Calhoun County Gardening – Support Your Local Co-op: Gardening Tips and Must-Have Supplies for 2025
Calhoun County, AL – I wanted to give a big applause to my local Co-op. Jacksonville Farmers Co-op always supports me as an organic buyer & consumer. I have been using organics in gardening since 1998. And you can find some of the items in the photographs I am including in this article at big […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Rooted in Time: Why Perennials and Heirloom Plants Are Every Gardener’s Best First Investment
Calhoun County, AL – When new gardeners ask, “What do I need to invest time and money in planting first, in my landscape”? My answer is, “Perennials and heirloom plants”! Why? Because as time goes by, seasons turn into years and the original perennials you planted have created magnificent root systems. These perennial roots can […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Winter Hardscaping: Plan and Build for a Stunning Summer Landscape
Calhoun County, AL –Winter is the perfect time to focus on your summer landscaping by planning your hardscapes. What are hardscapes? To name a few: fences, gates, sheds, raised beds, a vertical trellis, etc. Hardscapes show off your plant selections and support your plants. The winter weather helps you beat the heat of summer. Colder […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Winter Outdoor Pottery: Creating Stunning Seasonal Pots with Texture and Variety
Calhoun County, AL – Winter outdoor pottery, urns, and containers do not have to be dull. You can remove some annuals from your summer pots and add dwarf shrubs, and miniature topiaries to the pots. The secret to an interesting outdoor winter pot of plants is to stagger the heights of each selected item. You […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Enhance Your Landscape: The Vibrant Role of Annual Flowers in Your Garden Design
Calhoun County, AL – When you have planted your basic shrubs and trees in your landscape diagram, what next? The next important landscape selection for planting is your perennials. However! You cannot neglect annual flower seeds mixed amongst the shrubs, trees, and perennials. Why? Because the splash of colors that annual flower seeds yield are […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Prepare for Spring: Root Your Favorite Plants Indoors Before the Big Freeze
Calhoun County, AL – Before the big freeze this season be sure to take cuttings. Why? Because most plants will easily root in water indoors in a sunny location. I have included some photos. I root rosemary stems. I keep a journal about the date I placed the rosemary. After 30 days the rosemary grew […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Ornamental Beans: Lilac Blooms and Purple Pods for Gardens and Decor
Calhoun County, AL – I grow after the last frost and ornamental bean that produces tiny lilac-colored blooms. After the blooms the purple seed pods appear, dangling and lovely. Once the beans are planted they quickly in direct sunshine grow upward to 15 feet vines. The vines are loaded with tiny blooms that look like […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Mastering Angel Trumpet Cuttings: Heritage Tips for Rooting and Winter Care
Calhoun County, AL – To start I have to say (1) use only the woody, sturdy stalks because the green/limber top pieces mold quicker in the water in the mason jar, (2) no short pieces, as you see in the photo my cuttings are almost the height of the jar, but most people say at […]
Secrets to Growing Stunning Bearded Iris: Planting Depth, Dividing Tips, and Bloom Boosting Tricks
Calhoun County, AL – I have several colors of Bearded iris: Plant the rhizome so that the top is just above the soil or barely visible. Planting too deep can result in few or no flowers. The taboo to not plant too deep & not cover the top of the rhizomes seems like an oxymoron. Most gardeners are […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Hardy Outdoor Potted Plants: Surviving Freezes
Calhoun County, AL – What Plants In Pots Outdoors Survive Freezes? By Betty Clark 10.28.24 . . . The following plants have survived blackberry freezes since 2019. I am zone 7b. Inside pots outdoors I grow albo hostas with lady ferns in twin gray pots. The hostas & ferns die back but return every spring. […]
