Winter Pruning: Which Trees and Shrubs to Trim Now

Keeping your trees and shrubs trimmed is an important step to ensuring a healthy, beautiful landscape. Many trees and shrubs benefit from pruning in the colder winter months. When pants are dormant, they are less stressed and more resilient during the pruning process. Removing dead or diseased branches at this time can prevent the spread of infections and promote regrowth in the Spring.  How to Prune Evergreens This Winter?  Trees and … [Read more...]

Creating a Spring Herb Garden

Creating a Spring Herb Garden The first flush of greenery and flowers in the spring is always the best, no matter what plant it is that we see poking out of the ground. This year you can plan out what shows up in your garden first, with a springtime herb garden that welcomes the rest of the garden as soon as summer arrives. Early spring herbs include vines, evergreens, florals and low growing ground covers that might appear to be dainty at … [Read more...]

Creating a Meadow Herb Garden

Creating a Meadow Herb Garden I recently shared how to start a potted herb garden and shared a few great spring herbs to plant. You’ve decided you are going to plant one, but the potted method just doesn’t do it for you. Let’s think bigger. Creating a meadow herb garden is all about combining the right types of plants that are both grassy and have bright colored flowers. Rustic gold, burning reds, pale pinks and barely there white … [Read more...]

Best Herbs For Drying

Best Herbs For Drying Being able to dry fresh herbs can open up a whole new way to use your favorite herbs for months to come. Selecting the best herbs to dry in your home for use in the kitchen, in beauty treatments and in cleaning solutions is easy once you know what to look for. There are some herbs that dry better and faster than others, and there are also herbs that store better when they are dry compared to others. If you want to grow … [Read more...]

Upcycling in the Garden

Upcycling in the Garden A garden has so many needs, and nurseries and gardening stores sell everything from plant stakes to garden markers to watering systems. Unfortunately, a lot of this stuff can add up and when you really take a look at items, they are just packaged creations of things that already exist around your home. There are so many ways to upcycle household items that would otherwise go in the garbage or recycling bin. Here are … [Read more...]

Locally Grown Foods You Should Be Buying

Locally Grown Foods You Should Be Buying I discussed back in February why buying locally grown food is smart. What I neglected to mention was what foods you should be buying! Locally grown foods is a great way to get the best tasting food you possibly can, gain more nutrients from the food you buy and practice some environmentally friendly principles. Depending on where you live it can be a lot harder or easier than average to find farmers … [Read more...]

How to Create a Potted Mediterranean Herb Garden

How to Create a Potted Mediterranean Herb Garden So many of the herbs we know and love are actually native to the Mediterranean region, transferred and transplanted via trade hundreds of years ago. Still, it is possible to transform a back or side yard with the use of potted mediterranean herbs that are clumped together to give off an exotic look. Potting these popular herbs is actually beneficial for both the plants and you because it gives you … [Read more...]

Fresh from the garden… and some questions!

Jason and I decided to plant a garden this year. We have developed a great appreciation for vegetables and we were hoping for a bountiful harvest! We wanted to start small though, so we planted cucumbers (my absolute favorite!), tomatoes, green peppers and pumpkins (mainly for fun, but hopefully for Halloween!).  Our tomatoes have grown nice big green tomatoes, but they just weren't ripening. Not a single red tomato to date (well, maybe 2-3 … [Read more...]