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Sarah Vradenburg

Thursday, September 15, 2011

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Plant Ahead

Spring begins now in the garden

I know. It’s still in the 70s, the leaves are still green and winter is about as far from our thoughts as we can shove it. That makes it the perfect time to think spring, as in bulbs. There's plenty of time; bulbs can go in until the ground freezes. About this time of year my mailbox is stuffed with catalogs, shamelessly hawking bulbs of every conceivable color, variety, shape, size. It’s overwhelming. A casual stroll through the internet offered more than two handsful of bulb suppliers. Nurseyman.com is a great site devoted to landscapers and people who like to get their hands dirty. Click on the nursery stock link, then bulbs for a list of 44 bulb suppliers. own. It includes the well known, such as Breck’s, Brent and Beckys and Van …

Thursday, August 18, 2011

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Weed It or Weep

Our motto, no matter our gardening style, should be: No New Weeds.

I hate Canada thistle. I will kill it at every opportunity, and in my garden, there are endless opportunities. That plant evokes a primal, murderous impulse in me that has me fantasizing about a pesticide-fueled flamethrower that will lay waste to any spot sprouting that spiky little number. Fortunately, there aren’t so many others that have the same effect on me. I presume each of you has at least one plant that evokes the same screaming rage. Welcome to the wonderful world of weeds. Keeping our gardens relatively free of unwanted visitors is possibly the most time-consuming and back-breaking task of any in the gardens. And its rewards are fleeting. No sooner do you clear one bed to your satisfaction (a very important gauge) than another …

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