Calhoun County Gardening – Shade Gardening Made Easy: A Beginner’s Guide to Beautiful, Low-Light Plants
Calhoun County, AL – If you are starting your first shade garden or you want to improve it, I am sharing my favorite plants. I started 7 years ago with hostas, elephant ears, ferns, caladiums, and coleus. I like Albo hostas because they are frost hardy to return every spring. Albo hostas are green leafed with […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Marketmore 76: My Go-To Cucumber for Heat, Resilience, and Flavor
Calhoun County, AL – The newest cucumber seed I am thrilled about is called Marketmore 76. I grew them in 2023 & 2024. I am hooked. I also attended a class that discussed them at the Anniston Calhoun Extension Office. There are many heirloom cucumber options. I have experimented with all the basics. However! Marketmore […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Growing German Queen Tomatoes: A Gardener’s Guide to Flavorful Success
Calhoun County, AL – Many gardeners grow several types of tomatoes. I do also. However, my favorite is German Queen. I buy the plants at my local Alabama Farmers Cooperative Store. Each of my plants will produce until frost at least 30 large tomatoes. A perfect slicing tomato. Low acid. The plant leaves resemble a […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Growing a Bountiful Garden: My Favorite Tomatoes, Green Beans, and Okra
Calhoun County, AL – My favorite vegetables are tomatoes, green beans, and okra. Since 1998, as an organic gardener, I have experimented with different vegetables. I like to judge the vegetables’ resistance to disease. The ability of each vegetable to produce a full summer yield is at the top of my list. In 2025, the following […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Growing Sunflowers: A Guide to Beauty, Pollination, and Protecting Your Corn
Calhoun County, AL – Sunflowers usually bloom from July to September. I plant my favorite seeds a few weeks apart. This staggers my growing season into frost with my sunflowers. The reason I plant sunflowers is because they germinate easy. Sunflowers can be knee high stalks upward to Mammoth 7 feet or taller. I like […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Gladiolus Traditions: Growing, Sharing, and Honoring Heirloom Blooms
Calhoun County, AL –Many Southern gardeners enjoy seasonal corms called gladiolus. In plant magazines, they are mentioned as corms, but in casual discussion you will hear them called bulbs. Each of the corms can produce tiny offsprings called cormels. My slang for the offspring is cormlets. Every year, if you dig up the mother corms […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Garden Hardscapes: Creating Pathway Surprises and Rustic Charm
Calhoun County, AL – Every gardener enjoys walking along a pathway and turning a corner to discover unique art or hardscapes. When it comes to garden decorating, a great rule of thumb is to sketch your ideas for each zone on paper. These zones can include full sun, partial shade, and full shade. The amount of […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Growing Tropical Canna Lilies: Tips for Thriving Blooms in Zones 7 and 8
Calhoun County, AL – Tropical Canna Lilies are rhizomes. In zones with deep freezes, they can become mush. However! I have planted them for years in zones 7 and 8 and never saw any delay in summer blooming. Unlike the rhizomes of Iris that do not need to be planted deep, Canna Lily need the […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Why Iris Are the Perfect Evergreen Border for Your Landscape: Beauty, Low Maintenance, and Endless Color
Calhoun County, AL – If you are creating a new landscape zone, you should consider using iris as the evergreen border. Why? Because irises are inexpensive and yield rhizomes, you can divide every few years. In the winter, these evergreen stems grant a nice backdrop to all the brown die back of other plants. Iris […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Forever Susan Lilies: Bold Blooms and the Beauty of Sharing Garden Surplus
Calhoun County, AL – There are over 100 species of Lily options. Lilies bloom between early summer to late summer. My very favorite lilies are called Forever Susan. Forever Susan’s grow tall, vertical stems, hardy and firm. The top of the firm Lily stem shoots out several blooms. After the blooms have expired, the vertical […]
