In my previous post, I shared some relatively low-growing foliage plants that are easy to raise from seed. The group I like even better, though, is the taller-growing annuals: the shrub substitutes, if you will. When you have lots of space to fill and a limited budget, these quick growers are invaluable for providing height[...]

Pick up just about any glossy nursery catalog these days, and it’s nothing but temptation: You simply must have the latest black-leaved elderberry and golden grass and coppery heuchera. Uh, yeah…until you finish filling out the order form and realize it’s time to take out a home-equity loan to pay for them all – whilst[...]

I think one of the reasons I took so long to catch on to growing vegetables is that the whole process seemed so serious. All those complicated crop-rotation plans, harvest-date calculations, and problem-solving charts seemed like way too much paperwork and worry. And let’s face it: When you’re used to growing ornamentals, most common vegetable[...]

It’s raining. And snowing. Again. This February has been a record month for precipitation here. We’ve had it all—rain, snow, ice–and lots of it. Winter is hanging on. My trowel is gathering dust, and atrophy threatens my digging muscles. So, I decided it was time for a green fix and took off on my annual[...]