This year has been a series of set backs in my garden. It is almost the end of May and I’m way behind, but finally have some progress to show for all my work. Things that set me back were: My father’s death in February which resulted in two trips to Maine. A very long …
Each morning, all during the spring and summer, I start my day with a walk around my flower beds. I just love to see what has happened from the previous day. I’ve been waiting for my bearded irises to bloom so it was a lovely surprise today. This particular variety is one of my great early …
I was born in Maine, and one of my fondest memories is the collection of fiddlehead ferns each spring. Even though I have moved away, each year my family boxes up a whole bushel of them and sends them to me by priority mail here in NC. It’s always a special day when that box …
This has been the longest winter ever. I used to live in Maine and am used to long, cold winters. But here in North Carolina, normally, I have a lot of things growing, especially vegetables, by this time in March. Not this year though. It teases me into thinking it is spring and then we …
Squirrels in my garden last year made vegetable gardening a nightmare for me. This year, I decided to try combining perennials and vegetables in one garden bed to see how it worked out. I have long been interested in growing perennials. Adding some vegetables into the mix gave my garden beds an interesting new look. …
Facebook has so many great pages devoted to gardening, but the way the site now shows the content of pages, it is sometimes hard for them to get seen on news feeds. Facebook is one of the most popular of the social media channels. I thought it would be fun for the Garden Charmers (a …
One of my favorite things to do when I have some spare time is to visit Raleigh Botanical Gardens. I love the new perennial and annual plants that I learn about and it just de-stresses me like nothing else seems to do. Raleigh has a great Botanical Garden called JC Raulston Arboretum. The beauty of …
Oh the weather outside is frightful, or so the saying goes. Here in Raleigh, we are not known for much cold weather in the winter, but this year has been different in that regard. We have had a couple of days of snow and several weeks of unseasonably cold weather, with temps getting down to …
I have often thought that orchids are only plants that you should choose if you have green house conditions. But on a recent trip to several home improvement stores, I have seen scores of beautiful moth orchids that are sitting in normal low light conditions for what seems like weeks on end without losing their …
I have loved plants all of my life. For a large portion of it, that meant indoor plants. Now that I have a largish property, it means lots and lots of garden beds with perennials. I don’t have much time to tend indoor plants, but I still like to have a few of them around. …
Have you ever priced single Calla lilies at a florist? If you have, you will have discovered that they sell for $5-$9 a STEM. Why pay those kind of prices, when you can become your own florist – well sort of, anyway. Calla Lilies make wonderful indoor plants and comes in many colors, as well. …
January is always a time of reflection for me. I look back over the previous year – see what worked and what didn’t and make plans for the new year. Often the plans have to do with my weight. Alas, I always seem to have a new year’s resolution aimed at something to do with …
Nature’s Beauty: Frost Flowers My husband loves National Geographic nature shows and watches them often. The other day he told me about a show that he had watched on a phenomenon called frost flowers. I had never heard of these, so I wanted to research the topic to do an article for the site. What …
10 Garden Charmers Share Their Top Tips The Garden Charmers on Facebook are a diverse group of ladies with one common theme. They love nature and gardening. I asked the ladies in the group to share their top tricks and tips. Some gave me gardening tips. Some had home and decor tips. All were great …
Don’t be Tempted to Eat this Fungi On my morning walk yesterday, I noticed big clumps on a neighbor’s tree. Closer inspection of it showed me what looked very much like a white brain growing on the side of his tree. It might be some version of a Lion’s mane mushroom, which is quite a …
8 Gardeners Share their Favorite Tools Garden tools come in many shapes and forms. They can be old or new, vintage or right out of the box. Whatever the tools are that gardeners use, they are usually very special to them. The right garden tools makes any job in the garden much easier, whether you’re …
If you are looking for a tough & drought tolerant ground cover, look no further than Liriope. It is also called Monkey grass or lilyturf and makes a great border plant. Liriope is a member of a group of flowering grass like perennials which are named after Narcissus plants. Lucky for beginning gardeners, there is not …
Dinner plate Dahlias are not plants that one would call shrinking violets. These majestic plants command attention in a garden bed and also need plenty of room to grow and flower. A Master of a Plant – Dinner Plate Dahlias I love dahlias and zinnias…and cone flowers….and on and on. Basically anything that looks even …
Relax in style in one of these Garden Seating Areas. To Sit, To Hide, or To Dream… Which of these ideas come to mind when you think about your garden seating areas? A garden sitting area can mean something very different, depending on the person you ask and their perspective. It can be as simple …
A place to Sit, Hide and Relax in these Garden Areas I have several places in my garden where I love to sit and admire the garden beds, and also to relax and de-stress from my busy day. To me, what makes a great seating area is not what it looks like when you see …
Let’s Play Dress up The Garden Shed I see so many garden sheds that are as sweet as can be. Some are tiny, some are huge and all seem to have character. I have one of the huge without character types. My husband and his friend built it. We store things in it and never …
What is better than an idea for a creative planter? Why, 13 of them, of course! I recently asked some of my gardening friends to share their creative planter and container ideas and they did not disappoint. Their ideas are a cascade of fun and will add a great look to any garden setting. Many …
Gardening Signs Welcome you to a Little Patch of Heaven I love garden signs of all types. They add a touch of whimsy to any garden setting and give you an idea of the personality of the gardener too. Just about any saying can be made into a garden sign. All you need, really, is …
I would love to have an area of my back yard that I can use as a place to retreat, and perhaps meditate. The aim of a meditation garden is to provide a soothing and peaceful setting which will make it a lovely place to unwind after the stresses of daily life. May 3 is …
My test garden has been included in a garden hop. A gardening group that I belong to on Facebook has put together a group of garden tours to be featured on Facebook, Pinterest and Home Talk. The tour will take place this weekend and is being heavily promoted on all three sites. Let’s go To …
Enjoy your outdoor space with these lovely patios There is nothing quite like enjoying your back yard setting from a lovely patio that you have customized to your own personal tastes. The sky really is the limit with patios. They can be simplistic or quite ornate. The main things that are needed are some seating, …
