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Catalina, I was reeling in my green hose tonight and when I grabbed it, got a handful of green froggie with it. Gah! They are cute little guys, but come on...

We just finished a new fence for the vegetable garden to keep the chickens (and deer) out. Last year I got 4 tomatoes from 10 plants because those naughty hens kept poking holes in them just as they'd start to turn pink. Naughty. They can clear a garden in no time flat. Unfortunately, they like...

really? first time? I don't live on a pond or anything, but I have tons of little green frogs. Sometimes they climb up my dining room windows and we all have a good laugh. He a cute little guy. Frogs in your garden are a good sign. They are pretty sensitive to fertilizer and chemicals, though...

It's important to get water DEEP down to those roots that were cut. I'm not really convinced that you can water a new rose too much. They also react well to fish emulsion fertilizer. You can get it at any good garden store. It's water soluable. Stinky for a day or so, but totally worth it. Good...

Look for a 5 leaf shoot and cut above it. I prefer angled cuts. If you see canes that cross (and can rub), then it's a good idea to prune away the interior cane. Give it some good breathing room. If you need to cut it back to a more manage-able size, then by all means do it. Roses are pretty...

Did you get the rose in yet? Make sure you give it lots of water. It's nice that the new owners are being cooperative...

I love cottage gardens. My home is 100 years old, so my gardens need to be super informal. I planted my flower beds *really tight* with tons of different things. No rhyme or reason - just stuff that sang to me and begged me to take it home. You are lucky - you are in a warm zone and can grow...

steve - grin. No, peonies are to the right of the garden, with the hostas (hard to see), just past the flowers. They have buds with ants, but are not open yet. What you see is a new rose I got for my bday (actually 2) called "Winnepeg Parks. It's a parkland rose, so hardy in this zone with no...

Check out my new vegetable garden and fence! We worked ALL weekend. Not finished yet (we ran out of materials) but very very close. Needed to fence in the veggies this year to keep the chickens OUT. Deer too. It's not very big - about 14x9, so I didn't want to put up super tall walls or it...

Here's one from last year. The little houses are painted on rocks. Again, a gift from my wonderful neighbor. The girls call her our Fairy Godmother. She is pretty amazing.

Just wondering... Who here has a fairy garden? I have this weird little strip of dirt alongside the cellar door on the back patio. Too narrow to plant much. So every year, my daughters (ages 4, 8, 11) and I create fairy gardens. They enjoy leaving little treats for our sprite-ly friends, and...

Of course Steve makes beer... :D I have no idea how to do a cutting from my hops and I don't know what variety it is (other than tough as nails) or how to keep it alive in the mail (it's still dormant right now) but if someone can tell me how to do it, I'm glad to share. If only you were close...

WIkalanchoe, Did you end up planting some more roses? I just got two new ones today - Parkland series called "Winnepeg Parks." Hardy, double reds with yellow stamens, fragrant, 3 ft. tall. Roses can't come into my gardens unless they can make it through our cold winters with minimal protection...

I ripped a couple dozen out of my driveway garden last summer and left them on the asphalt. They bloomed there, no dirt whatsoever. Pretty tough flowers.

I have grown Tamora and Iceberg here in MN, zone 4. They both survived our winter with very little protection. I typically plant them deep, mound soil around the base to about 9 inches in the fall and prune pretty drastically to avoid too much whipping in the winter wind. I've had these roses...

:P You make me grin. Is that Winnie the Pooh? BTW, they're tomatoes. We were roasting a batch to freeze for winter dinners. That's my 7 year old daughter.

Hi Dad, er, Steve - you're funny... Can't you make wine from dandelions too? Coffee and wine from something that likes to take over my backyard in the Spring... I may never leave the house...

In addition to putting nitrogen into your soil, it also helps keep the critters away. They can smell it and steer clear. Another good source of nitrogen is human hair. I collect a baggie of hair from a hairdresser friend to put around my flower beds in the spring. I just put it at soil level...

hee hee - the first time I saw my pullets sun/dust bathing, I thought they were having a seizure. I know, what a ding dong... Catalina, your photos are sweet.

Hi Dave - I always enjoy reading your posts and your approach towards life. Nice to see you over here! Can't help you with the clematis. It grows here in MN, but alas, I don't have any. Good luck!