1. Seasonal Splendors Greenhouse/Winterland Nursery (map) Seasonal Splendors has the best customer service. There is always someone with a smile who will help you out. They offer a wide assortment of healthy annuals and perennials. I learned about my favorite elephant ear–King of the Nile, West Indian Kale–there last year and bought fishnet-stocking coleus as… Continue reading Top 10 garden stores in Madison, Wisconsin
Whether planting a flat of snapdragons or a new Japenese Maple, I always double-dig. While this is a practice that has been debated in the horticulture world, I have had much success by double-digging–and no failures. Double-digging 101: When digging a hole to plant, dig it twice as big as necessary and then backfill with… Continue reading Double-Digging
If you want healthy trees and shrubs, this is the best time of year to prune. Just be careful not to take off blossoms. For example, I will be leaving my lilacs alone; and since most hydrangeas blossom on old wood, I will leave them alone too. Mind you, if they needed it (if they… Continue reading Mel’s Green Garden – Tip of the Day
To ensure you have blooms all summer long, try this method of planting that has worked really well for my garden: For example, let’s say you want to grow some zinnias. Buy some zinnia plants and buy some zinnia seeds (I like cut-and-come-again from Seed Savers). First, plant your plants. When your area is all… Continue reading Succession Planting
Anyone who knows me well knows I am “a worrier,” an “over-protective mom” of three, so it was important to me to be educated and keep my kids and dog safe when I garden. This was my main motivation for creating a green and organic yard and garden, as I learned that most kids absorb… Continue reading Poison….Beware….Caution….
Let’s have a show of hands: When you go to the grocery store, do you grab that beautiful bouquet, or wish you could? Then plant a Cutting Garden. I love having fresh flowers to bring inside the house and to give to friends and neighbors all summer long. It is simple to grow beautiful flowers… Continue reading Create a Cutting Garden
Garden Expo is this February 11-13 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. I HIGHLY recommend going. If you don’t have a chance to go, no worries. You can always hire Mel’s Green Garden to incorporate and plant the many amazing ideas from Garden Expo into your garden. I never made it over to… Continue reading Garden Expo
Heart of the Jungle West Indian Kale Colocasia, Mel’s Green Garden – August 2010
Mel's Green Garden 