In my little urban garden, I make the most of my smaller-size growing space by growing up. I grow vertically in a number of ways. Here are some successes I have had. 1. William Baffin Climbing Rose This is an easy rose to grow. It is maintenance-free except for pruning, as it gets very big… Continue reading Grow Up!
This is an exciting time of the year. After thinking back on the highlights and low lights of last year, I can now turn my attention to the new planting season! We’ve definitely turned the corner with our weather here in Wisconsin, and I see gardening opportunities everywhere I look! Here are some of my… Continue reading My garden plans for 2010
For me, surviving a Wisconsin winter entails poring over gardening magazines, catalogs and books. I love mapping out my garden and coming up with new ideas. I am happiest when I am creating. A big part of that process is reflecting back on the previous year to understand what went right and what went wrong.… Continue reading Reflecting on my 2009 garden
When my daughter’s five-year-old friend asked if we were having a garage sale, I knew I hadn’t yet achieved the outdoor-living-room look I was going for. It was time for me to pull it all together; my eclectic look wasn’t working. It was evident that I finally reached my goal this past summer by the… Continue reading Creating an Outdoor Living Room
What is bright yellow, cheerful, edible and can detoxify your liver? Yes, the little old dandelion. Last spring I watched my then 17-month-old son pick up one of those fuzzy seed pods from the dandelion and blow again and again, having such a joyful ball! Then I watched my daughters make dandelion crowns. Later that… Continue reading In Defense of Dandelions
Stretching Your Garden Dollar . . . Four things you can do now to stretch your garden dollar are divide mature perennials; take cuttings to root before the first killing frost, which looks like this Sunday; bring outdoor plants inside for the winter before the first killing frost; and collect seeds. Dividing Perennials This is a… Continue reading Stretching Your Garden Dollar
A productive fall in the garden is the key to an outstanding looking garden in the spring. Propagation Fall is the best time for propagation here in Wisconsin. Dividing can be challenging because it is hard to dig into a good looking garden knowing it won’t look so good after a division is made. But who… Continue reading Fall… three tasks for a great looking spring garden
Don’t get discouraged by shade; Mother Nature knows no boundaries. While the shade might give you some limitations, beautiful shade gardens can and do exist. Many perennials, annuals and bulbs grow quite well in shade. Think ferns and bleeding heart — I love white bleeding heart. And there are gorgeous large blue hostas such as Elegans, Hadspen Blue, and… Continue reading Shade Garden
Focus on the positive… Planting beautiful flowers… Rather then spending your time weeding, weeding, weeding, spend your time planting, planting, planting. In a way, you are creating a barrier with plants that will suppress the nasty old unwanted weeds with layers of bulbs, perennial plant roots, annuals and shrubs. For example, let’s take a typical spring… Continue reading Tackle your weeds with a different approach!
Before digging in the dirt this Spring please make sure to make that one simple, free call to Diggers Hotline. It is simple, easy and free, and results in all of your local utility companies coming to visit your property to mark where dangerous lines are. Then you’ll know which areas to steer clear of… Continue reading Tip of the Day – Diggers hotline is 811
Mel's Green Garden 