Horticulture Madness

Coming Soon - Maples

2011-09-25T01:13:00.000-06:00

I don't remember seeing very many maples when I was growing up in California. Of course, it's possible that there were some among the sycamores. However, they are all over here in Utah. Right now they're beginning to change colors in the hills. The school that I teach at will do a leaf exploration field trip soon, and I am sure maple tree leaves will be one of the most prevalent types. I am

Landscapers Watch Out: Goats Will Take Over Your Job

2011-01-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE the Colbert Report. I came across this hard-hitting report (snerk) about how landscaping jobs are being outsourced to goats. Enjoy! The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30cPeople Who Are Destroying America - Landscaping Goatswww.colbertnation.comColbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical Humor & Satire Blog</a>Video Archive

Your Plants Need Googly Eyes

2011-01-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

I was reading a forum thread about whether the term "googly eyes" was a generic term and not a brand name. Someone posted a link to this gem from Saturday Night Live. Christopher Walken (love him!) explains just why your plants need googly eyes. Enjoy!

Please Help My Community Garden Project Win Tools

2011-01-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

See this empty lot? It's not going to be empty much longer. We're turning it into a community garden - huzzah! NeighborWorks Provo owns the lot, and we are working together to create this garden. If all goes well, we'll be expanding it to other lots. The plan currently is to create 15-20 plots. We can do more if the trees are removed. I will see if the local university will consider

Now Available - I Garden: Urban Style

2011-01-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

When I was at Borders the other day picking up an online order, I just had to check out the gardening section to see if they had gotten in "I Garden: Urban Style" yet. This book was written by Reggie Solomon and Michael Nolan of UrbanGardenCasual.com, a blog that I also helped write. In fact, I contributed to this book! I was so excited to find the book there. It still seems weird (in a good

My Winter Project: Planting Alpine Strawberry Seeds

2010-11-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, it's been a long summer and fall. A lot of my plans fell through. First we had weird weather, with too much rain that drowned my potatoes. The remaining plant was pounded by a hailstorm later. I also had some problems with the community garden - finding someone who could do the plumbing. I also had emergency gallbladder surgery in June, so that further threw plans out of whack. It's

Technology in the Garden

2010-08-05T09:21:00.000-06:00

A good friend sent me this video. I found it funny and clever. Who knew? Enjoy.

Seed Potatoes Are Taking Over My Bedroom!

2010-05-01T16:41:00.000-06:00

There is a strong smell of soil in my bedroom right now - ah, the adventures of urban gardening. The weather had been pleasant here. We had built one potato townhome (ours are 2'x6' instead of 2'x2' like many of the condo plans I've read, so I'll dub them with my own name to match my residence). It's fun - we bought strong 2x4s for the corners, but are recycling fence boards for the main part.

Winner of the Drought Tolerant Seeds Giveaway

2010-04-19T14:22:00.000-06:00

Whew! It's been a bit busy lately. I've been planting some seeds (pea sprouts appeared today!), training for a marathon (see the Super Hot Chica tab), planning a community garden (more info to come) and more. First - do you notice anything different? This blog got a wonderful makeover courtesy of Mary,Mary Quite Contrary Designs. I especially love the picture of the palm tree in the snow (

Seed GROW Project: Spitfire Nasturtiums

2010-04-04T17:36:00.001-06:00

I'm one of 45 gardeners around the country participating in the Seed GROW Project, where we are all growing Spitfire Climbing Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus 'Spitfire') and comparing results. It's not quite time to be planting them here in Utah. Planting outside would have to be after the frost date (May 15th), and starting indoors would only be about 3 weeks before then. It's been snowing off

Our Patriotic Potatoes

2010-03-22T15:18:00.004-06:00

One thing I haven't personally grown yet (successfully) is potatoes. I tried planting cut-up pieces when I was little, but the pill bugs (rollie pollies, of course!) ate them all. I haven't tried to plant them since then, as I was too busy planting their cousins (tomatoes) and other scrumptious plants. That's all changing this year. My best friend and I have decided to grow some potatoes.

Drought Tolerant Seeds Giveaway

2010-03-18T12:21:00.003-06:00

Since I grew up in Southern California and now live in Utah, I am used to drought. I enjoyed the time I spent working as an assistant horticulturist at the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District's Demonstration Garden. They show that you don't have to sacrifice beauty for drought tolerance. I've got a stash of drought tolerant seeds that I want to give away to one lucky winner. These come

Learn All About St.Patrick's Day Plants - Shamrocks & More

2010-03-17T18:17:00.001-06:00

I've long been a believer in luck. I enter (and win!) sweepstakes all the time. The only time I've been in the hospital was when I was born. I've come out of 3 car accidents with semi trucks (I wasn't always the driver) with no more than a few scratches. I feel like the luckiest girl for the circumstances that lead to my job as a garden writer. When I was living in Oregon for my internship,

Wisteria Seeds-A-Poppin'

2010-03-15T17:43:00.000-06:00

I was sitting on my bed working on my Trees and Shrubs site and other fun online when there was suddenly a loud BANG in my room. I looked around, startled, as I tried to figure out what could have caused it. Everything looked the same in my room. I had an inkling of what it could be, though. I walked over to my book review table, which also holds my tub o' seeds. Sure enough, the wisteria

Is It Time for Peas Yet?

2010-02-24T22:04:00.004-07:00

My mind keeps whispering the question "Is it time for peas yet?" When I was growing up, I HATED eating peas. I would see the green balls on my plate and want to gag. I used my fork to carefully push aside any of these insidious vegetables. If I had to eat them, they went down whole. A few years ago, I worked at a water conservation demonstration gardentry that had several different sections

The Mystery of the Pink Hill

2010-01-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have long wondered how this landscape came to be. Photo by Andy Stanton It's just so...pink. Were the pink portions red once upon a time, and they were trying to mimic the pretty sandstone mountains down in Southern Utah somehow? I like to pretend that's the reason, because I can't see why else they would have pink concrete.

Dreaming of Baby's Tears

2010-01-27T13:09:00.006-07:00

One of the plants I miss most from California is a groundcover called baby's tears. The botanical name is fun to say - Soleirolia soleirolii. It grows in Zones 10 and 11. Image by Naota I know some people would think me crazy, as this plant can be highly invasive. I can't help it though - I love walking through patches of baby's tears in my bare feet. I adore the way it can fill in the

From Tropical Paradise to Snowland, Part 2

2010-01-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

Part 1 After I arrived in Utah as a transfer student at BYU, I got a job on the grounds crew. The first few months weren't very fun - I spent a lot of time shoveling sidewalks while it was still snowing. Spring did finally decide to show up, and I had a great time mowing lawns, using a weed whacker, planting new landscapes in more. I found that I wasn't as enthralled with microbiology any

From Tropical Paradise to Snowland, Part 1

2010-01-25T22:20:00.004-07:00

I grew up in a lush world filled with plants like palm trees and jacarandas - Orange County, California. Flowers abound even in the middle of January. Avocados, loquats, citrus and more are being harvested soon. If I remember correctly, my own garden adventures began with the proverbial bean seed in a paper cup. From there I grew to love the feel of dirt on my bare hands. I would dig up the

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2000-04-10T09:42:00.000-06:00

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About Me

2000-04-10T09:40:00.003-06:00

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