By this time of year, your plants could be looking tired and awful. Although the heat may make working in the garden a daunting prospect, whether you have a few acres or a few potted plants, a little love this month will keep your plants looking nice until the Fall, when the days start getting shorter and the garden slows down. Deadhead: Cutting off the spent blooms on your plants will tell them to make new ones. If you have roses and it’s late in the month, you can give them a... [read more]

If you love having fresh herbs at your fingertips here are a few suggestions on setting up an herb garden you will use and love: · Plant your herb garden as close to the kitchen as you can manage.  Your herb garden can be grown in a series of containers if that helps you locate it where it will be most convenient.  If you have to go to too much trouble to get to and pick the herbs, you won’t use them as much. · If you want to get the most pleasure... [read more]

We’ve all heard the rhyme, but you might not know where the rhyme originated. It can be officially traced back to the mid-1500s, although earlier use of the phrase probably existed. The first instance in writing comes from a poem published in 1557, written by a farmer named Thomas Tusser. His poem, compiled in rhyming couplets, was called A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry and contained instructions and observations about farming and country customs in the Tudor period of England. In... [read more]