It has been a dry spring and summer on Cape Cod. This is good news for roses because it means less black spot, but bad for garden Phlox because it means more powdery mildew. This fungal disease is always worse in dry weather because when there are periodic downpours...

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival has ended and I'm taking a deep breath of thanks and appreciation, while turning once again to normal garden maintenance. I'm grateful for everyone who opened gardens, staffed and promoted open gardens, created add-on events and...

If you grow Stella de Oro, Happy Returns, or Early Bird Cardinal (aka 'Endless Heart') daylilies, your weekend project is to clean them up! These varieties are the earliest to flower, and they all might rebloom if they are deadheaded in mid-July as their flowering...

There are many times in the garden when we go for functional, practical and expedient but wish that what we've done could be more visually pleasing. We all want the picture-perfect garden that's worthy of being shown in Country Gardens Magazine or Fine Gardening, but...

I have a bench in one of my gardens that we never sit on. This year it occured to me that this space would be better used for displaying container plants than for unused seating, so I grouped some succulents there. A far better use of this flat surface! There are many...

  Thyme is one of the best ground covers for dry areas, slopes and full sun. It's attractive 12 months a year, and smells nice as well. The varieties of Thyme that you use for groundcover are different from those you'd plant for cooking, however. Use Thymus...

Some of those who follow this blog regularly have commented that I only posted once last week. A first, for Coffee for Roses I think! All I can say is that it's June, in all its abundance. Sometimes life is so full that our cups not only overfloweth, but tipeth over....