It’s a gorgeous day in the greater Cincinnati area, and it looks like we will have more beautiful weather as the week progresses. Spring is in the air-or did we miss spring and go directly to summer? With so much rain lately, it will be a few days before I’m comfortable walking on the lawn. [...]

My husband sent me a link to an article about a woman who likes to garden in nothing but a thong and her pink gardening gloves. She wasn’t breaking any laws, but her housing division was considering amending its rules to forbid topless-ness. Here’s the link. This reminded me that years ago, before we moved [...]

I recently planted a pot of peppers for pickling. Actually, several pots! It’s a good time to start pepper seeds indoors for planting out later this spring. I use peppers fresh, pickled and canned in salsa. I roast, peel, and freeze sweet red peppers and long, green Anaheim chilies. Some of my peppers are dried [...]

I like to leave my ornamental grasses standing for the winter. Many ornamental grasses remain attractive through the winter, and may even provide food for the birds. If you left your ornamental grasses standing like I did, you will want to cut them back soon, before new growth begins. Try this trick with the taller [...]

Many of us celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green or drinking green beer. Being half Irish on both sides of the family, I also celebrate by cooking corned beef and cabbage, with Irish soda bread on the side. And I typically buy a Shamrock Plant: Oxalis regnellii. Shamrock is a tender pot-plant that grows from [...]

I was discussing seed starting with some students and was asked what tomato varieties I planned to grow this year. I love fresh tomatoes, and also preserve them by drying and by making homegrown salsa, tomato and chili sauce. My husband and daughter can’t eat fresh tomatoes, but luckily I have neighbors who help with [...]

This past week, I planted many varieties of vegetable and flower seeds in preparation for the garden. I typically start seeds of the cole crops (this group includes Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, broccoli), leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, endive), and solanaceous plants (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, petunia, nicotiana), the first week in March. [...]

Wow, it seems like spring all of the sudden in Cincinnati! Of course, it is still March and we have plenty of cold and frosty weather ahead. But the warmth and sunshine are really invigorating – I can’t wait to get out and do stuff! I always think of March as the start of the [...]

Green leaves on houseplants add a relaxed ambiance to a room, while bold red, orange or yellow colors provide a dramatic statement. And a single colorful plant among a group of green plants makes the whole grouping stand out. Plants with colorful leaves and flowering plants usually require brighter light to put on a good [...]