Garden Siren Call

Hosta plant after the 'hosta whisperer' treated it. For a 'before' look, see the bottom of the blog. This enthusiastic gardener likes to see all gardens and plants thrive, both in sunshine and in shadows. On the north, or not-very-sunny side of the house, we have a row of hosta plants. Like many gardeners I love these plants and like to see them shine. This becomes a challenge in late summer as the sunshine has burned some leaves, and the poor plants appear pretty darn ugly. I prune off the brown leaves on each plant, which, it turns out, is suggested by hosta experts. According to Almanac.com, the sturdy circular orbs should be pruned, as getting rid of all the brown leaves helps ward off problems like slugs and plant diseases. I also try to shine up the Hosta leaves for an extra special look, and I trim off the flowers after they have bloomed. Hostas originated in Asia, Wikipedia reports -- from China, Japan, and Korea. Some types are edible and still use...

That's me and my husband, Steve, in southern Mississippi last spring. No gardening during lunch! A young woman and her dad went shopping at a garden center in Ames, Iowa. It was 1981, and they wanted to established a garden by the front stoop of a rented duplex. The duo returned with gladiolus bulbs and petunias. The landlord, who had critiqued the young woman for forgetting to clean the oven in the duplex, was more enthusiastic about the flower garden she planted with her dad's help. That young woman was me, of course, and this was the first "grown-up" garden in my life ... although at eight years old I cut out a patch of grass in suburban Minneapolis and planted radish seeds I had purchased myself, with an allowance. The landlord in that duplex was furious and pulled out the garden to re-plant the sod. I cried and cried after he did that. These days I have about 13 gardens on over an acre of land in rural Scott County, Iowa. I named this blog "Garde...