JulieHillOk…the dirt nerd is me is feeling all tingly. Spring has sprung in such an exuberant fashion that I have decided to add a small column to the right side of the page for daily (or almost daily) garden happenings. I know, the fact that the broccoli is actually doing what broccoli is suppose to do is only exciting if you love gardening. But here is goes anyway… Suffer if you …
Blog Directory
Today in the Garden: A New Feature
Planting a Butterfly Garden
Sometimes gardening sounds so difficult and the amount of information can be daunting. It can make your head swim and cause an acute case of analysis paralysis. Ever feel that way? Think about it, when someone can write a whole book on just one gardening topic, then it must be a really difficult and complicated hobby. Right? One whole book on ONE topic? But it needn’t be …
The Urban Hedgerow
It’s fun to know what other people are doing in their gardens. Maybe it’s the dirt nerd in me liking to compare my weekend gardening adventures with others, but never-the-less, I enjoy it. My friend, Sandy, has a Southern Living-style garden. It belongs in the magazine,and she spends so much of her time rearranging her plants. She moves plants like most people move furniture, …
Dandelions and Henbit: Two Early Bloomers
Spring has sprung, or is desperately trying to in most parts of the northern hemisphere. Gardeners across the globe are eagerly awaiting for new growth to peek out from under the leaves and mulch and new growth to appear on the shrubs and trees. But some little jewels have already stepped on stage and are showing off their stuff. These are the “weeds.” These are the …
Oh Joyous Spring!
Several years ago after having experienced some hairpin curves in my life, I set about rediscovering parts of me I had forgotten. There was the part of me that loved art but had been stuffed in the closet. There was the part of me that loved sitting quietly to read without feeling like I should be “doing something.” And then there was the part of me that is the real …
How to Build a Planter Box Economically
My neighbor came over this weekend while I was outside working, and he asked if he could interrupt my “craft” project. Mind you my miter saw was set up, my tools were scattered about, and I was up on my deck with my impact driver going full speed. He is a nice man…well-meaning…but a craft project? What was this “craft” project? I was building a cedar planter box, the …
My Winter Projects
It’s warm and wet outside, the birds are everywhere and singing their little hearts out, and I’m feeling a teensy bit panicky. Why? Because it is obviously spring–all of the sudden–and I have so much to do! Just a few days ago we had snow and ice and now it is spring! My only comfort today is that the temps will be below freezing tonight and the high tomorrow is in the …
Seedlings!
I am pleased to say that the mini-greenhouse, seed-starting experiment is a roaring success! It is by far the easiest seed-starting setup I have ever used. Within days of planting, I had seedlings with less mess and less fuss than ever before. Just a quick review of this wondrous, yet so simple, seed-starting setup. If you don’t have a greenhouse (and the vast majority …
Seed Starting Using Mini-Greenhouses
Don’t you hate it when a certain rodent whose name begins with “P” is right? Parts of South Carolina are preparing for winter to arrive tomorrow afternoon in the form of snow, freezing rain and cold, cold temps. Score one for the groundhog! But according to my planting guide, it’s time to start some seeds indoors, and I did just that! (Need a good planting calendar according to …
Working with Nature: A Gardener’s Pledge
Have you noticed how tidy landscapes and gardens are these days? While I appreciate my neighbors keeping up their yards, I’ve noticed that many are just too tidy. By this I mean the shrubs are neatly pruned (sheared) into strange round objects, chunky wood mulch (often dyed) is piled in the beds, and the lawn never has the opportunity to grow beyond a few inches. In the winter, …
