Agastache and Nepeta – Deer Repellents

  • Post published:01/09/2012
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Fine Gardening's photo of Agastache 'Cana' has got me all excited. Recently I read somewhere (I wish I could remember where) that some plants were not only deer resistant, they were deer repellent. Deer have a sensitive sense of smell and some plants have such a strong scent that deer are actually repelled and avoid them. I am thinking of strategically planting some attractive deer repellant plants among my garden beds in the hope this will discourage deer - and…

2012: Year of the Herbs

  • Post published:01/03/2012
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Every year the National Garden Bureau chooses a flower, a vegetable and an herb to showcase, but they have declared 2012 The Year of the Herbs and are showcasing all herbs, not just one. I have a long herb bed right in front of my piazza and the entry walk. Because it face south and is protected by the house it is the first garden I can work in in the spring and the last garden to be…

Horseradish

  • Post published:09/12/2011
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There are often news stories in our local press about the business incubator at the Franklin County Community Development Corporation located in Greenfield. Last Friday I had my first opportunity to visit and see some of the work that goes on there. John Waite, the Executive Director of the FCCDC, welcomed me and members of the Herb Society of America to the commercial kitchens of the CDC and introduced us to some of the people who use this…

Lorene Forkner’s Garden

  • Post published:08/16/2011
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Lorene Forkner, one of the organizers of the fabulous Seattle Fling, invited us to her own garden which is not large, but filled with enough plants and art of interest to keep me inspired for the next decade. I cannot help it. It is the roses that catch my eye first. This rose cluster was so heavy it would have been on the ground in my garden, but Lorene whipped up a support. My question is - did…

Weeding and Compost

  • Post published:08/09/2011
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A 40 foot Herb Bed lies in front of our house where lilies and roses vie for space with rue, parsley, basil, variegated sage and thalictrum at  the west end of the building past the Welcoming Platform where you can see yarrow, golden marjoram, sage, tarragon, rosemary, Ashfield black stem mint and chives to the end of the Bed where there is more basil, horseradish, lemon balm and dill that was knocked down by the rain that fell briefly last…

My Second Garlic Harvest

  • Post published:08/05/2011
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Last fall my neighbor gave me several of his famous garlic bulbs to use as seed so I could plant my second garlic crop in the vegetable garden.  My first crop was not very successful, mostly because I did not pay attention to cutting off all the scapes in the spring. My harvest in July was puny. This time I planted each clove in well tilled soil and mulched heavily with spoiled hay in mid-October. You can read…

Red and Gold

  • Post published:07/08/2011
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Sometimes I get lucky. I moved this rosy achillea to the Herb Bed in front of the house last year. It is blooming right next to a large clump of golden marjoram and makes a beautiful little plantscape. Have you had any lucky juxtapositions?

Bloom Day June 2011

The past few days have been cool (50s) and wet. Sometimes very wet. We got another 2 inches of rain. The sun came out for a few minutes last evening so just a portion of my Bloom Day photos show that summer light. This is Salvia 'May Night' in full bloom in the northern Lawn Grove. The new tree, only partially seen, is a weeping cherry. We moved the Sourwood tree that has been in that spot for…

Plant a Row for the Hungry

  • Post published:06/11/2011
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The old joke goes that if you don’t lock your car doors in August you’ll  return and find the back seat filled with zucchini.  You might be happy about this if you don’t have a vegetable garden, after all zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can be used in a number of delicious ways, is nutritious supplying protein, vitamins A and C and numerous other good elements but no cholesterol, and contains only 20 calories per one cup…

Horseradish

  • Post published:06/04/2011
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My Swedish grandfather said he could never get horseradish to grow.  His troubles made me think horseradish must be a difficult crop. Not so. His failure was just one of those garden mysteries. Some people seem to have a chemical antipathy towards a particular plant, failing with that one while having success everywhere else in the garden. Our first spring in Heath I sent out my seed order and included an order for three horseradish roots.  Then, with…