Posts by Mary

If you have a garden bed or area that gets a full day of sun, combine gaillardia, verbascum and lavender for a long-blooming, richly-colored display that delights the eyes and is easy on the water bill. Bees, butterflies, and other garden-friendly pollinators will thank you for adding to their food supply. Plant one of each in a large pot (18 inches or larger), or multiples of each flower in a garden bed. This trio provides varying yet complimentary color, height and texture to add dimension to your...

"I wanna touch the earth, I wanna break it in my hands, I wanna grow something wild and unruly..." ~Martie Seidel and Marcus Hummon Wild and unruly plants are welcome in my garden. Plants that spill over the edge, reseed themselves freely, and pop up in unexpected places dominate my back yard. Nasturtiums feel at home. They drop seeds and each generation is different from the year before. I have only planted them once, some Tall Single Mix seeds, and every year a new flower color or two surprises...

When the weather starts to settle and the soil is warm and crumbly, I start to dream about picking and eating juicy, sweet tomatoes and crunchy, spicy peppers, straight from the garden. I know I will need to wait a couple more months, but at least I can start planning what to do with them when they ripen, right? My favorite fresh salsa recipe goes like this: 2 to 3 tomatoes ( sauce tomatoes are preferable, but any tomato will do) 1/2 to 1 sweet onion 1 or 2 jalapeños or other fresh hot peppers...