Sometimes I think I should rename my blog Hot-Mess Melissa. That’s how my garden seemed at the end of the 2015 season, with the creeping Charlie creeping in everywhere and the choking-vine weed choking everything. But here is January, yielding a clean slate. Just as I have resolved to stop complaining and exercise five days… Continue reading Hot-Mess Melissa
I’m looking forward to the next week of temps in the 50s and cleaning up my garden once and for all before it is covered in snow. If you are doing the same, remember: DO NOT cut hydrangeas back, as they bloom on old wood. So, to maximize blooms, leave hydrangeas alone until spring. There you go–one task you can put… Continue reading Hydrangea Tip
I just finished cleaning a client’s front yard by weeding, edging, mulching and adding some fabulous new plants. I am working on my own yard this week doing the same, as I prepare to host a progressive dinner party we donated to our kids’ school auction. I am realizing as I work how beneficial it is to do… Continue reading Fall-Cleaning Beats Spring-Cleaning
Wave goodbye to winter with a little spring-cleaning — in your garden that is. I couldn’t have asked for better weather for doing just that this past weekend. Here are some tips for waking up your garden in the spring: Do overseed your lawn and put some grass seed down. Spring and fall are the best times… Continue reading Spring Forward
I love this time of year… a time for renewal, new beginnings and starting over, even for your garden. Yes, fall is a great time to renew your garden. The best ways? Planting new bulbs for spring and summer bloom, weeding, dividing your plants, and adding a thick layer of mulch or compost. (In fact,… Continue reading Your garden begins in the fall
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
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….
Have a spot you need to fill in your perennial bed? Not sure where to start? Autumn Joy looks great everywhere I put it, and after 6 years it is everywhere in my garden. I have managed to divide this gem of a plant into almost every area of my yard, front and back. It… Continue reading Tip of the Day – Use Autumn Joy to fill gaps
What a difference having the right high-quality tool makes! Gardening becomes way more fun and time-efficient. You might want to add a few to your holiday wish-list or give some to your favorite gardener. When I pack up my car to head to a gardening job, here are the 10 ten tools I must… Continue reading My Top 10 Gardening Tools
Mel's Green Garden 