Plant pot sizes and shapes


Tue. Jan. 3, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Plant pot sizes and shapes

Hmm, square or round? Maybe rectangular? Does it matter?

When selecting pots for our plants, we… or maybe just me, can get carried away with all the beautiful containers. I can ogle them almost as much as the plants.

I did a little research on the shapes of planters and found it makes a difference!

In particular square or round pots with the same diameter and height have differing amounts of soil they  … [Continue reading]

Bitter blast of Winter and our plants


Mon. Jan. 2, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Bitter blast of Winter and our plants

 Wow, the week of Christmas provided some wicked weather throughout the country.

Mother Nature rules and that’s something to always remember as we plan our gardens while we’re hunkered down in our homes. That heavy snow that came first in my area was really hard to shovel and very difficult on our trees. I talked about whether to knock if off your plants in a previous Garden Bite. (PS, I can’t  … [Continue reading]

Champagne history


Fri. Dec. 30, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Champagne history

 As we get set to clink glasses to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023, I wanted to share a little history of the wine so associated with joyful festivities – Champagne!

What does it take for a wine to get that special designation? Strictly speaking, champagne is a sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of northeastern France.

If it’s a bubbly wine from another region, it’s sparkling wine. 

While many people use the  … [Continue reading]

Bottom watering houseplants


Thu. Dec. 29, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Bottom watering houseplants

 Watering is always an issue with houseplants.

The vast majority of people overwater their plants. It’s our first reaction if a plant doesn’t look like we think it should. Oh, give it more water. More times that not, that isn’t the problem.

Stick your finger into the soil about first knuckle deep. If it’s dry consider watering. But first check to see that is what the plant requires. Some, such as holiday cactus can go  … [Continue reading]

Top mistakes gardeners make


Wed. Dec. 28, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Top mistakes gardeners make

 As we nestle in for a long winter …

… I want to talk about the top mistakes new gardeners, and some of we more impatient gardeners make. Skipping soil prep is number one.

Soil is the foundation by which all things grow, so when you don’t take the time for a little prep, you’re giving your plants a shorter life span at the very least. 

You can’t completely change the structure of your  … [Continue reading]

New Proven Winner plants 2023


Tue. Dec. 27, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: New Proven Winner plants 2023

As we reach the end of 2022, we look forward to new plant introductions for 2023! Proven Winners is a brand comprised of leading plant propagators around the world. In North America, they are Four Star Greenhouse in Carleton, MI and Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon, NH.

Here’s a look at a few new Proven Winners perennials for 2023! They will be available at your local nurseries next year. 

A new Astilbe  … [Continue reading]

Birds are feeding!


Mon. Dec. 26, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Birds are feeding!

 It’s full-on winter in much of the country. Last week I talked about ice and snow collected on our trees and shrubs and whether to knock it off.

I admit, the snow DOES look lovely resting on those branches. The birds feeding on some fun ornaments made of seed is also lovely to watch.

Note: the video I have isn’t formatted well for this space so I had to delete it. It’s on my  … [Continue reading]

My Gardeners version of Twas the Night Before Christmas


Fri. Dec. 23, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: My Gardeners version of Twas the Night Before Christmas

It’s Christmas Eve and that means I bring you my gardeners version of an old classic poem written in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore. I wrote my version well over a decade ago but it still holds true for me.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,

not a plant was stirring not even a sprout. 

The seedlings were hung by the glow of a grow  … [Continue reading]

Mesmerizing caladiums


Thu. Dec. 22, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Mesmerizing caladiums

I was perusing topics for today when I came across a caladium that screams Christmas! Since this IS Christmas week, I really wanted to share it. Heart to Heart “Mesmerized’ by Proven Winners is SO festive with various shades of greens and reds along with splashes of white in each leaf. This is definitely your Thriller in a container, growing to about 20 inches tall with a 14 inch spread.

Another Christmasy caladium is called ‘Fiesta’ … [Continue reading]

Winter Solstice 2022


Wed. Dec. 21, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Winter Solstice 2022

 The Winter Solstice occurs at 3:48 this afternoon central time! While it marks the shortest day of the year, it also means that the days will start getting longer! YAY. I look forward to longer days, as I know LOTS of people do.

Why does this even happen? Because Earth is tilted. But we’re not alone, all the other planets are tilted with Mercury and Jupiter the straightest.

Western culture owes many of the traditional  … [Continue reading]