Posted by botanicalann
A funny thing happened while watching VICTORY GARDEN the other day. On this, my old PBS favorite, I got the idea of growing roses in barrels. The very episode from which I had gotten the idea was repeated. The episode had ICEBERG roses in old whiskey barrels lining a long driveway. I had [...]
Entries from October 2008
October 30, 2008
roll out the barrel!
October 30, 2008
Teaching my kids about gardening
POSTED BY KIM — I’ve had some very interesting conversations with my children about gardening. Most consist of me talking while they play Nintendo. Or sometimes they stare at me blankly, not even pretending
to be interested. My son is 9. If it involves digging holes, he’s all for it. After he digs the hole, though, he loses [...]
October 29, 2008
More on arum, that unsung variegated beauty
POSTED BY KIM — Savvy gardener and Sugar Creek customer Caleb M. from Perryville, Mo., passed along this photo of a new arum in his garden. Arum ‘Chameleon’ has golden green variegation that makes this groundcover a diva! (I’d like to make a terrible Boy George pun here, but I’ll hold back.)
He found this sweet arum [...]
October 28, 2008
Baby, it’s cold outside
POSTED BY KIM — Hot, cold, cold, more cold, hot again…a typical St. Louis autumn. Although now it’s currently cold and we’re all scrambling to get the houseplants in and the tropicals situated. *Some of us* have even been interviewed about the weather on the Channel 11 news! Nothing is guaranteed to elicit a call from [...]
October 27, 2008
Out of my way! The new seed catalogue is here
POSTED BY KIM — Catalogues are starting to fill our mailboxes — catalogues for clothes, toys, and junk in general.
But when a seed catalogue shows up, stand back. Don’t talk to me about making dinner, don’t ask me to sign any important papers, and don’t expect me to respond to polite conversation — I’M DEVOURING THE [...]
October 26, 2008
Styrofoam peanuts: the container gardener’s little secret
POSTED BY KIM — It’s mail order time, people, and that means styrofoam peanuts. SAVE THEM. I know they sort of multiply and it seems like you always have them when you don’t need them and vice versa, but
they’re great to use in the spring in the bottom of containers, so plan ahead. They prevent [...]
October 25, 2008
Out with the old, in with the pansies
POSTED BY KIM — A few weeks ago I tore out my flowering vinca (Catharanthus roseus) so I could put in some pansies. I thought it would be a nice gardening project for my kids, considering how much they like to tear things up. But oddly enough, they *balked* at pulling out the still-blooming annuals. [...]
October 24, 2008
prep your roses for burrrrr! time
Posted by botanicalann – I hate to say it, but it really is time to prep the roses for winter. I have 32 of these babies, but not all need any changing right now. There is just one job I am about to do. Those leggy, long branches need a bit of a pruning. My ICEBERG [...]
October 24, 2008
Adiós, Roxanne! The hardest working girl in plants moves on
POSTED BY KIM — We all know her and love her, and now we must say goodbye. Our gardening friend, mentor, and partner-in-crime Roxanne Cronin is leaving Sugar Creek to begin the next chapter in her life. In
her nine years at the nursery, she played a major role in shaping Sugar Creek’s
development and growth. Let’s face it, folks, [...]
October 23, 2008
Tiny conifers for winter containers and window boxes
POSTED BY KIM — Just because fall is here and winter is around the corner, don’t let your window boxes and containers go to heck. I think a well-decorated winter container is almost more important than a summer container because
late in the year, it’s often gray and bleak outside — there’s nothing colorful for the [...]
