Hello fellow readers, Talk about a shift! The chill, albeit wet and soggy, feels like back to school. For me too, as I registered for a fiction workshop at Warren County Community College. It felt nostalgic going back to school; familiar butterflies and all. There’s a process of

Hello fellow readers, “Is there such a thing as wild hydrangea?” asked Tammy of Marshalls Creek PA. There is. Hydrangea arborescens is commonly known as Smooth Hydrangea or Wild hydrangea and its native in the woodlands of the northeast, but it blooms in the spring. What Tammy is noti

Hello fellow readers, The dog days of summer are soon to end. No longer will we be sweating like a pig. These old sayings came up as Curt and I were walking Miss Ellie during these last hazy lazy days of summer and we wondered their origin. After all, what do dogs have to do with summ

Hello fellow readers, It’s a marvel how life brings people together. It’s one of the joys gained from the work I do. Especially when I rub shoulders with fellow gardeners, many far more accomplished than I in nurturing plants. Such is the case of Jacquie of Byram NJ who reached out fo

Hello fellow readers, Anthracnose (Ann-thrack-nose, my phonetics) is the most talked about and the most serious amongst the doggone dogwood dilemmas. Though powdery mildew, leaf and flower blight spot, and crown canker rank high. Never mind the dogwood borer which can run amuck. Turns

Hello fellow readers, Thanks to those who braved the heat magnification of the glass conservatory during our pow-wow of garden dilemmas at the NJ State Fair. As always, critters were a hot topic. Lorraine of Sparta NJ, a Flower Show volunteer, master gardener, and friend who invited m

Hello fellow readers, It’s fair time! Farm animals, 4-H exhibits, rides, fun food, and, in the case of the NJ State Fair, garden displays and speakers of which I am one. This Saturday, August 4th at 1 PM, I’ve been asked to speak about Garden Dilemmas. It will be held in the bea

Hello fellow readers, I’m back from the Woody Plant Conference held at Scott Arboretum Swarthmore College PA, always a treat. While not nearly as knowledgeable as the scientists and arborists in attendance, I have a love affair with trees; especially those that have lived far longer t

Hello fellow readers, “Be sure you tickle the roots,” I coach new gardeners after carefully removing a plant from its pot. Using my fingers, or an edge of a trowel, I demonstrate how to loosen the roots to encourage them to spread. Sometimes a utility knife comes into play if a plant

Hello fellow readers, When I met Stephanie of Denville NJ four years ago, she wished to forgo a front lawn and plant a garden she could stroll through and enjoy viewing from the inside looking out. An ambitious undertaking for most, but I quickly learned Stephanie didn’t think so. I d