It’s hard to imagine more than 40 years back when saving seeds was something only misers and old folks did, and heirlooms were special serving platters and diamond jewelry, not tomatoes and peppers. But it was in 1975 that Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy founded Seed Savers Exchange with two types of heirloom seeds passed on to Diane by…
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When do volunteer plants go from being a welcome volunteer in the garden to a dreaded weed? I remember the moment — early in my gardening life — when I discovered that if you left tomato fruits in the garden over winter, they might grow the next year. Amazement! Thrill! Whether the tomato grew to produce the same tomatoes it…
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The ‘Bali’ cherry tree in our front yard is weighed down with hundreds of big, sour cherries. Birds love these cherries even more than people do, so some kind of cherry tree protection is necessary if I want any cherry pie this summer. As I discovered the first couple of years we had the tree, the birds will clean it…
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Despite the rain outside, today is a day for celebrating, because my Martagon lilies are blooming! Martagons are a hardy lily that enjoys a shady location, the perfect complement to hostas and other shade-loving plants. I was introduced to these wonderful lilies by Frans Officer, a member of the North Star Lily Society and a full-blown martagon lily fanatic. Frans…
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We missed the April showers, but we got a few in May, and now we have the flowers that bloom in May to prove it. I just love this tree peony, which is in its third season in my yard. It may be located in a spot that is just a bit too shady, but the blooms are a lovely…
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