letters from the wilderness
Spring is the time of new beginnings. Amidst the growing uncertainty of rising prices, diplomatic crises, and the pain and suffering here and abroad, I'm taking a pause to see what's greening in my garden. Camellia We have 2 Camellias next to the kitchen window. Last year, they had a scale infestation, probably because of... Continue Reading →
I am developing an amaryllis collection. I need to share some and find a permanent solution for growing them inside my home. I have 13 bulbs for 3 or 4 years, maybe longer for 2 or 3 of them. I tried throwing several that looked dead in my compost pile, and they rose from the... Continue Reading →
After my Amaryllis bulbs bloomed last winter, I tried pollinating the flowers to produce seeds. I was successful in producing seeds and getting those seeds to grow! Once the seeds began growing in water, I put them in potting soil in recycled plant containers from Home Depot and Lowes. I decided to use potting soil... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, we took a break from our usual weekend gardening projects and visited Reedy Farm in Monroe, VA for their Open Garden Day. It was the perfect day! I had forgotten how much I love daylilies, maybe because the deer like them, too. In Pennsylvania, we only grew the common orange daylilies that grow like... Continue Reading →
While I've been quiet here, I've been very busy in the garden. Some projects, some planting, some setting up new things for future plans. One of my favorite plants is geraniums. When I was a little girl, I was given a book about Carl Larsson, a Swedish painter. The paintings in the book focused on... Continue Reading →
One thing I had in abundance in my Pennsylvania garden was beneficial insects. Ladybugs, praying mantises, spiders, dragonflies, bees, earthworms, you name it, we had it in our 1/4 acre yard. When I first started gardening, I didn't plant to attract bugs. But, as I learned more about organic gardening, I started planting to get... Continue Reading →
Recently I decided to try growing my own amaryllis from seed. Thanks to advice from a friend, I pollinated the amaryllis I bought at Home Depot after Christmas for half price. Then I waited and watched. I saw these bulbs begin to swell on 4 plants. If the bulbs continued to increase in size beyond... Continue Reading →
Last fall, we had extensive tree work done on our property and kept the woodchips for our flower beds. The same company returned 2 weeks ago with more free woodchips which I've been spreading around the yard. I took advantage of the windfall to start a rain garden. But first, a brief tour of my... Continue Reading →
2 dogs and a house 