Eight critters you can find in your bird baths by Sandy Swegel Cute little birds hatched out of a nest in my roof eaves this spring so I decided to put a bird bath in the front yard so I could watch strategically from the window. I didn’t have traditional bird baths so shallow stone […]
Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel Sometimes there’s a difficult spot in a garden when plants just keep failing. Or sometimes there’s a plant you really want in your garden (you know who you are butterfly weed) that keeps dying even though you think you are giving it perfect conditions. The easy thing to do is […]
Baby’s Breath…growing for whimsy by Sandy Swegel Some plants aren’t the most efficient plants to grow, but you have to do it just because it’s fun. Annual baby’s breath fits that category for me this week. I visited a lovely garden where the perennial baby’s breath was allowed to grow and fall where it may […]
Wildflower Seeds by Sandy Swegel Sunflowers inspire a primordial joy in us. We may be rosarians, orchid specialists, rock plant lovers or even urban folk who barely see the outdoors, but sunflowers against a blue sky spark an inner gasp of delight. Sunflowers often plant themselves on their own and can manage to grow without […]
Wildflower Seeds by Sandy Swegel July is when the aster begins to shine in the garden. We were walking around a hot drought xeric garden yesterday where many flowering plants were going to seed (ah, flax and larkspur we miss your blues already) or had complete browned and been cut back (goodbye poppies). Amid the […]
Wildflower Seeds by Sandy Swegel The humans are drooping in the summer heat, but if you look at gardens and containers you’ll see that some flowers are absolutely thriving in July. Take a walk around your neighborhood one cool evening to see what is vigorously growing and that you have to try growing yourself. Salvias […]
Tips for Gardening in the Heat by Sandy Swegel My neighbor is panicking and frantically watering all her plants and trees that have droopy wilting leaves. The leaves weren’t getting any better and she feared there was some horrid disease killing everything. But there isn’t some disease…the plants are just stressed by our heat wave […]
Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel We ate the last of the Spring Peas this week. They were gnarly and kinda tough, but I savored the sweet Spring memories. Even though the peas were planted in a little shade and watered regularly, a pea plant can only take so many blistering hot days. Pooped-out peas are […]
Wildflower Seeds by Sandy Swegel Gaillardia is my favorite flower this week! Gaillardia aristata or blanket flower is already a favorite of xeric gardeners. It doesn’t require much water. It comes in beautiful orange and red and yellow colors. It blooms a long time. It is one tough little plant. I had one re-seed in […]
Vegetables for Shady Areas by Sandy Swegel OMG, Can you believe how hot it is? That’s the refrain from everybody I talk to. I’ll work in the garden when it’s below freezing or when there’s light rain, but I draw the line at working in the sun when the temperature is above 90. Unfortunately, temps […]