Tag: garden

Breathes there a gardener who has never said: "It seemed like a good idea at the time"? If so, I am certainly not that gardener. It seemed like a very good idea when I first decided to let the milkweeds grow, but I have since discovered the drawbacks to this plant.

Yellow jessamine was officially selected as the state flower of South Carolina on February 1, 1924. Most likely flowering in every nook and cranny of the state, its pervasive fragrance and golden yellow flowers could not have escaped the attention of members of the General Assembly as they considered various alternatives.

When the air turns crisp and the scent of burning leaves fills the air, we prepare for the coming winter by "putting by" food, cleaning up our gardens, and decorating our homes with the bounty.

Preparing both our larders and our gardens for winter are customs that go way back in time, but the decorating of our front lawns is a relatively modern practice. After diligent research, I was unable to nd any denite timeline for the custom of using bales of straw, corn sheaves, mums, and various rural-type items in our home decorating. However, the age-old ritual of decorating the churches with baskets of harvest bounty is probably the origin of the idea. Of course, Halloween is part of the season, so many folks include carved pumpkins, gourds, and squash in these charming displays.

The barberry is anything but common. In the fall of the year, I can spot one a mile away dressed in shades of reds and browns with clusters of oval orange/red/scarlet berries hanging together like so many red hatted little old ladies gathered round a picnic table, telling secrets of their youth.

The word tropical fruits usually refers to those fruits which are now an everyday sight in temperate countries such as bananas, mangoes, papayas, pineapples and so forth.
But the famous prodigality of tropical flora produces much more delicious goodies which will usually be found only on local markets in exotic countries.

Shrimp & Asparagus RisottoLearn to prepare risotto, a staple pasta dish enjoyed throughout Italy, with Olive Garden's Executive Chef Paolo Lafata.
This particular dish takes its inspiration from the Italian coast.
Made with carnaroli rice, large sautיed shrimp and fresh asparagus, it's a comfort meal with a twist your family is sure to love!

My childhood was rich in many ways, but in other ways it was very difficult. Times were hard, and the whole family worked long, hard hours just to supply the necessities of life. One year a very special aunt held an Easter celebration, the memory of which holds a special place in my heart. The letter that follows expresses my appreciation to this aunt, who added so much gladness to the heart of a child.

Having lush grass, like a thick carpet to walk on or just to enjoy, while staying on the terrace, is everyone's dream. But how do you make it happen if not working hard? Some people hire a professional gardener to do it, but not my husband and I. We chose to do all the hard work by ourselves and now our little grandson can play on our lawn!

organic vegetable gardenWhat does it mean to grow vegetables organically? Scott Meyer, editor of Organic Gardening magazine shows how to plant and nurture an organic vegetable garden.

The grass is not always greener on the other side. Cogongrass is a good example of how non-native plants can take over the landscape, disrupt our fragile ecosystem and take years to eradicate. This is one more reason why we should plant native alternatives instead.