Well, hello there, Rural Sprout readers, I know it’s only been a week, but it feels like it’s been ages. It’s funny, I sorely needed this week off, but even so, I missed writing to you, good gardening folks. And what a week it was! No fancy family vacation this summer, everyone is too
busy. It was just a stay-at-home and putter week off. We celebrated my youngest’s sixteenth birthday with some incredibly competitive go-karting. (I can stop feeling like I’m on a first-name basis with the local cake shop until next spring.) After that, we got our first taste of the Super El Niño
summer. My goodness! If that’s what this summer is shaping up to be, I’m in trouble. It was downright tropical here in the middle of Pennsylvania, and not the fun kind with fruity drinks and paper umbrellas. It was more the sweating from every pore of your body, hacking through the forest, kind of tropical. While my garden loved it, I
and my hot flashes did not.  The boys and I spent quite a bit of time indoors, tidying up the house in the air conditioning. Since it was my week off and their first full week off from school, we did exciting activities together like laundry, vacuuming, and even dusting! The teenagers were thrilled! I had hoped the humidity would let up once the sun went down. Nope, not a chance. Every time you walked out of the house, it was like being smacked in the face with a warm, wet dishrag. Not pleasant! But thankfully, the humidity finally broke Thursday night with one heck of a storm. Naturally, we’ve been making up for lost time,
spending every second outdoors before the humidity spikes again. I’ve got a ton of great new articles coming your way in the next few weeks. It’s good to be back!
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A few years ago, I opened an article on iris care by stating that "I don't think I've ever met anyone who actually bought irises to plant in their garden." Simply because irises are so
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Sometimes, I like to do counterintuitive things in the garden. I let the buttercups grow unplucked because they're generous food sources for early pollinators. I cherish the moss between the pavers because it's like a
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Let's get your burning question out of the way. No, I'm sorry, but marshmallow plants do not grow marshmallows. However, should you plant marshmallow in your yard, you can harvest the roots, and those can
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Each spring, there comes a time when the new, green freshness of the season finally wears off, and the long hot days begin to take the notion of summer seriously. That's about the time I
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When the temperatures climb, and you're hiding in the air conditioning, take these steps to prevent a heat-stressed garden.
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If there's one vegetable that everyone jokes about having too much of, it's zucchini. But what happens when you feel like you're doing everything right, and you're just not getting an abundance of those crisp,
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Moving your orchid outside for the summer is the fastest way to get it to grow a new flower spike. But you have to know what you're doing.
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For many backyard bird watchers, feeders sit empty during the summer months. But for birders in the know, this is a great time of year to attract birds to your yard. Many migratory species may
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Blistering temperatures putting a dent in your tomato production? Try Everglades tomatoes during the dog days of summer.
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Get your tomatoes to ripen a little bit faster this summer by employing one or more of these handy tricks.
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I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a rather bold claim. Bee balm needs to be in everyone's backyard. Yup, if you grow flowering plants, bee balm should be among them.
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Ah yes, summer is finally here. And with it comes popsicles, sunscreen lotion, and the annual emergence of the one pest that sets every gardener on edge - the Japanese beetle. These shiny copper and
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I love watching the hummingbirds flitting about the scarlet bee balm in the backyard. When it comes to keeping the cabbage worms in check, it's hard to beat the local bluebird population. All in all,
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Did you miss a newsletter or want to read a few for inspiration? Find past newsletters here. Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates. That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers. |
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