Gifts for Garden Lovers

If your list is long but your time  is short, these ideas are for YOU! All these gift  recommendations are based on my own experience and use. For the Homesteaders We all know someone who keeps chickens, has bees, or grows vegetables – check out the many useful and fun gifts that Stumpdust has to…

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Creating Sensational Indoor Containers for the Holidays

  For several years I taught this workshop at my home, teaching guests how to design festive indoor containers. They were always a hit – and sold out quickly, as we could only get a limited number of folks around the table. But the bigger problem was that only those who lived within an easy…

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Deer-Resistant Spring Bulbs

Using a cabin as a focal point in a large island border of deer-resistant plants

I'm not sure if it was a wild game of Touch Rugby or Tag, but either way, the five deer that were playing in my front garden yesterday left it looking as though a stampede of  elephants had been having a party. Forget a rake- I need a brush hog to smooth out the beds…

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A Low Maintenance Garden that Celebrates Fall

Heart-shaped, golden leaves of a katsura tree in fall

It's a truly glorious fall here in the Pacific Northwest – blue skies, incredible foliage color and warm temperatures that have me still wearing T-shirts rather than polar fleece. It's a joy to be outside on days like this and spending a day "working" in the garden is both fun and easy. Can you say…

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Designing Fall Combos

Pathway covered in leaves from red maple in October

It's that time of year when I'm dodging rain showers in the garden and preparing for cooler days ahead while enjoying the rich colors of autumn that still have me reaching for my camera. The best fall gardens are those which celebrate the season with bold combinations and dramatic vignettes. Here are some tips to…

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