Mulch Mountain II: PU

Just when the original mulch mountain was starting to look less mountainous, along came its successor: Mulch Mountain II. I drove by a tree trimmer doing work in the neighborhood and stopped to see if he wanted to get rid of a few chips. Soon after, this is what...

Summer’s Greatest Hits

As reluctant as I am to admit it, it’s almost time to start being nostalgic about summer and start pretending to enjoy the advent of fall. Can I live without spiced cider and cozy mittens? Yes. Yes, I can. There’s a reason for all those homey treats: to...

How to Plant Bearded Irises

In my last post, I gave the steps to digging and dividing and getting bearded iris rhizomes into shape for replanting. Now it’s time to plant them. Make a planting hole about 3 inches deep and six inches around. Place a mound of soil in the center, high enough...

How to Divide Bearded Irises

One of the many benefits of volunteering is learning new things. I volunteered at the Memphis Botanic Gardens Iris Garden this summer and took away more than I contributed. Learning to divide and replant bearded irises has been on my list for a long time and I had a...

New Garden Spot Progress

A few weeks ago I showed the new garden area made possible by a storm which took out a large tree. Since then, I removed two of three nandina bushes and severely trimmed back the winter honeysuckle. I added more grass clippings and leaves. More to come. And built up a...