Yesterday was a marvelously sunny fall day! According to the weather forecast, it was probably one of the last really pretty days we’ll have for a while, so I spent part of it winterizing my garden pots and statuary. Of all the different materials that plant pots are made of, I prefer terra cotta clay. [...]

After a week spent on other pursuits, I finally got out into the garden this weekend. Perfect, gorgeous weather! Not too cold, not too hot, sunny and dry – with emphasis on the dry. It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve had rain in the greater Cincinnati area. The plants that I added or [...]

I spent some time last week mowing my neighbor’s lawns – and plan to do some more this week. It’s not that I don’t have enough to keep me busy in my own landscape. But I don’t have any really big trees in my yard, and they do. All those fallen leaves are a virtual [...]

I love the term “putting the garden to bed” for when you cut back your plants and add a layer of compost or mulch for the winter. I can imagine the little plants lying under their blanket of mulch, waiting to wake up and peek out in the spring! But not everything should be cut [...]

I love getting out in the cool, crisp autumn air after the first few frosts of the season to do some fall cleanup. The garden looks more attractive in winter without the tattered stalks and dead leaves, and removing plant debris helps reduce insect pest and plant disease problems later on.  So here is what [...]

I gave a talk on the onion family, the Alliums, last Wednesday at the Civic Garden Center. We discussed onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives and garlic chives, with a nod at the ornamental alliums. The enthusiasm among the attendees makes me want to encourage everyone to plant garlic! Garlic is easy to grow, and should [...]