May 2022

I ran across this headline this morning. Honeysuckle Is Evil.  It was quite an attention grabber and I have to admit that I have said the same, and worse, in my quest to get rid of this insidious invader. Someone, long ago I am sure, was told to plant a few starts on the back cliff in an effort to keep the hillside from disappearing into the quarry directly below us. I truly understand the intent, (I wish I could go back and apologize to homeowners for all the English Ivy I planted through the years.) but today I am battling its takeover of my entire yard. 

An article on Apple News caught my attention yesterday. It was full of ideas for designing a garden to keep snakes away. Ten years ago I would have devoured every word. Today I just sighed, thinking about all the folks who will follow through on the design suggestions and miss out on having a valuable garden partner  —  a resident snake!

So you’ve been considering adding a water feature to your backyard, but haven’t quite decided if it’s the right decision for you. Having enjoyed ponds and streams, waterfalls and fountains in my yards for decades, I can give you lots of reasons why adding water to the landscape is a great idea.

The next two weeks are shaping up to be prime planting time here in the Midwest. They're promising us lots of sunlight, warm temperatures and just enough rain to get things going in the garden. While I will be spending lots of time with my grandkids planting their gardens, one of my own goals this spring is to rework my hummingbird garden.