The Daily Gardener

Is your rhubarb bolting already? When your rhubarb seems to be bolting too early, ask yourself these questions... Unlike other bolting edibles, bolting rhubarb does not affect the taste of the stems. So you can chillax about that. Now, for what to do with that rhubarb flower... well, I have a friend who cuts them and puts them in a vase and treats them like a cut flower. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Alexander Pope, a gardener poet who helped inspire the...

Have you ever used a knife as a garden tool? Serrated knives are my favorite. The word serrated has latin origins meaning “saw shaped”; think of the serrated edges of Maple leaves. If you are a thrift shopper, at Goodwill, they keep most of the donated knifes in a case at the front of the store. You can just ask to see if they have any serrated knives - they are so handy in the garden for weeding and working with difficult spaces like between pavers or even just wearing out the root...

Are you feeling it yet? The urge to get going in the garden? I was reading a book from 1915 about spring, it started this way, "If you are not dead, you will feel the sap start within you..." Everyone comes to the garden in their own time. If you're not yet ready to put your pots together or take on gardening the way you did last year, that's completely fine. Sometimes the seasons of our lives, don't align with the seasons of the year. In seasons of loss or grief or...

Do you know what to look for on a plant tag? The first major thing I look at is growing zone. Often the plant tag will give a range for the growing zone like 5-9 or 3-7. This is why knowing your growing zone is key. If you don't know, you just need to ask someone at the garden center -they should know what growing zone you are in. Now, as an experienced gardener, let me tell you what happens to me a few times every summer. I see a plant at my garden center. I fall in love with it. I...

Plant height is one of the factors often indicated on plant tags. But mature height often takes ten years - especially if you're talking about trees and shrubs. Most plants benefit from some amount of pruning - in which case their height can be controlled. BTW, Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet. It can grow 3 feet in just 24 hours. Brevities #OTD President Abraham Lincoln created the U.S. Department of Agriculture today in 1862. When Lincoln signed the...

Most gardeners share a common secret: they never feel like they know enough about gardening to call themselves an expert. If you feel this way after years of gardening, you're not alone. Over two centuries ago, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to his friend, the painter Charles Wilson Peale. He's lamenting the limitations of his garden at Monticello. He concludes with one of my favorite garden quotes of all time: "But tho, an old man, I am but a young gardener." Brevities #OTD...

Have you ever taken a class on gardening? If you're in the Calgary area, there's an excellent class taking place tonight from 7 to 9 PM It's part of the "Garden On" Lecture series. Tonight's focus is on herbs. If you're new to gardening, herbs make for wonderful starter plants. They are easy to grow, generally trouble-free, and versatile. They can be incorporated into almost any garden situation. Tonight's class will cover The class will be at the Acadia Recreation Complex...

Have you ever intuited the name of a plant? A few years ago, I traveled to San Diego. I was sitting on a bench outside the hotel and I spied the most amazing blossom - three bright orange petals and three blue petals - it looked like the head of a bird. My mind latched onto "bird of paradise," I looked it up on my phone and sure enough, it was just that. Brevities #OTD English author, translator, and Clerk to the Kitchen of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Leonard Mascall (died...

Take two gardeners. They grow up learning to garden from the same person. They read the same books on gardening. They go to the same gardening workshops. They tour the same public gardens. Yet, their gardens will look different from each other. Unique. Gardens are art. They are personal. Remember that the next time you are trying to copy the look of another garden. The difference isn't just topographical... When it comes to your garden: yes, consider microclimates, plant...

You know the saying bad things come in threes? The dishwasher stops working. You get in a car accident. Your credit card gets stolen. Well, when it comes to our plants; like us, they can be experiencing a constellation of problems as well. Yet, we often see plants as far less complex; minimizing their needs to a singular solution. "It just needs more sun." "Better drainage will do the trick." Instead of just trying one solution, consider that maybe multiple changes are...

Deep dives. Gardeners love to fall in love with particular plants. We can fall so hard, that we tune out other possibilities for our gardens. Then, in a fascinating twist, our deep dives can suddenly stop. As is often the case, those deep dives can be followed by a pivot. I started out as a shrub gardener. Then, I made a pivot to annuals and ornamentals and had nary a shrub in my garden. Then I was anti-annual. Then I moved into herbs and edibles. Now I'm a little bit...

We are on the cusp of continuous warm nights. Warm soil temps will take a few more weeks. Recently, I had a gardener ask me about their hearty hibiscus that was planted last year. They were worried it wasn't coming back; they didn't see any sign of life yet. In Minnesota, gardeners often start to freak out a bit if they don't see signs of life during these first sunny days in May. But remember, warmer weather plants won't start to do their thing until soil temps warm up. The soil...

Today is National Garden Meditation Day. Forget about your troubles Go to the garden (if you're not there already). Feel the breeze or the sprinkles. Smell the rain. Look at all the signs of life around you... all the shades of green emerging from the ground. Listen to the sound of spring. Garden time is restorative and resetting. Use #GardenMeditationDay today when you post on social media. Brevities #OTD Born on this day in 1863, Walter Elias Broadway; a...

Ah May... the Month of Plant Sales. When I started gardening, I would Plant Sale away my Saturdays in May with my dear friend Judy. We would plan our way to a successful sale day, waking up while it was still dark out. Then we'd arrive at the church or the building where the sale was to be held, we'd set up our lawn chairs at the door, and we'd pat ourselves on the back for being first and second in line. Then, we'd wait another hour or two for the doors to open. All the while,...

Happy May Day! Today, the tradition in France is to give a sprig of Lily of the Valley to loved ones. Originally from Japan, Lily of the Valley has long been considered lucky. It's sweet scent, belies it's high toxicity. Other names for Lily of the Valley include May Bells, Our Lady's Tears, and Mary's Tears. The French name, muguet, is a diminutive form mugue or muguete and means “musk”. Brevities #OTD Today we celebrate the May 1st birthday of French BotanistAimee...

I realize you are very excited to get going in your own garden. But don't forget to schedule some time this spring to visit other gardens. The gardens of friends, neighbors, or public gardens can provide you with inspiration and teach you something new - even when you didn't think you'd learn anything. #BTW This entire week, April 27-May 4, is Historic Garden Week at Monticello ("MontiCHELLo”) in Virginia . If you visit today, April 30, you can learn more about their flower and...

Merriam-Webster gives the following synonyms for the word perennial: abiding, enduring, perpetual, undying Those terms can give gardeners unrealistic expectations for their perennials. They're not eternal. They will eventually part ways with your garden. But, for as long as they can, your perennials will make a go of it. Returning to the garden after their season of die back and rest. Ready to grow. Ready for you to see them, and love them, all over...

How close are your earliest bloomers to your front door? Your crocus, snowdrops, iris, daffodils, tulips, forsythia, daphnes, and magnolias. When I redid my front garden last year, the designer had put all my earliest bloomers right near the front porch and walk. When I asked her reasoning, she reminded me of our long winters. Her advice was spot on: When spring finally arrives, it's much more pleasurable to have those earliest blooms where you can see them first...

Today I learned how botanists used to say "hello" to each other. In the 1800's and 1900's, a common way for botanists to introduce themselves, often from the other side of the world, was to send each other plant specimens as the foundation for developing a relationship. When it comes to friendship, plants are icebreakers, communicators, and binding ties all rolled into one. Brevities There are many delightful anniversaries today. Today is National Zucchini Bread...

I recently had a gardener ask me about the first herb I'd ever grown. That would be chives. Chives, like many herbs, are so easy to grow. Plus, you get the cute purple puffball blossoms. I had a chef friend show me how she liked to cut off the flower. Then, she snipped a little triangle off of the bottom where the bloom comes together (like cutting paper to make a snowflake). By doing this, you basically get "chive-fetti" and you can easily sprinkle the little chive blossom over...