Gardening

If you don’t have a yard or outdoor area large enough to grow vegetables, don’t let that stop you! Anyone can grow excellent produce in a small space, even pots. There are several things to keep in mind as you begin: PICKING THE RIGHT PLANTS: As more people choose to live on smaller lots or […]

Springtime is delightful anywhere, but especially on the Coast! Fruit trees are blooming, perennials are popping up and native azaleas are showing fabulous color along the riverbanks, ponds and maybe even in our gardens. What a glorious cacophony of visual beauty! To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. So, let’s get outdoors and […]

What’s a holiday feast without herbs to turbocharge your favorite dishes? Many herbs can be grown indoors during the cooler part of the year here on the Coast, and most can be moved into our gardens once the weather warms up. Herbs not only add flavor to food, but they also make attractive house plants […]

Just when we see most of our garden blooms fading with cooler fall weather, low and behold, native wildflowers put on their spectacular display. Whether planted in flower beds or self-seeded along rural fence lines, vacant lots and drainage ditches, it’s hard not to notice this breathtaking display of fall beauty. The value of this […]

Chrysanthemums are the quintessential flower of fall. Who doesn’t remember the huge mums worn by their high school homecoming court? How about the orange and yellow nursery mums adorning many Coast porches each Halloween? Admittedly, I’ve killed many a potted mum — not intentionally, of course, but from sheer neglect or enthusiasm to keep them […]

Gardening is not as pleasant in the August heat, so during this month, I’m looking for a way to keep myself in a gardening frame of mind. For instance, I’m pondering what I’d like to plant when the sweltering heat subsides, usually mid-October. Early mornings or late afternoons find me walking the perimeter of my […]

“I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree …” Here on the Coast, we enjoy the beauty of majestic live oaks. These mighty trees bend with constant winds sweeping across the Gulf. They have survived hurricanes, tornadoes, construction and commercial development. They have provided shade and respite from our sweltering […]