No matter what time it is in my garden, it’s always time to clip the privet. It bounds the front yard on three sides and thrives on a diet of neglect and neighbors’ complaints. I trim and trim. When I am finished with the entire hedge, I start all over again. If I relax with … Read more
An English newspaper recently asked readers about their most frequent garden complaints. Being a veteran gardener, I could think of a few–the string trimmer running out of string in the middle of a job, an invasion of Japanese beetles, the loss of a favorite pair of clippers, etc. But when I think about it, the … Read more
Hamburger Helper is a supermarket panacea that extends and livens up ground meat to make a one-dish meal. Mulch helper is a homemade extender for store-bought mulch. Lately I have been using a lot of mulch helper. I like to use shredded cedar bark mulch from the garden center. It’s not all that expensive–until you … Read more
I am a grandmother, which is hardly unusual. Like all grandparents, I like to brag that my grandchildren are unique. But that word is actually an understatement–all my grandchildren are geraniums. They belong to my daughter, who buys them, installs them in elegant pots and fusses over them like any other doting parent. She is … Read more
There is only one word for my lower back garden these days—depressing. The infernal heat, with or without humidity, has made the hydrangeas, ferns and hostas look as if they are in the last stages of consumption. Even the stalwart hellebores are flat out—literally. Daily watering does little to stave off the desiccating effects of … Read more
