Fruit trees, specifically pear trees, usually are standard, semi-dwarf or dwarf in size. Dwarf trees are standard stems that have been grafted onto dwarfing rootstock to keep them short. Having different sizes accommodates different needs of the gardener. A standard tree may be majestic and ornamental while a dwarf tree is easy to reach and … Continue reading Five Pear Trees →

This blog is going to be short on words and long on pictures. I walked around our yard and gardens today (April 21, 2021) and took pictures of the plants that are currently flowering. Just as pleasing as the flowersI I saw, were the flower buds of others to bloom in another week or so. … Continue reading April Flowers →

The roof vents have been opened by the automatic vent openers. The fan is on and it is still 90 degrees in there! It is the tenth of April and it is too hot to work outside this afternoon. Well, for a summer day it would be ideal, but having just come out of the … Continue reading Spring Going-ons →

This past year we were notified that the local pick-your-own blueberry farm was going out of business. We had been picking blueberries there for a very long time. Now what could we do? Well, grow our own, that’s what! So I searched the internet and found a blueberry farm in New Jersey that sells mail … Continue reading Blueberries →

There is snow on the ground and the wind chill today is about eleven degrees. One might think that I was rushing the season by starting seeds inside under the florescent lighting, and in some cases one might be right. But seeds come in many sizes, shapes, colors and environmental conditions and time necessary to … Continue reading It’s Seed Starting Time Again! →

One might read the title of this blog and wonder why anybody would need four wheelbarrows. Well, first one must understand the concept of need when it comes to gardeners. The general public needs water, food, shelter etc. Gardeners, of course, need these things too. But in addition there is also the need of seeds, … Continue reading A Tale of Four Wheelbarrows →

It has been a long time in preparation for this current garden renovation. It started four years ago. So fasten your seat belts and sit back for my garden story. We had solar panels installed on the south facing roof of our new garage but there were several large pine trees that were casting shade … Continue reading Veg Garden Renovation →

Beginner readers love this book, and the numerous other similar titles this author has written (when you have a winner you ride it as far as it will go.) The message imparted by this book is that one thing leads to another, as we adults know so well. I made the well intentioned mistake of … Continue reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie … →

I have seen Facebook posts where others have mentioned the names of their gardens. A recent Gardener’s World episode showed home gardeners who have names for their gardens, just as Monty Don does at his place in Longmeadow. So I thought I would share a few pictures of my gardens and the names I have … Continue reading Who Names Their Gardens? →

Landscaping wasn’t part of my plan this fall. But then the drought brought our “lawn” (mostly weeds with a few grass plants thrown in to allow me to pretend that it was a lawn) to it’s knees. All that was left was dust and dried up vegetation, of a mixed sort. As I drive around … Continue reading Landscape Design (In a time of severe drought) →