Description: Early season gardenia in soft late-afternoon light Background: We have a large gardenia tree. It regularly grows to more than six feet in height. When it gets this tall, I chop away six to eight inches or so and hope I’ve done a good job with no damage. I tried lettingContinue Reading
Gardenias are lovely, evergreen shrubs, and aside from yearly trimming, they are generally carefree plants. When in bloom, they send out a lush fragrance that lingers far beyond their location. The west side of the house has harsh growing conditions compared to the rest of the yard. It is aContinue Reading
It’s mid-March, and today the temp may reach 78 degrees. The azaleas are loaded with buds, and the daffodils are up—so, the cycle begins. Spring starts early here; the average daily high in March is around 65 degrees. The sun has moved from the very back of the house andContinue Reading
Every now and then, someone will show up with the perfect gift. In this case, it was my wife with flower photography books! I have two older garden photography books, but they have proven to be less helpful than I had hoped. They are wordier than I like and areContinue Reading
It’s offseason in the garden, so I have time to plan. Getting detailed images of red and yellow flowers is at the top of my photography-skills-to-improve list. Shooting red and yellow flowers often returns colorful blobs with little detail. I’ve had some success, but it’s unpredictable. Looking back at myContinue Reading
Winter in Atlanta is the rainy season. Fall and spring have regular, predictable rain— the kind one expects. Winter is different. From late December until February, it rains—drenching rains. The temperature varies with the rain. Sunny days are cold, while rainy days tend to bring warmer temps. A sunny dayContinue Reading
It has been cold here since early December, at least cold for Atlanta. As usual, it has rained regularly, leading to many chilly, damp days. Looking out over the garden, everything has died, even the creeping Jenny—something that hasn’t happened for the last three years. The air alternates, one dayContinue Reading
Looking back over six seasons of gardening, I have a few nuggets of advice to pass on. Take what I say as a stern warning with enthusiastic encouragement. Gardening is good for the soul, but so is fasting—remember this… Get a good bookAssuming you have never had a realContinue Reading
The Words with Herbs blog suggested readers create “A Week of Flowers” posts where they shows off their summer flowers, so I decided to jump in. It has been a wonderful growing season here in Atlanta, but next week will be the first frost, and most of my perennialsContinue Reading
There is nothing like using fresh herbs for cooking. When I lived in apartments, I usually tried to grow herbs with varying degrees of success. Basil usually worked well, as did thyme. Rosemary never worked—it always died. Naturally, when I planted a flower garden, I saved a small area forContinue Reading
