Fall outdoor displays


Fri. Oct. 22, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fall displays

I love Fall displays. This year I’m not able to do much creating as I recover from hip replacement surgery (yes, I’m young to have it) BUT, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy others…

Eons ago I grew large pumpkins… one weighed about 120 pounds. Huge at the time… NOW they’re enormous.

Local garden centers, farmers markets and apple orchards are a great place to pick up those odd curcurbitas (as we talked about last week)  … [Continue reading]

Pumpkin seeds, pie and soup too


Thu. Oct. 21, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min Garden Bite radio show: Pumpkin seeds, pie and soup too

Carving pumpkins is a tradition for nearly everyone I know.  When I was little, my mom would save the seeds, rinse them, soak them in a salt-laden bowl of water overnight and then bake them.  They were a treat then, but my taste is a bit more sophisticated now!

I don’t soak the seeds but just get much of the goop off…

I lightly salt mine then spread them on a baking  … [Continue reading]

Picking pumpkins for decorating


Wed. Oct. 20, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Picking pumpkins for decorating

When I was a kid, carving pumpkins meant using the kitchen knife. Not anymore, thank goodness!

With a myriad of kits with stencils and special tools, the carved pumpkin has reached new levels of design!

Pumpkin PICKING is an art as well.  For the best results using stencils, you want the smoothest pumpkins. Choose a nice even color and the stem should be at least long enough to use as a handle for  … [Continue reading]

Pumpkins! Spice and Squash Season


Tue. Oct. 19, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Pumpkins! Spice and Squash Season

 Love it or hate it, it’s pumpkin spice everything season. 

I have a friend who grinds her teeth every time the pumpkin spice comes out at her favorite coffee shop, another who can’t wait for the pumpkin spice creamer and sends her husband to buy as many as a husband is willing to do!  About 3 bottles worth.   In case you’re interested here’s a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte!

I happen to  … [Continue reading]

Extending your mum life and what to do with plastic pots


Mon. Oct. 18, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Extending your mum life and what to do with plastic pots

 Mums are THE fall plant and we want to keep them as long as we can.

The best place to buy your mum is at your local nursery. However, some nurseries also deliver to local grocery stores too. Look for deep green, non-droopy leaves and a lot of buds, not blooms. Those will come.

Remove your mum from that black pot, rough up the roots and repot  … [Continue reading]

Protecting and feeding birds


Fri. Oct. 15, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Protecting and feeding birds

 Last week I talked about bird feeders and squirrels. Today’s it’s about WHAT to feed those birds as winter comes roaring in… at some point.

To offset the white of winter, or the bleak brown, it’s the BIRDS that help us through. And this is OUR time to help THEM through with plenty of nutrition! Contrary to what I’ve heard some people say, feeding the birds in winter is a good idea.  Birds will  … [Continue reading]

What to do with your containers as Winter approaches


Thu. Oct. 14, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: What to do with your containers as Winter approaches

We all know it’s coming, the s-word! While I could be talking about stew and sweatshirts, what I’m really talking about is getting our outdoor chores done. Including cleaning out the annuals in our pots. Yes, this is early as we still have beautiful mums and such in our containers, but there are some pots unsuitable.

The pot above will be moved (by someone stronger than me!) to my  … [Continue reading]

What does “hard frost” mean?


Wed. Oct. 13, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: What does “hard frost” mean?

 It’s not Winter yet, but it’s on the way and some have already experienced some temperatures dipping into the 30’s. Some folks “Up North” have covered tomatoes or just given up!

We’ve traded out the summer annuals for mums…

We’ve brought the tropicals inside or bid them adieu into the compost pile and are working on getting those spring bulbs in the ground before our fingers freeze.

There’s also digging OUT bulbs such  … [Continue reading]

Protecting your Evergreens


Tue. Oct. 12, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Protecting your Evergreens

 As we head into the “Season of Shivers”, according to the Farmers Almanac for the winter of 21-22, protecting your evergreens is a subject we can get started on early!

Evergreen foliage is subject to winter burn. This happens when winter sun and wind trigger transpiration allowing water loss, also called desiccation.

First I want to remind you to water your evergreens up until the ground is frozen, that is into late November!  With the  … [Continue reading]

Protecting your woodies


Mon. Oct. 11, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Protecting your woodies

It’s not too early to start thinking about winter protection for your woodies! Before you get the wrong idea… I’m talking about your trees and shrubs!

 Woody plants are plants that have hard stems (thus the term, “woody“) and that have buds that survive above ground in winter. The best-known examples are trees and shrubs (bushes). These are commonly broken down further into the deciduous and evergreen categories. The opposite of “

 … [Continue reading]