the ground the third week of April. Our traditional last frost free …
Continue reading "Bonanza Tomato Bumper Crop: What To Do With All Those Tomatoes!"
"Foraging" is a big trend in gardening circles these days. To forage means "to search widely for food or provisions", according to the Oxford dictionary. I would also add: "to harvest from your garden for flowers and foliage to enjoy nature's beauty". Think of a forage garden as a beautiful marriage of your garden and …
Continue reading "Embracing Weeds : Found Floral Design and Edibles"
I have two Garden travel adventures coming up in 2025 - One to Spain and Portugal and another to the Cotswolds and Wales to experience the Chelsea Flower Show. I hope you can join me on one of these! For full itineraries, go to Trips. Spain and Portugal Cotswolds, Wales, and the Chelsea Flower Show
Many concerned gardeners want to transition their home garden dominated by non-natives to a more pollinator friendly native garden once they realize the benefits to the environment. Native gardens increase biodiversity, connect to natural ecosystems, and provide habitat for native wildlife. The goal for planting natives in your garden is to contain at least 70% …
Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic, and Aromatic Ah....The fragrance of lavender! Evoking many memories, like wandering through blooming fields of lavender on a hot summer day buzzing with bees. This is one herb that if I were on a desert island, I would want to grow! Growing lavender in my garden every year is essential and I …
Continue reading "Lavender – The Queen of Herbs"
Recently, I had the opportunity to test drive a battery-powered weed whacker and blower on my property. Having used a battery-powered blower in the past that was cordless, I was very skeptical about using this one because my experience was not good. Underpowered and short lasting, I always was frustrated and went back to using …
Continue reading "Eco-Friendly Equipment for a Eco-Friendly Garden – ENHULK Cordless Tools"
Keeping honey bee hives means you will likely encounter swarms, honeybees that split off from a mother colony. A natural reproduction process, swarming can happen to any beekeeper, so you should be prepared when it occurs. It is a sight to behold when the swarm is in full flight. The season of swarms is typically …
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Lilies are my favorite flower. They last a long time in the garden, are usually fragrant, make great cut flowers, and pollinators flock to them. Oh, and they are so easy to grow! All these attributes make lilies my go-to flower to plant every year to increase my varieties. But some lilies just increase …
Continue reading "Stunning Black Beauty Lily"
In my garden travels around the world, I am always looking for new and different plants. After a recent visit to Sissinghurst, I observed a plant that I really wanted to try at home, having never seen it before. Beautiful in flower, the foliage is quite attractive too. Cerinthe major atropurpurea , featured at …
Continue reading "How to Plant and Grow Honeywort, a Pollinator Favorite"
Native vines are a totally underused plant in Mid-Atlantic gardens. Filling gaps, covering walls and fences, and a great vertical element in any garden, vines can be used to attract native butterflies and insects to your garden. Vines are useful if you don't have a ton of vertical room and usually grow quickly and form …
Continue reading "Growing Vertical with the Top Five Native Vines for Pollinators"
As earth stewards of our amazing planet, we can appreciate the potential importance of all species to the continued existence of a complex ecosystem. But there are some that stand out and do the heavy lifting. Specific integral species are more important than others to the sustainability of an ecosystem and are called ‘Keystone Species’ …
Continue reading "The Benefits of Planting Native Keystone Plants"
