A few weeks ago, I learned (in a very public way) how NOT to make a mojito. When I'm prepping for a crowd, I like to mix the drink several hours before go time. It gives the ingredients plenty of time to mingle and get acquainted. With just five simple ingredients - mint, lime, rum, sugar and club soda - it's not rocket science. I've made pitchers and single servings, both with wonderfully refreshing results, until my friend hosted a BBQ. They had never had my favorite summertime drink so I decided to prepare a pitcher the night before and delight their taste buds. The mojito experience I gave them however, was akin to a dental cleaning. All it lacked was a polishing sponge and the mosquito-like whir of handheld power tools. I ruined their first mojito experience simply by using the ...
The Best Way to Keep Reblooming Daylilies Blooming
Like clockwork, Siloam Double Classic daylilies pop along the edge of my cottage garden. They're in one of the toughest spots. Dry, full sun and absolutely no wind protection. It isn't very forgiving. But they take it all, as though laughing in the face of adversity. By July 4th, they're exploding with fragrant fluffy pink blossoms that I wish would continue from May to October. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen, but I can get four to five weeks out of them with this simple trick. Deadheading. It works especially well for reblooming varieties like the all-too-common Stella de Oro. No matter what type of daylily you have - early, mid or late-season blooming, reblooming, or not reblooming - all benefit from a pinch. It's also very calming to begin or end each day with this ...
What To Do When Half Your Rose of Sharon Bites the Dust
For the second year in a row, my rose of Sharon looks like crap. Not all of it, just the side closest to the patio. Which stinks because that's the side most visible when we're chilling. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and hoped that with just a little more time it might finally pop. Instead, she pooped. Threats didn't work either, despite the fact that they seemed to with the wisteria. Don't judge me. My mom gave me this as a 6-inch cutting about eight years ago. I see it and think of her. So when it took a turn for the worse last year, then again this year, I started considering possible causes and who I should blame for its demise. Since the dieback has only occurred on one side, I think it could be caused by too much snow cover. We shovel and pile it up along the edges ...
Why You Should Grow Bath’s Pink Dianthus
Come mid-May, this diminutive gem explodes with very little effort from me. The perfect plant for busy lifestyles! I hate fussy. And Bath's Pink Dianthus (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) is anything but. Several years ago I planted three small containers along the edge of my flagstone path that leads up to our patio. Over the years, it's grown into an impressive three-foot clump of blue-tinged foliage covered with the daintiest little flowers. A clove-like scent fills the air and my teenage daughter throws open her window when the plant is in full bloom. For two weeks, the fragrance perfumes her room and the kitchen since the windows are located just above the planting. When flowering ends, a quick snip with scissors to remove spent blooms and you're left with a tidy blue/green mat that ...
Trees: The Importance of Diversity
The main drag through our neighborhood is lined with Bradford pear trees and it's beautiful when in flower. Stinky, like dead fish, but pretty if you can get past the odor. Unfortunately, they are our neighborhood's harbingers of Spring. The trees were planted approximately 18 years ago and I'm guessing were bought for a song by the developer. They're common and it's always concerned me. Even more so now that my neighbor's gorgeous pear trees in her front garden have succumbed to fire blight and will have to be removed. Their invasive nature has landed them on the Illinois Invasive Plant List. In other words, choose something other than a pear. Ironically, the callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), from which the Bradford originates, was brought over from China in an attempt to thwart ...
How To Create A Simple Seed Starting Schedule
When I decided to grow my veggie garden from seed this year, I realized I'd have to spend a little time thinking about a seed starting schedule. But I'm a pantser which basically means I'm most comfortable flying by the seat of my pants. Plotters have a predetermined path which I find incredibly blah. But in the name of successful seed starting, I temporarily renounce my hair-on-fire ways and embrace a plotter-dom path. Pants on of course! As a newby, juggling all the suggested indoor sowing dates seems a bit daunting. Exactly how does one keep track? But I came up with a simple system to manage it. I began by sorting packets with similar indoor starting times based on the number of weeks before the average last frost date. You should see a section on the seed packet that reads ...
