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Set Your Sights On Spring

  By Sandra Nelson To many in our part of the country, January and February (and sometimes March) are prime months for happily hibernating indoors. For those of us who are tried and true gardeners however, being out of the dirt and away from plants is akin to being held hostage by Mother Nature. In …

Who's Showing Off Today?

  By Sandra Nelson       Often disparaged as just a common roadside plant, the native Eastern Red Cedar is truly a boost to a winter garden.     Eastern red cedars, or junipers, are easy to grow, tolerating conditions that would quickly wipe out other species. They prefer full sun, shallow rocky, well-drained …

Design Ideas To Keep Deer Away

I live in a divided neighborhood.    One-half thinks our resident deer are adorable while the other half (the gardeners of the group) fantasizes about turning them into venison. Being engaged in daily competition with the herd this entire summer for my hostas, daylilies and phlox, I have to admit I lean more to the …

Nightlife

I have a new favorite time of day. For years, the early morning hours, just as the sun was beginning to rise, was my magic hour. Everyone else was tucked in bed fast asleep; I could wander the yard at my own pace without feeling guilty that someone needed something from me RIGHT NOW.  Those …

Waging War on Wildlife

For the past two weeks  — ever since I planted my first round of pansies (on my third right now) — the resident urban wildlife and I have been in hand to paw combat. They are determined to devour every plant that I put in and I am determined to thwart them. Unfortunately, since my …

Declining Insects — Declining World: Part 2 Causes of Insect Decline

Insect populations around the world are rapidly declining. Within the next 20 years, 40% of the earth’s insect species may be extinct and within 100 years insects could disappear completely.  (Blog intro: Declining Insects —  Declining World, Feb. 20, 2019)   As usual, once I start thinking about a topic, it pops up everywhere; declining …