How-To Archive
Rosarians – Free Rose Help
Some folks love roses….and some folks love roses so much that they become consulting rosarians who, at no cost, teach others how to grow roses. The Greater Atlanta Rose Society has more than twenty-five wonderful members who are available for advice...
Straw Bale Garden – One Gardener’s Project (update)
Remember the straw bale gardener who decided to go whole hog and plant 40 bales? Straw Bale Garden – One Gardener’s Project She’s back with an awesome update! In early June, my straw bale garden is growing like crazy. I...
Italy Trip Report – 2013
In May of 2013 I led a group of adventurous and inquisitive gardeners (and their spouses) to the southern coast of Italy and the island of Sicily. We had a wonderful time: lots of great food, beautiful gardens, historic sites...
Italy Trip 2013 – Places
The most humbling aspect of the trip was the realization of how brilliant the Romans were…yet their civilization crashed into obscurity. Looking at the Colosseum, the aquaducts, the fountains and the statues reminds us that these folks really had their...
Italy Trip 2013 – Food
Anyone who has been to Italy gets misty-eyed over the food they had. Here are some of my favorite scenes. Back to Italy Trip – 2013 roasting...
Italy Trip 2013 – Odd Things
Whenever I travel, I keep my eyes peeled for odd things and signs. Here are a few I spotted. Back to Italy Trip...
Italy Trip 2013 – Plants and Gardens
Southern Italy is comparable to south Georgia and the northern half of Florida. There were lots of bougainvillea, oleander, lantana and geraniums. Surprisingly, there were no crapemyrtles! Back to Italy Trip...
Italy Trip 2013 – Tour Group
We had a total of 36 people in the group. Almost all were from Georgia and many had been on trips with me before. Back to Italy Trip – 2013 the group singing “That’s Amore” as we drove into...
Greenhouse Assembly Manual – Thinking Outside Model 44115
Want to do a good deed for a fellow gardener? Sarah C. says she recently purchase a beautiful (used) plastic outdoor greenhouse/shed. “I’ve been able to put the shed together for the most part, but I can’t figure out how to...
World Naked Gardening Day
World Naked Gardening Day is celebrated each year on the first Saturday in May. People across the globe are encouraged to tend their portion of the world’s garden unclothed . As the organizers say: “It’s fun, costs no money, runs no unwanted...
Self-Watering Bucket Garden
I am a lazy gardener. As such, I often find that I haven’t watered my garden nearly as often as I should. So when I saw plans for a self-watering bucket garden, I knew I had to try it. I...
Wild Hemp (Marijuana) – How to Control It
People often ask me if I get questions about growing marijuana. While I have answered questions about growing opium poppy, ephedra and Salvia divinorum, marijuana gardeners have not yet availed themselves of my supposed knowledge. Recently, though, I did find...
How DeKalb County Compost is Made
DeKalb County is one of the few counties that collects yard waste, composts it, and returns it to citizens for their use. I recently toured the composting facility to see how it...
Indoor Greenhouse – Building
A few weekends ago I mentioned that I had built an enclosed greenhouse on my unheated sunporch. The new growing space is in front of windows but it also contains two shelving units with fluorescent lights plus a small space...
Christmas Displays
Each year I try to have a different Christmas display in front of my house. I use lights to make it more festive at night. Compare mine to the display I saw on Peachtree-Dunwoody...
PDA – Used for Gardening
Note: this was written in 2003…long before smartphones became so ubiquitous!) The local garden club came to visit last week. We all had a fine time talking with each other and tasting the potluck dishes each person had brought. “Watch...
Buy Garden Books for Gifts!
As you probably know, I am the author or co-author of several books about gardening in Georgia. The holiday season is fast approaching! If you’d like to get one of my books to give as a gift, click the link...
Rooting Cuttings – Accelerated by Aerated Water
My friend Kim C. remarked to me that the coleus stalks he’d absentmindedly stuck in an ornamental fountain had rooted much quicker than similar cuttings he’d put in a bucket of water. Eager to test his observation, I clipped 30...
