A Living Memory
Posted on January 30, 2016 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
When I used to think of gardens and plants many different thoughts came to mind. Often I enjoyed the visual beauty of a lovely landscape at someone’s home and how it enhanced the surroundings to make the outdoor space something special. Color and variety were always so pleasing to the eye and could be enjoyed […]
Patience in the Garden
Posted on December 1, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
I grew up in New England and I remember my Grandpa putting a trowel in my hand for the first time when I was three years old, because I wanted so badly to help him. I was blessed that he was retired and willing to spend his days with an adoring granddaughter. Our backyards joined […]
Vines, Master Classes, Free Lunch & Learn
Posted on November 3, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
If you’ve read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett you know what happens when a beautiful garden is left unattended for many years. Needless to say, things go awry and nothing flourishes as it should. Unfortunately this was the situation I found myself trying to rectify after years of neglecting the scuppernong vine my […]
Living Apothecary
Posted on October 4, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
What do dancing girls, caterpillars, beautiful flowers, delicious fruit, bees, and medicine all have in common? Answer: Passiflora, commonly known as Passionflower or Maypop. Native to the Southeastern U.S., this vine, with flowers resembling ballerina costumes, plays host to several native caterpillars, has delicious fruit, and attracts bees to its delightful blossoms. All that, and […]
Those Silly Blue Jays
Posted on October 4, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
Blue jays are most definitely interesting birds. I laughed heartily at the “peanut article” in the July issue. It made me recall my blue jay experience several years ago. With a spacious back yard, I grew pine trees, fruit trees, veggies, and a muscadine vine. A clothesline was located at the rear of the yard […]
UPDATE: Montgomery Botanical Gardens
Posted on August 31, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
A committed group from the Capital City Master Gardeners Association (CCMGA) and one from Elmore County Master Gardeners became the first volunteers to perform gardening/landscape tasks to develop the Montgomery Botanical Gardens (MBG) at Oak Park. While numerous volunteers will contribute over the years, this group will always be the first to contribute their gardening […]
Not Your Mother’s Geraniums
Posted on July 31, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
When I think back to my childhood, I remember huge fountains of spirea and sunshiny forsythia bushes, tall Rose of Sharon shrubs and my mother’s pots of fiery red geraniums. The geraniums brought color to summer and early fall when many of the other plants had quit blooming. As I grew older, I learned that […]
Accidental Bird Watcher
Posted on July 2, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
I’m a ‘bird watcher.’ I discovered this accidentally about 20 years ago. I was on a trip and found myself spending most of my time looking at the unusual birds (at least to me) rather than the normal tourist sites. When I came home it occurred to me that I could spend more time watching […]
Daylilies
Posted on June 2, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
Look carefully as you are driving down the highway. You will probably see orange “ditch” lilies waving their trumpet shapes in the breeze along the roadside. Well, guess what? The daylily world has evolved to more than 79,000 registered varieties and it’s no longer just Grandma’s ditch lily. You can easily find a rainbow of […]
Murder in the garden!
Posted on April 30, 2015 by bob in Yard 'N Garden
The familiar crape myrtle we all love in the summer garden was hybridized by breeders at the U.S. Arboretum. The well-known hybrids named for Native American tribes such as “Natchez”, “Potomac”, or “Choctaw” are easy to propagate, grow fast in the landscape and have become very popular all over the south. These stately beauties are […]
