Shades of September

  It's an odd time of year. Neither summer nor fall. Cooler but not cold. Perhaps chianti rather than sauvignon blanc but not-quite-ready-for-a-full-Bordeaux type of weather I typically head into the garden to see what is new – newly blooming or in leaf – not newly going into decline! So what is there to get…

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Blanket Flower Beauty

Do you buy perennials or grow them from seed? My Mum was a remarkably thrifty – and patient gardener and grew many perennials such as delphiniums from seed. The first year they would get to be respectable sized plants but if they flowered it wasn't a spectacular show. They would typically take three years to…

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Pretty Enough To Eat

Gone are the days where 'salad' meant a limp lettuce leaf and a dollop of salad cream (in the UK) or ranch dressing (in the USA)! Leaf crops such as spinach, peppery arugula and crunchy kale jostle with a tantalizing blend of colorful lettuce varieties. Harvest some young beet leaves, carrot tops and herbs and you have a…

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Winter Adventure for Children of all Ages

I had the privilege of presenting a workshop at  The Morton Arboretum  recently while I was speaking in the Chicago area. I could see straight away that this was somewhere special; 1700 acres of stately trees and gardens including lakes and natural areas. The casual (cold) visitor might just head straight for the coffee shop…

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Plant a Rainbow

  I can't help myself – shake a packet of seeds and I start salivating like our two dogs when they hear the pantry door being opened. It's that tantalizing rustle – the promise of hidden treasure. Add to that pretty pictures and I'm in a swoon. So you can perhaps understand my excitement when…

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