Why I Oughta...

On one of our Melina Fleur dahlias out in the sideyard, I noticed a portion of the plant was struggling.  I've observed over the past year-or-so that some of my dahlias have adapated to handling the heat of the day by wilting.  They spring back in the evening and look fine.  I initially...thought that was what was happening here.  Part of the plant was showing some new growth and perhaps it was just wilting to survive the heat.   This dahlia had been attacked by rabbits, so I figured the new growth was a reaction to that nibbling at the base.   I recently wrapped this dahlia in chicken wire to keep the rabbit pressure down.  Below is a photo showing the entire plant in the chicken wire.  At the left is the 'wilting' part.  Second photo shows a top-down view: Do you get those giant pumpkin growers on your TikTok FYP?  The guys who set up entire rigs for growing giant pumpkins including shade covers, zip-tie'ing blossoms closed t...

Peonies are here.  And they don't last long.  With four-or-five peony plants coupled with some travel, the timing of bloom season isn't great this year.  We're getting more peony blooms than ever, but they're all going to waste.  Or...at least they *were* going to be going to waste.  That was...until I came across this person who "Flower Farms" on Tiktok - her handle is Hidden Springs Flowers .  She's a good follow on TikTok, but one video - in particular - taught me something I didn't know:  You can 'extends' peony season by cutting them at the 'marshmallow stage' and sticking them in the fridge.    Here, below are some of the cut peonies where I removed their bottom leaves: Below is the TikTok that she posted that details the process: @hiddenspringsflowers Replying to @user1379406190063 how to store peonies for weeks in a cooler. Make sure to grab them at marshmallow stage before they’ve opened or this won’t work. 🌸 #flowerfarm #...

I've found myself drawn to a creator on TikTok named "Artful Roger" who combines his love of gardening with his other interests (like building miniature things, vintage Christmas and interior design).  I'm much more likely to 'swipe' up/past the miniatures/interior/tablescape design videos, but I never skip one of his garden TikToks.  And...as I've shown...I'm a sucker for Vintage Christmas.   In a series of videos, he posted about how he created what he calls a "Micropond" in his backyard.  Here's one of the videos showing the completed project - linked here - and embedded below: @endtable Here are the pond details. #micropond #gardenpond #waterfeature #gardenwaterfeature #artfulrodger #gardeningbasics ♬ Happy - Calming Tune The photo at the top of this post is a screenshot from that very TikTok.  There's a lot to like about this.  Boulders that he found on-site.  The use of mixed materials like the driftwood.  Pea grave...

I came across this TikTok where this professional gardener was talking about a shade container she was putting together and it caught my attention.  It features a long, rectangular container that is very similar to the one we have our on front porch .  I've tried that container a number of ways and have never been thrilled with it over the years.   Carmen Johnston Gardens shows a dead-simple approach: @carmenjohnstongardens Party ready for the SHADE ♬ original sound - Carmen Johnston Here's a screenshot from that very TikTok (in case it disappears and the embed stops working: Source Now...I won't do the blue hydrangeas.  But, the simplicity of a large fern in the middle, flanked by white begonias on either end and the white Caladiums in front seem like something we could do.  Add some sort of cascading item to replace the hydrangeas and we have a winner.    

A few days ago, I posted a look at a couple of locations for my (hopefully) wood-fired oven to be placed in our backyard.  In that post, I mentioned that I was going after a brick facade and gable roof structure.  But, besides the notion of brick, I haven't - until just now - given much thought into the type of brick and the pattern of brick.  Why am I thinking about that now?  Well... Recently, I saw this TikTok  from Hans Lorei Design ( here's the Hans Lorei Design Instagram Handle  where he posted the same video) about brickwork *used to be so much better* and with the modern way we are building things, the real *art* has been lost and replaced with brick faces on buildings being laid in a field pattern.   It is embedded below.  Click play, and turn on the volume.   @hansloreidesign Our brick work & buildings could be so much better if we embraced more patterns & detail #homedesign #architecture #architecturaldesign #i...