Heart of the Garden

  • Invasive: Burning Bush and Japanese Barberry

    I just read that Japanese Barberry and Burning bush are on the invasives list for PA. Two or three Summers ago, I got both these shrubs for about 99 cents in their clearance rack at Lowes. I didn’t even like them that much but I just wanted more structure in…

  • Compost’s Best Friend – Shredded Fall Leaves

    I got an incredible leaf shredder for Christmas and I CAN’T WAIT to get it going. We have a giant gas-powered chipper but that was too cantankerous to set up just to shred leaves which I would like to do as often as possible for mulch and adding to compost.…

  • Seed Planting Schedule

    View/download a printable, editable version of my seed-starting table on Google Docs. Celeriac 1.5 ft Winter hardy Surface A Holly hock 6 ft Surface P Verbena Verbena officinalis Surface P Pansy 6” Plant again August 15 1/8” P German Chammomile 1 ft Surface P Viola 6” Moist soil in fridge…

  • A Truck Full of Compost

    We built a raised bed and finally had the opportunity to start fresh with well-fed soil. I called a local CSA, Volmecke Orchards, to see if they sold compost and voila. They were more than happy to make some dough from their composted Fall leaves. We drove our old truck…

  • Lemon Balm and Creeping Jenny

    What’s wrong with this picture? Answer: Lemon balm and creeping jenny are invasive.  It’s so pretty and green. What could possibly be wrong? Well, these are BOTH horrible invasive weeds for one thing. And I spent the last two years trying to get rid of these two jerkinators. I was…

  • My Top Five Woodland Shade Lovers

    I think mid-May is the best time to take a wildflower walk in the woods. That’s when I found these, my top five favorite woodland shade lovers… Wild Geranium Floppy pink teacup flowers dangle above flimsy light green leaves. These are a beautiful ground cover in shady boggy spots. Wild…

  • My Top Four Hardy Shade Perennials

    Hellebore I found this on super sale in September so it hasn’t bloomed yet. Now, in January, it’s already sprouting new growth for Spring. The flowers look almost like plastic doodads from a 1950s church hat. Shades of light green and purple. Nature is a good graphic designer. Toad lilly…

  • My Top Five Self-Seeding Annuals

    Cosmos These are so prolific and hardy and seemingly deer-resistant. They seem to bloom all summer until around late August. They will toss seeds around like mad and they don’t need anything but sun. Forget-me-nots Anything for blue! These have a tidy-ish habit and fill in gaps nicely. They love…

  • Damn-boo: How to Get Rid of Bamboo

    Question: How do you get rid of bamboo? Answer: You don’t. It gets rid of you. That’s not totally accurate, but I have to honor the legacy of the seemingly-obliterated bamboo in our backyard with some melodrama. We thought it was so pretty when we moved in until we realized…

  • Garlic and Shallots

    This year, I pre-soaked my garlic and shallots in a solution of baking soda (to kill any unwanted fungi) and liquid kelp (for nutritional goodness). Some people use cider vinegar or vodka, but I don’t like the sound of that. You can soak for 2 hours or overnight. There are…