It is the last business day of the month. We are about to say so long to the month of October and hello to November. Talk about time flying–this month sure has. Yes, I know, I have been lax in my writing for the past few weeks. Blame it on the weather. Blame it on my work. [...]
Selected by blueridgegardener
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Blue Ridge Gardener
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End of the month
30 Oct 2009 | 10:38 am -
Catching up
20 Oct 2009 | 8:22 amAfter my trip to Denver, all kinds of things have happened in my life and in the garden. I am catching up, at least from this point on a Tuesday. Weather comments: This has been a period of cool and rain that I have not experienced for some time. Since September 15, I have dumped over 12 inches [...] -
Fall is here…
8 Oct 2009 | 6:27 amI am finally catching up on things after being away for a week. I plan to spend some time in the garden this evening, and have a little time to write this morning between tasks. Evidence that fall is here in the mountains of North Carolina: Regular morning temperatures around 40 degrees. While I was in Denver, [...] -
Back from Denver
4 Oct 2009 | 6:06 pmI have been out of town much of the week. On Tuesday I flew into Denver for a conference dealing with crime victims with disabilities. I flew back to NC on Saturday. I spent a bit of time in the garden on Saturday afternoon, not much this afternoon, and I have plans for tomorrow afternoon [...] -
More Fall Gardening Fodder
28 Sep 2009 | 10:44 amThe summer may be over, and we may be due for some 40 degree nights (tonight in fact), but it is still possible to get some more growth out of the garden. Here’s an article from the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer (They may be in Georgia, but some of their recommendations are still possible in our protected [...]
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GARDENING - Google News
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10 Steps to a 30-minute garden - Seattle Times
10 Steps to a 30-minute gardenSeattle TimesThe popularity of gardening has even taken a hit, as we find more and more competition for what would have been time spent in the garden. and more » -
A garden grows - Honolulu Advertiser
A garden growsHonolulu AdvertiserThe Institute for Human Services helped a handful of children plant a seedling toward sustainability yesterday in a donated Wiki Garden at and more » -
Putting Our Garden to bed, sort of - Inside Bay Area
Putting Our Garden to bed, sort ofInside Bay AreaBut with the approach of winter and rain, we are closing the public gate on Our Garden for the season, halting weekly gardening classes until March. and more » -
Garden books, November 7 - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Garden books, November 7Inland Valley Daily BulletinNow Paul Bonine, who owns a wholesale nursery in Oregon, has written a book by the same name "Black Plants: 75 Striking Choices for the Garden" (Timber Mysterious, sophisticated black plantsBradenton Heraldall 8 news articles » -
Fall chores in the perennial garden - Mansfield Today
Fall chores in the perennial gardenMansfield TodayAs long as more moderate fall weather persists and the soil is still workable, we can continue to tidy up and even forge ahead in the perennial garden. and more »
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Home Gardening News
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Add new traditions to your Christmas tree
7 Nov 2009 | 4:46 amOne of my favorite traditions during the holidays is to learn about other people's holiday traditions. -
Venezuelans struggling with water shortages
7 Nov 2009 | 12:26 amEvery two weeks, Naisi Obando and her children join the crowd at the water truck when it rumbles up a dusty road into their shantytown. -
A primer on gathering, using your yard's leaves
6 Nov 2009 | 8:10 pmYou could be called the lawn Luddites. You're the holdouts who shun leaf blowers and lawn vacuums, the hardy types who find satisfaction in the scrape of tines on grass. -
Plant a see, get a tree
6 Nov 2009 | 3:42 pmPlanting seeds is a satisfying way to grow trees and shrubs, and gives you a special affection for the plants. -
Plenty of food for thought in the movie Food Inc
6 Nov 2009 | 11:24 amPlenty of food for thought in the movie Food Inc. I recently had the opportunity watch the documentary Food Inc.
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Sustainable Gardening Blog
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Sustainable and Urban Gardening Newsletter, November 2009
7 Nov 2009 | 5:21 amBlog edition. The whole newsletter is right here. Urban Gardening on the Web Urban Gardening – What is it? is my definition and a call for links to more great programs across the U.S. USDA reports that farmers' markets are up 13 percent over 2008! Here's the story. Excellent new resource: Growing School and Youth Gardens in NY [...] -
New Fence Revealed!
5 Nov 2009 | 12:21 pmBehold the natural cedar fence that replaced the UGLY chain-link fence covered with English ivy. It's hard to believe it was only 4 years ago that I thought this was a fine place for ivy. Ha! Sure looks different! Also, neighbors can see the garden through the slats, a bit. And even though I may need [...] -
Scary Halloween Photo
1 Nov 2009 | 7:39 pmOkay, so my mostly-black cat doesn't really look scary, maybe just ridiculous. And okay, so it's a day late but this blog's been out of commission all weekend. -
What’s up with FreezePruf?
29 Oct 2009 | 4:52 amPeople are asking about this new product, especially if they’re garden writers finding free bottles at their doorstep. So hey, the makers of FreezePruf are sponsors of this very blog (and website and newsletter) so I took it upon myself to interview the botanist who developed FreezePruf, and the full report is over here on [...] -
Ornamental Grasses in all their Glory
21 Oct 2009 | 8:54 amI go ga-ga over ornamental grasses and recommend a couple of books about them. Photo: in the garden of Kurt Bluemel.
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Natural Gardening
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A nice path planting
6 Nov 2009 | 4:57 pmWe're a relatively small group of folks in the Botanical Garden where I work, and we're spread pretty thin. But my colleagues are great people who love plants, gardens, and gardening, and it's nice to share some of their work in our What's Happening in the Garden blog. -
Gardening ideas
5 Nov 2009 | 5:06 pmThinking about problem-solving in gardens and landscapes is interesting. What we bring to the process is gardening ideas, gleaned from memories, experience, and observation melded with the practicalities of light, soil, and climate. A class today had me thinking about this again.There's no point in dreaming of lush lilacs in Southern climates nor of productive fruit orchards of apples, peaches, nectarines, cherries, or apricots (unless you're willing to do the obligatory weekly spray maintenance, whether organic or not). We can easily grow blueberries, muscadine and scuppernong grapes,… -
Front door views
3 Nov 2009 | 5:33 pmI never thought about taking a picture from our front steps when we moved in 15 years ago.This is a view (from 1994) looking down from farther right.My gardening companion starting to plantThere wasn't much to see, except a few large old trees, lawn, and a straight row of planted trees (Magnolia, dogwood, white pine, crepe myrtle). Red tips had been planted along the front, next to the road, and they were already in decline when we came. Happily, we volunteered their removal when the City put in a bike path.But now, it's quite nice to look out through the front door,step out onto the front… -
Native grasses: Little Bluestem
2 Nov 2009 | 5:08 pmOur native grasses really don't get the attention they deserve. Little Bluestem and Indian grass are two of my favorites. They do reseed (that's what plants do), but they're beautiful, and support native insects and other wildlife.Much nicer than the Miscanthus sinensis that's become invasive all over the Southeast, due to its excellent colonizing abilities (we saw this in its native habitat, in Northern Vietnam, spreading down a disturbed hillside).Here's a lovely Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium) in a greenway planting near the The Botanical Gardens at Asheville, a gem of a native… -
An almost full moon
1 Nov 2009 | 5:18 pmOut the kitchen door, an almost full moon is luminous tonight.
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The Growing Edge
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Buy Local Gains Traction In Many Markets
6 Nov 2009 | 12:50 pmJim Offner writes in The Packer, “Buy local” is gaining prominence in the potato and onion businesses, according to marketing strategists. “Buy local is an important piece that our industry participates heavily in,” said Tim O’Connor, chief executive officer of the Denver-based U.S. Potato Board. “There’s a lot of effort there. I see it used real well by retailers.” Of course, the strategy comes with a natural impediment, O’Connor said. “The challenge is it’s seasonal,” he said. “If a retailer in New York wants to feature New York-grown potatoes, they have a window… -
Bisphenol A (BPA) Found In Many Canned Foods
6 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pmNaomi Starkman reports on CivilEast.com, Consumer Reports’ latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contain measurable levels of Bisphenol A (BPA). The results are reported in the December 2009 issue and also available online. BPA, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because it has been linked to a wide array of health effects including reproductive abnormalities, heightened risk of… -
Win A Free DVD Of The Movie Food, Inc.
6 Nov 2009 | 12:23 pmThe movie Food, Inc. was released this week on DVD (and is probably available at your local or chain movie rental store.) Click HERE to find out how you can win one of the ten free copies of the movie that the producers are giving away to celebrate the release of the movie on DVD. -
The Rise Of The Non-Veggie Vegetarian
6 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pmIn 1973, I saw somebody on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson expound on the health benefits of being a vegetarian. At that moment I became one myself. I haven’t eaten red meat since that time, but as my kids grew out of toddlerhood, we as a family started eating fish and chicken. Hence, I am a “beady eye vegetarian.” Still no red meat since 1973. So I can relate to this article… Finlo Rohrer writes in BBC News Magazine, Vegetarianism used to be simple – its protagonists foreswore the flesh of any dead animal. Today there are “veggies” who eat fish,… -
Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?
5 Nov 2009 | 12:20 pmThe editors of The New York Times write, With food prices remaining high in developing countries, the United Nations estimates that the number of hungry people around the world could increase by 100 million in 2009 and pass the one billion mark. A summit of world leaders in Rome scheduled for November will set an agenda for ways to reduce hunger and increase investment in agriculture development in poor countries. What will drive the next Green Revolution? Is genetically modified food an answer to world hunger? Are there other factors that will make a difference in food production? Paul…
