“Looking for inspiration and relaxation? It’s all in your own backyard.”
Report From PIA – July 31 As I help people with their landscapes, one of the problems that comes up repeatedly is their dreadful watering practices. No, I’m not going to mince words: the way most people water is insufficient but wasteful, and bad for plants. In this area it’s not uncommon to have automatic [...]
Report From PIA – July 30 Yesterday Karla, who blogs at Gardendaze, commented that my vegetable garden looks great. While I appreciate the compliment, let’s be honest: be they close-ups or longshots, photographs don’t show everything. You can’t see the weeds or the fact that foliage and flowers are insect damaged. In pictures the leaf [...]
Report From PIA – July 29 We went out to pick tomatoes tonight and found a snake that was caught in the netting. Crows had been feasting on the first fruits, so we covered the plants last week. I’m partial to how the green netting looks, and it’s very effective at keeping the birds and [...]
Report From PIA – July 28 I was joking around with a friend on facebook today, and in a fit of silliness suggested a new garden product: Plantbrella. Perfect for those hydrangeas that are wilting under the hot, summer sun! In rainy areas, Plantbrella would help prevent leaf-spot fungi and it’s ideal for protecting your [...]
Report From PIA – July 27 In this area, some people view Memorial Day as some sort of magical gardening date…they want all their landscaping to be done by the end of May. In contrast, devoted gardeners will be planting, tweaking and weeding throughout the summer. Both approaches are perfectly valid. Yesterday I moved three [...]
Report From PIA – July 26 Reason To Grow Your Own Vegetables – #2 1. Get home from work, and go out to the garden… having a favorite beverage in hand is optional. Pick the summer squash that appeared in the last 24 hours. (I’m partial to the Sunburst Patty Pan and Zephyr because both [...]
Report From PIA – July 25 Or… Reasons to Grow Your Own Vegetables #1 Ingredients: fresh green beans, cucumber, tomatoes, basil, garlic, feta cheese (or fresh mozzarella) olive oil and bread. On a Sunday morning, after coffee, go into the vegetable garden and pick beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and basil. At lunchtime, slice a clove of [...]
Report From PIA – July 24 I don’t have the ability to be sure that everyone has a beautiful, thriving garden that is mostly free from weeds. I can, however, do my best to make sure that Poison Ivy Acres is as lovely and weed free as possible. I don’t have the power to prevent [...]
Report From PIA – July 23 The first disagreement I ever had with a publisher was over a subtitle. They wanted to put something like “Gardening Secrets You Can Use,” on one of my books, and I strongly objected. The publisher’s point was the people buy books that promise secrets will be divulged, and my [...]
Report From PIA – July 22 I did a stint at the Master Garden Demonstration garden tonight at the Barnstable County Fair. The Master Gardeners staff the demo garden, answering questions and getting kids and adults interested in gardening. It’s always fun to first tour the fair looking at the animals, and then showing a [...]
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