Patience is the Key
By Sandra Nelson One of my favorite things to do this summer is to quietly sit on my deck, watching dozens of bees and butterflies flitting through the yard enjoying the nectar buffet I’ve planted. This is the first year that I’ve had a steady stream of visitors and it feels like the …
Preparing For Pollinators
With all the Buzz about pollinators in the news lately (sorry, just couldn’t resist it), I thought that this might be a good time to think about adding a pollinator garden to the landscape. For the past few years, flower and gardening magazines, websites and even home improvement television shows have …
Vegetable Gardening 101
By Sandra Nelson
With the days all seeming to melt together, it’s hard to realize that today is already May 7th. In another week or so it will be time to begin planting the bulk of my vegetable garden — the warm season plants like tomatoes and cucumbers and zucchini, and some seeds like …
Butterfly Bush: A Must Have For Your Garden
Brilliant color, delightful fragrance and easy care — a winning combination! Butterfly bush, also known as summer lilac, is a perfect addition to a Midwestern summer garden. Although it absolutely requires full sun, 8 hours a …
Celandine Poppy: A Must Have For Your Garden
By Sandra Nelson This week’s pick by Sandra Nelson, Blog Writer Celandine Poppy The perfect plant to brighten up a dark corner of the yard. Anything from dappled sunlight to deep shade suits this luminescent native wildflower! The Celandine Poppy, or commonly called wood poppy, blooms profusely from early April until the …
Designing Beds That Delight
By Sandra Nelson I don’t know how you are handling stress these days, but I find myself drawn more and more to my yard. When I feel anxiety building, I stroll through the yard, stopping every few seconds to discover the changes from the day before and to soak in the calming power of …
Connect To The Past With Heirloom Plants
By Sandra Nelson
My grandmother was famous in our neighborhood for her rambunctiously beautiful flower gardens. To my knowledge, she never purchased a commercially produced seed or plant. Instead, each fall she carefully collected and saved seeds from her favorite flowers, dug summer bulbs and took some cuttings to grow on …
Spring Clean-Up, The Environmentally Friendly Way
By Sandra Nelson We had a quick taste of spring this past weekend. It was warm and sunny and people in our neighborhood were out in full force taking advantage of the beautiful days to begin their spring yard clean-up. Leaves were raked and bagged, perennials chopped back to the ground, trees were …
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