Blog entries

Recipe for Spring: Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble

Rhonda Hayes — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:10:05 +0100

I love the Brits for many things; gardening, literature and spot-on wit, not to mention their penchant for sensible shoes. And when it comes to descriptive terms for fruit-based desserts, no one gets close.

Crumble, trifle, grunt, fool, dowdy...

Read more and get the recipe at The Garden Buzz

Garden2Blog: Hanging Out with P. Allen Smith

Rhonda Hayes — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:17:00 +0100

It's not often I get to hang out with a celebrity. But first, P. Allen Smith would gently correct me. He considers himself foremost a teacher.

Attending the first Garden2Blog event was a huge honor. Along with two dozen other bloggers, we all bonded over beautiful gardens and bad, bad weather.

Visit The Garden Buzz for my thoughts and lots of great photos. Ask me a question about P. Allen while you're at it.

My Blessed Garden

Deborah Lauer — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:17:07 +0100

I am sooo blessed. My best friends mom sent a whole garden up from SE Ohio to me. She sent Iris's, hostas, daffidils, mints, artemasia, st. johns wort, and much more! I'm so excited about it. It's definitely a lot of hard work. Especially since I'm doing it the old fashioned way because I don't have a tiller. I'm learning so much because she was nice enough to label each one and sent instructions on the best way to plant them.

How to Prepare Your Soil for a Healthy Vegetable Garden

whittier fertilizer — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:41:56 +0100

In order to grow a garden filled with delicious vegetables, you must create a healthy environment for them to grow. To reap a harvest of healthy plants you must begin with healthy soil. It is the soil that contributes to a thriving garden.

When most homeowners think about soil, they think about the dirt that lies beneath the grass in the backyard. In reality, soil consists of an assortment of natur...

I need information ;D

Brittanie Lothea Smith — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:55:02 +0100

I'm a 12(almost 13) year old. And I want to start a garden.
I'm new to Gardening I've done some part time gardening, but not full time.
I would like some answers to these questions plz.

*$%?Questions?%$*

1. on a day it doesn't rain, Do I water my plants with a hose??

2. How do I raise Starts?

3. On wat side of the house (north, east west or south) do I start the garden?

4. bought 2 Geranium (red(alre...

All the Tea in South Carolina...and North America

Rhonda Hayes — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:28:13 +0100

I drink so much sweet tea that it's probably flowing in my veins. I know the tea plant is Camellia sinenis, but surprisingly I knew little about the actual growing of tea. Then while in Charleston we took a trip out to the only tea plantation in North America. It was a refreshingly interesting tour. What's the difference between growing of green and black tea? Nothing. It's simpler than that...

Join me on a little adventure at The Garden Buzz

Garden2Blog: P. Allen Smith's Invited Me Over, No Foolin'

Rhonda Hayes — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:20:51 +0100

Well, me and 20 other garden bloggers.

Now I'll have to figure out what to call him, is it P, or Allen or even Al?

I'm excited to be joining this talented group of garden bloggers at the Garden Home Retreat at Garden2Blog.

Find out more at The Garden Buzz

Window Boxes of Charleston: Doable Anywhere

Rhonda Hayes — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:50:01 +0100

While forbidden to photograph the interior gardens of the Glorious Gardens tour in picturesque Charleston, (See the previous post) I went a little nuts noting all the beautiful window boxes.It's perfectly legal to take pictures from the street.

Great ideas abound for plant combinations, most of them doable anywhere. Enjoy this preview of spring at The Garden Buzz.

Sand Gnats and Savannah Porches

Rhonda Hayes — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:44:10 +0100

It's sand gnat season and most everyone in Savannah, tourist and local alike, is trying to sneak a discreet scratch on those tiny but demanding bites. I knew there was something wrong with this magical place.

Meanwhile we've been busy touring all the stunning homes and gardens soaked in so much history. These fabulous porches looked particularly inviting.

Sit a spell and enjoy them at The Garden Buzz.

Spring Giveaway: Oxo Pruning Shears (...and a bunny in our basement)

Rhonda Hayes — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:22:56 +0100

No, I'm not giving away the bunny in our basement, but you will get a kick out of the story.

I am giving away a pair of Oxo Bypass Pruners thanks to the nice people at Oxo.

Check out the details and hear our bunny tale at The Garden Buzz

Spring: Are We There Yet?

Rhonda Hayes — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:31:51 +0100

It may be meteorological spring, it may even be Target Spring (that's when the patio furniture comes out), but it's still a winter wonderland here. I'm in an abysmal funk of zone-envy.

But I have big dreams for spring gardening. What are you dreaming of? Or are you outside looking at your spring flowers while I shovel snow?

Read about my garden plans at The Garden Buzz!

Succulents: New Trend or Old Friend?

Rhonda Hayes — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:50:14 +0100

I get a kick out of these hip and happenin' succulent container plantings. There's no gardening magazine this spring that doesn't feature them in some form or fashion. Instead of striking me as new and exciting, although they are exciting, they just fill me with nostalgia for my SoCal childhood.

I guess I've lived long enough to see them come around for the second time. Or was my mother just ahead of her time?

I've dedicated this post to my mother who passed away, way too soon, ...

Winter Hardiness: The Benefits of Procrastination in the Garden

Rhonda Hayes — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:45:12 +0100

During last year's garden tour I was asked many times about what I would do with the large, potted Japanese maples once winter came. I didn't reply, "Oh, I'll have the best of intentions to bring them in the garage until next spring, but then I'll get busy and leave them out the entire winter subjecting them to sub-zero temperatures.

But that's what I did.

See if they survived at The Garden Buzz

Garden of Weedin'

b grow — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:41:53 +0100

Well today was a run your bunn's off on errands... grocery store, post office for packages to be mailed off, $1 store.. etc... you name it I was probably there! I spent most of my day out and about getting caught up on everything.

Luckily for me, I emailed a woman about an offer for some day lily bulbs. I actually heard back from her in time to get some for free! I love my local free-cycle! YAY They were actually already dug up for me. All I needed to do was just make the e...

My Garden is About to BUST OUT!

Mitch Shirts — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:55:37 +0100

One of my biggest challenges from stone fruit trees in my area is actually getting ENOUGH chill hourse form my fruit to set. Ilive in a little dip at the top of a hill about a half a mile from the ocean in San Diego. I think that “dip” makes it so my garden is protected from most of the harsh salt air and I think my garden gets about 10 degrees colder than others only 200 yards away on either side of me. I didn’t know this when we moved in, but it sure ...

Garden of weedin'

b grow — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:16:49 +0100

Well the rain stopped for a bit. It turned into a beautiful day today. Luckily it's a day I happened to have off. Although it was only about 53 degrees for most of the day at least it was fairly clear with a bit of sunshine to boot.

I started in on tackling the mess that the tree trimming people left. I mean they took most of the larger stuff limbs and such with them. However, they left oodles of tiny stuff behind. I have to admit at the time it was not so noticeable. After...

The Garden of Weedin'

b grow — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 03:56:37 +0100

Well I didn't get anywhere near the garden.

It's been pouring rain all day and well into the evening. I did manage to get out and toss some used coffee grounds from Starbuck's on the compost bin. I'll have to wait to get an opportunity to stir them in. We do need the rain that's for sure.

I'm thinking about buying a bale of straw or hay to start some more lasagna layering on my garden beds in the hope that they will be ready to go buy the time my seedlings are ...

Seeds started ~

b grow — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:44:01 +0100

I am going to start today ~

Lettuce: Bib, Black Seeded Simpson, and Iceburg

Tomatos: Red cherry, Roma, Cherokee Purple

Rainbow Chard 'Bright Lights'

Borage. Spearmint, and Dill

These will be started in zip lock baggies from the $1 store. The corners of the baggie are cut for drainage with a snip in the middle for a little extra drainage. These are filled with approximately 4" of potting soil and watered well. Then sow the seeds and placed in the ...

dawn is zoned... 4a

dawn bausch — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:02:55 +0100

now days getting longer - houseplants starting to wake up - so am i...last 2 days transplanted african violet rooted cuttings, rosemary, flowering maple, bromeliads; potted rose scntd geranium cuttings; started (119) onion seeds and took pansy seed flat out of fridge

now this is, mind you after months of moping and general disinterest... the usual seasonal pattern

i have regained intense interest in seed catalogs, and in fact am goi...

Multiple Garden Blogs: Just More to Love?

Rhonda Hayes — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:55:38 +0100

Blogs are a lot like children; they're a lot of work, still you find the time and love for all of them. So before I took on yet another, I thought long and hard about my capacity to give enough attention to the others. I don't want any blog-ling rivalry!

I'm excited about this new blog at an old friend...Herb Companion Magazine. With so many people new to gardening, my first post is Growing ...