I’m a sucker for a giant bloom. But back when I was still a gardening n00b, I played a risky game of chicken with a hard freeze, a bag of mulch, and a watering can… and I lost. Ever since, I’ve learned that a little winter prep goes a long way. In my experience, these…
Winter interest is often just a polite way of saying pretty sticks, and self-seeding describes plants that aggressively expand their territory. These terms dictate my late-season strategy: deciding which stalks face the final chop and which are spared for another month. By now, I’ve learned that late winter is where the real decisions happen. So grab…
Don’t assume the bulb ship sailed in October. One year I found a forgotten a bag of forgotten tulips and, on a mild February day, I planted them anyway… right into a slushy trench. Neighbors laughed. I laughed. Then April arrived, and my yard looked like a Dutch postcard while their plots stayed brown. Hah!…
February is usually when I start losing my mind looking at the gray sky every day, so I treat my indoor seed trays like a survival kit. It’s my favorite way to get a jump on spring without spending a small fortune at the garden center in May. And honestly, I just like knowing exactly…
Huddling by the heater in February is for my Great Aunt, not for us. We have a secret gardening window that would be a shame to miss. This month represents a Goldilocks moment where the ground isn’t a popsicle anymore, but most plants haven’t started their spring sprint. Success in moving certain perennials boils down…
Cilantro remains the most polarizing figure in your fridge, second only to an expired yogurt everyone keeps pretending not to see. Some people love it, others swear it tastes like soap (and those people are wrong, but I digress). But in the garden, even its biggest critics tend to change their tune. I’ve noticed that…