An old saying says that March is “in like a lion, out like a lamb.” Well, the “lion” has certainly reared its head as the month has started! After the latest windstorms, you may have already spent some time outside cleaning up your yard. As you get started, here are some spring checklist items that are important to accomplish for a headache-free gardening season ahead. First things first: clean up [...]
Did I get your attention? I know, you probably read the title and thought, “Good grief—it’s already mid-autumn, the weather has been cold and rainy, I’m sick of mowing…and you expect me to keep gardening?!” It’s okay if you feel that way—you’re certainly not alone. And while a comfortable recliner and a good book sound great to just about anyone, I have a few reminders (the list is short, [...]
Think about it: Which season do you most anticipate? For many gardeners, spring can’t come soon enough after a dreary, cold winter. How about summer? You bet—who doesn’t gladly welcome longer days and warmer temperatures? Winter is great, too—and we don’t get too much say in the matter as retailers seem to start promoting Christmas earlier and earlier each year. Autumn, though, seems to be increasingly overlooked. It’s not [...]
I know I’m being repetitive when I say that I love this time of year. Look back at any column I’ve written in the past and you’d probably find some reference to how much I love the current season. The truth is, we live in a beautiful corner of the world and with our moderate climate we really can enjoy four seasons of garden interest. At the peak of summer, [...]
I like to consider myself an optimist. To me, the glass is half full, and a typical gray day in Washington is partly sunny, not mostly cloudy. The warm weather this winter, however, leaves me cautious. While I’d like to believe that spring is here to stay, history has proven otherwise. So, as a gardener, what can you start working on outside that will satiate your desire to work in [...]
