landscape

22 Apr
2013
large monarch caterpillar

Earth Day, monarchs and the little things

Two years ago, I planted butterfly weed — aka. milkweed — in my garden for the very first time. That summer, I saw monarchs in my garden for the very first time as well. They found the milkweed (and the purple-flowering liatris, another native), laid their eggs, and moved on. ...

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14 Mar
2012
Let's admit it. Tomatillos are just fun to grow. They have a nice mounding and spreading habit, and grow rapidly. Their exuberance is admirable and welcome — no coddling needed for these nightshades. Simply plant them, water them a bit, and then enjoy an abundant harvest of green or purple fruits. Not sure what to do with them? Grab any Mexican cookbook for inspiration. Salsa verde is just the beginning...

6 vegetables that are super easy to hide from the HOA

Maybe your HOA bans vegetable gardens. Maybe your city or town has written some obscure legal code that literally outlaws veggies. Or, maybe you just want to grow vegetables that are also beautiful. Whatever your reasons, this blog post is for you. Here are six varieties that I grew last ...

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10 Jan
2012
redtwig-in-snow

Snow on the redtwig dogwood

We finally got some snow yesterday (about an inch or so, I’d guess) and it stuck around long enough to shine in today’s bright sunlight. The whole garden looks like it’s wearing some fancy new outfit, but the redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) is definitely the star of the show. Although ...

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20 Sep
2011
There's not a right angle to be found in the Outlaw Garden, which curves and meaders through the front yard.

Lessons from a first-year front yard vegetable garden

There’s a chilly rain falling on the front yard vegetable garden today. It’s mid-September, and the garden has definitely transitioned from summer to fall. I’ll be honest: the garden has looked better. There’s a lot of cleanup to do out there. The squash plants have finally collapsed, the tomatoes need ...

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