Calhoun County Gardening – Cultivating Elephant Ears: A Journey from a 4-Foot Hole to a Flourishing Garden
Calhoun County, AL –I requested a back hoe operator to scoop a big hole in the ground in 2018! The hole goes down 4 feet and about 12 feet wide. The dirt was lousy churt, worthless, and bubbled like white milkshake when water touched it. The hole created a bowl to hold water longer for […]
Calhoun County Gardening – From Collapse to Flourish: A Journey with Transplanted Yuccas in Alabama
Calhoun County, AL –In 2018 I transplanted seven, five foot tall Yuccas from Georgia to Alabama. The full sun area I selected had a serious problem! The soil was milkshake hard churt, which cannot be dug out by hand. It took a back hoe equipment to scoop out the circle in the area for my […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Enhancing Garden Landscapes: The Beauty of Country Cottage Rustic Garden Art
Calhoun County, AL – In the landscape themes of many gardeners they select garden art as focal points. Whether the art in the landscape is rustic or modern, casual or conservative. My preference is Country Cottage Rustic. I like a relaxed, colorful choice in garden art. Such as the marbles inside a concrete decorative watering […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Unveiling Cannas: Not Your Typical Lily
Calhoun County, AL –For years I called cannas, bulbs! However! They are rhizomes, like Iris. After the early spring tulips and late spring Iris and gladiolus have demonstrated their flowering beauty, … exotic lilies take center stage. Cannas Lily is actually not a Lily. Early summer giant stalks of cannas lilies will continue to bloom […]
Calhoun County Gardening: The Joy of Growing and Cooking Crook Necked Squash: From Garden to Table
Calhoun County, AL – I enjoy planting crook necked squash because it matures by fifty three days after planting. I sow the seeds after any sign of frost. The best method to germinate your squash seeds after sowing them is to keep the seeds moist daily until germination. Once germinated do not over water the […]
Calhoun County Gardening: Blooming Beauties The Joy of June to September Lilies
Calhoun County, AL –Lily bulbs can be planted in pots, in the ground, in raised beds and hanging baskets. I enjoy them June to September. Every 5-7 years many gardeners dig up and divide their Lily bulbs to transplant in other areas of their landscapes. If you plant the lily bulb late fall before the […]
Calhoun County Gardening: Japanese Beetle Killed: Day #1 of 6 Weeks of Hades
Calhoun County, AL – I hate their guts, I noticed on my budded Double Scarlet Flame Zinnas one leaf amongst dozens with knaw marks! I am savvy on their mannerisms, I flip over the leaf and there the imp was. I used my fingers & squeeze the life out of it, tossing to the birds. […]
Calhoun County Gardening: Beat the Heat: How to Grow a Summer-Long Supply of Green Leafy Vegetables
Calhoun County, AL – I grow a continuance summer supply of green leafy vegetables. With hot summer temperatures you might ask, how? Once my cucumber & green bean vines start creating vertical shade by growing up trellises, they become umbrella leaves. I sow seeds under these leaves in the ground to shelter lettuce, kale, spinach […]
Calhoun County Gardening: Taming Bamboo – How One Gardener Turned an Invasive Threat into a Beautiful Potted Oasis
Calhoun County, AL –If you hear the rumor about bamboo being invasive, which it can be, consider potting bamboo. In 2018 I decided to get permission to stomp through a wooded bamboo grove near a creek. I was seeking 7 foot tall bamboo canes because the 12 foot root systems are deep and requires a […]
Calhoun County Gardening: First Investment for New Gardeners: Garden Pottery for Versatility and Longevity
Calhoun County, AL –When a new gardener wants the answer to what they should invest in first? My answer is, “Garden Pottery”. Whether the gardener lives in a condo with only balcony space, or a gated community with restrictions in digging & planting, the answer is Garden Pottery. Many farmers lease large plots of land […]
