Big Blog on the Block

There’s a new1 blog on the social media block—The Big Blog of Gardening (BBoG). Already it’s a heavy hitter in the gardening social media world. The question is: How may foul balls are hit? My wife came to me recently saying “Hey! Did you know that your friend Linda Chalker-Scott changed her institution?”“What?” I said.“Yeah, … Continue reading Big Blog on the Block

Tulips for the desert?

Spring bulb planting time is on across North America!  Many types of bulbs do well in desert and xeric gardens: hyacinths, ranunculus, iris, narcissus, crocus, alliums can all be happy. One bulb that’s often left off the list are tulips. Why is that? The tall flashy hybrid or Darwinian tulips that fill the catalog photos … Continue reading Tulips for the desert?

People and Plants

This Independence Day weekend blog post is about John Bartram, the American gardener and botanist who revolutionized gardening. John Bartram was born a third generation Quaker on a farm in Darby, Pennsylvania on March 23, 1699. While he had no formal education beyond the local school, he was interested in medicine and medicinal plants. Stymied by … Continue reading People and Plants

Tomato season is open!

Mmmmm, fresh summer tomatoes. They’re great sliced, diced or made into salsa or sauces. There’s nothing like picking one right off the vine, popping it in your mouth and splat! You now have tomato all over your shirt. “No problem,” you think, “it’ll come out in the wash.” Fast Forward to Laundry Day… As you’re … Continue reading Tomato season is open!

Creating artificial nesting structures for cavity nesting solitary bees

Pollinators, especially bees, are an important part of our agriculture, economy, and ecosystems. Gardeners are often well-versed in the importance of bees since we get the opportunity to see these incredible animals in action. We enjoy the results of their labor in the form of fruits, “vegetables”, and seeds which feed wildlife and create beauty … Continue reading Creating artificial nesting structures for cavity nesting solitary bees

Maddening mulch myths

Long-time followers of this blog know that I’ve been researching, writing, and educating on the topic of landscape mulches for over 20 years. So whenever an article comes out in a newspaper or online that directly refutes our current understanding of mulch science, on-line and real-life colleagues quickly call it to my attention. Many times … Continue reading Maddening mulch myths

The ABC’s of Plants for Bees!

A bee collecting pollen from a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). Though it might not seem like it for some of us who are still in the throes of winter and it especially feels like a distant dream as I look outside my window here in Montana, but Spring is right around the corner. Along with … Continue reading The ABC’s of Plants for Bees!

Plant lists that shouldn’t exist

Nothing drives me crazier than simplistic solutions to complex problems. Given our changing climate, there has been an explosion of “drought tolerant” and “firewise” plant lists in the gardening world. Most of these lists are devoid of science and all of them are removed from reality. The fact is that taxonomy plays a minimal role … Continue reading Plant lists that shouldn’t exist