Organic gardener growing food and flowers, lovin' pollinators and birds.

Garden gurus share favorite edibles they grow


Recently, I was asked by someone I had just met what my favorite vegetable was to grow. And as I sat there, trying to think, a dozen or so options flew through my mind. But suddenly it was difficult to narrow it down to just a vegetable - what about all edibles?

Thanks to #gardenchat - a Monday-night event via Twitter where gardeners from around the country (and world) can get together to discuss all sorts of gardening-related topics - I've been able to connect with several smart, funny and kind women. The more I thought about the edible question, the more I realized it would be great to ask my online gardening friends - and four graciously agreed to be featured here and share their favorite ones to grow! Without further ado, meet Helen, Bren, Beth and Alison!


To see more of Helen's gardening adventures, be sure to check out her Twitter feed


Beth has a lot more to share about French Tarragon - visit her website to learn more!


Bren shares two of her recipes mentioned above at her website.
Learn more about making eggplant rolls and grilled eggplant!



To see more of Alison's gardening adventures, be sure to check out her Twitter feed! 


After all these great suggestions, I thought more about what my favorite edible I grow is. Hands down, it has to be my Kieffer pears.


Not only does it go for the "wow factor" with the yield (last year I harvest more than 200 pounds of pears!) but it's pretty versatile in the kitchen because it's a cooking pear. I've made pie, crisp and even baklava from this delicious fruit. It stores well in the fridge so it lasts me through the holidays. The best part - I don't spray my tree at all, so it does a fairly decent job at repelling pests. I bought it when it was a few years old, and it started to produce for me the year after I planted it.


What is your favorite edible to grow? Let me know in the comments section below!

*All images used in the info graphics were contributed by the featured gardener. 
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Floral Friday: Bird and butterfly highlights

One of the perks of having an organic garden is centered around the wildlife that visits. The hummingbirds, butterflies and wrens are all making the garden their home, which means great photo opportunities for me. Here are the highlights from this past week.

Of course the hummingbird arrives when I didn't have the right camera settings. But here she is
with the Proven Winner's cupea.

The first monarch butterfly of the season, visiting the butterfly bush. This is the earliest I have seen them in the
garden in a long time. 

This one was a female.

Here is the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, which I often get confused with the black swallowtail. This one
is bigger than the black swallowtail, which is my main point of reference when identifying. 

Here she is again. I love the blue. I think she laid eggs on my spicebush in the back garden.

I still need to ID this butterfly - but its just so tiny and cute.

Here's the wren, scolding me for being so close to her nest.

It's a good year for phlox!

Daylily season continues. 

Here's a detail shot of the same flower. It is 'Marque Moon.'

I love how this 'David' phlox came out in the photo! Look at the petals!

The anemones are starting to bloom.

Along the front walkway is a fairly large group of black eye Susans I inherited
from my neighbor.

These provide a great pop of color in the middle of summer.

Looks like the cherry tomatoes are coming!

What's blooming in your garden this week?

Here's what was blooming in my garden last week.
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Lacking space? There's a hydrangea for that

Hydrangeas grown in containers can be a beautiful, hassle-free reality.

I had never tried it, because I was under the impression that the containers couldn't stay outside during the Northeast winters without killing the plant. I imagined lugging the large containers inside during the late fall and trying to find room to keep them alive through our unforgiving winters.

Turns out the scenario I had in my head was wrong - but a common thought.

"I think a lot of people make it harder on themselves than it needs to be," said Stacey Hirvela, the hydrangea expert for Proven Winners. "Hydrangeas need winter. If you keep it indoors, you will just be playing a losing battle."

'Tuff Stuff' Hydrangea. (Zones 5-9.)
Different hydrangeas, all happy in small spots
How well a hydrangea performs in your garden is tied to it's native habitat in Japan. Hirvela explained macrophylla varieties are found along the mild coastlines. "That's why along coastal areas, macrophylla varieties are blooming their brains out," she said. For example, the hydrangeas that bloom in Cape Cod, Mass. "It's one of the reasons they thrive out there."
'Tiny Tuff Stuff' Hydrangea. (Zones 5-9.)

Very closely related to the macrophylla varieties is the serrata varieties (lacecap - or mountain hydrangeas). However, this hydrangea is native to the mountain regions of Japan, where it's typically colder. "They are naturally developed and better for cold climates," she said. Better bud hardiness means they will bloom, even after harsh winters in growing zones 5 and 6 - which is a trending problem in recent years (read more here).

"I love lacecap hydrangeas - they look more elegant," Hirvela said. "They are also great pollinator plants because they have so much more pollen and nectar exposed ... it's crazy to see how many insects visit lacecaps."

For a compact, hardy version of hydrangea serrata, Hirvela recommended the 'Tuff Stuff' series. The original version is a reblooming plant that blooms either pink, purple or blue depending on the soil conditions, and maxes out at 2 to 3 feet in size. 'Tiny Tuff Stuff' is a hydrangea that will reach a maximum size of 2 feet. 'Tuff Stuff Red' - which will be available in garden centers next year - grows only to 3 feet tall and wide and has deep pink-red blossoms.

'Let's Dance Blue Jangles' Hydrangea.
(Zones 5-9.)
A hydrangea macrophylla that works in small spaces is 'Let's Dance Blue Jangles.' "Unlike most reblooming hydrangeas, it stays compact," said Hirvela. Planted in part sun to sun, it will grow only 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. "It has shorter internodes so it can still put on the same amount of growth but takes up less space." This hydrangea flowers on old and new wood and its large flowers turn "heavenly blue" in acid soils and "vivid pink" in alkaline soils.

There's even a more compact paniculata hydrangea to fit smaller spaces. "If people claim they have a black thumb - these are great for them," joked Hirvela. There are two varieties that stand out; one that is good for small spaces is 'Bobo,' which blooms early and grows between 2.5 and 3 feet tall and up to 3 or 4 feet wide. Another variety is 'Little Lime,' which is a dwarf version of 'Limelight.' This plant will produce green flowers that turn pink in the fall, and will grow in the 3 to 5 feet range (but in colder climates they tend to be a little smaller, Hirvela said).

Start it off right
Any of the above hydrangea varieties can be used in a container. (The smaller hydrangea varieties can even be utilized as foundation plantings, or under the dining room window, without worries of blocking the view.) The trick is in picking the variety.

'Little Lime' hydrangea. (Zones 3-8.)
"Because hydrangeas are hardy, they need good air circulation and need to be exposed to the changing day lengths. They do not want to be brought inside," she said.

To grow a hydrangea successfully in a container, Hirvela recommended using a plant that is two growing zones hardier than the garden's growing zone (for example, for zone 6, a shrub that can survive to zone 4 would be used). "It will be exposed to more cold stress," she said.

To keep the shrub outside successfully during the winter, make sure the container is weatherproof, meaning it won't crack with the freezing and thawing temperatures. It should also be large enough to accommodate the plant as it grows, and filled with a quality potting soil.

"Any time the soil is not frozen (November through December or the middle of winter), check it and water as necessary," she said. "A layer of mulch is a good idea to insulate the roots over the winter."

* Photos used with this story are used with permission.


'Bobo' Hydrangea. (Zones 3-8.)

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Floral Friday: Bright colors

Despite the heat, this is my favorite time of year. The flowers are bold, colorful and beautiful. The coneflowers and shasta daisies have grown in so much that there is now a wide swath of flowers - which butterflies enjoy.



The black eye Susans are starting to bloom as well. This was taken in the back garden, with diamond frost making a nice bokah effect in the background.


The daylilies are still blooming! I can't get enough of this flower!


I just found two of these large ceramic pots on sale at a store near me, and I decided it would be worth hauling them home. Of course, it was a good excuse to go to the garden center and get some more plants.



The Hollywood Hibiscus 'Social Butterfly' is still blooming this week with fresh flowers. I had given it a little seaweed fertilizer and it just took off!


The blackberry lilies are starting to bloom. I like this dainty flower - I wish they lasted longer.


What's blooming in your garden this week?

To see what was blooming in my garden last week, click here.
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Garden Update: Hot and humid, but flowers don't mind

The heat and humidity have become a permanent reality in Connecticut, making it feel more like August than July. The cicadas have arrived, as well as the Japanese beetles, the latter of which has luckily not become a nuisance yet. The garden is taking the extreme weather conditions in stride, and I'm thankful that I'm not in the part of the northeast that is suffering from drought right now. There's been a lot of watering to keep everything happy, but luckily my two rain barrels help divert the use of the garden hose.

The vegetables I grow in the driveway in fabric grow bags are beginning to resemble a little green oasis in the middle of the pavement. As for flowers, the phlox is starting to bloom out front, and I find that I am looking at many of them and wondering if I had actually planted them - or if they have cross-bred and these are actually new plants with new colored blossoms. (A good reason to save those plant tags, which I have been bad about doing!)

Here's a look at what's happening this week in the garden.

Daylilies along the patio.

This pumpkin is taking off - along with some corn.

The tomatoes and pumpkins in the driveway are looking pretty lush.

This hanging geranium is one that I kept inside overwinter - it's just starting to rebloom.

This 'Social Butterfly' Hollywood Hibiscus is just lighting up the container garden.


Still no monarchs in the garden, but plenty of these little guys.

From the "I don't remember planting you" files ...

Phlox in many different colors.

Lots of honeybees on the coneflowers. 

This tiger swallowtail butterfly dropped by the visit the bee balm.

The first dahlia to bloom out front! 
To see what was blooming in my garden last week, click here.

What's blooming in your garden this week?
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Take a break to enjoy Elizabeth's roses


WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - A man sets up his easel to paint the landscape. Girlfriends spread out a blanket and catch up over a picnic lunch. A bride poses with her bridesmaids to commemorate the big day.

The setting is Elizabeth Park - a botanical backdrop and meeting place for a day trip, reflection or just a walk through the gardens. Spending an afternoon at Elizabeth Park brings together a community of strangers, most who are enjoying the roses.

One of the many rose features at Elizabeth Park during June.
"Elizabeth Park is an example of a late nineteenth century horticultural park owned by a municipality. It's open 365 days a year and is free to all," said Andrea Masisak, manager of gardens, grounds and volunteers at Elizabeth Park Conservancy. "Given Hartford's financial challenges, its a miracle a park like this continues to survive because no municipality would design a park like this today." (To read more on the history of the park, click here.)

With 101 acres - 82 in West Hartford and 19 in Hartford - Elizabeth Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is divided into four major sections: the Gardens and the Farmstead, the East Lawn, the Pond Area and the Western Loop. For Connecticut residents, a mention of Elizabeth Park conjures instant images of roses in bloom. The rose garden, centrally located within the park, reaches peak bloom during June but continues flowering through September. (Click here for the blooming schedule.)

"It's the oldest municipal rose garden in the United States (1904) and the third largest with an estimated 15,000 roses. In bloom, it's a site to see," said Masisak. The rose garden is 2.5 acres and contains 475 flower beds. Rose breeders have even tested some varieties in the garden, according to Masisak.

The collection includes hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas, shrub, Austin and climbers. The arches are currently being restored at the park, but still provide blooms from several climbing roses. Rose aficionados, artists and photographers can be found among the flowers, documenting the blooms of rare and antique roses. The garden also welcomes volunteers to help maintain the plants.

"It's estimated the park gets 500,000 to 750,000 annual visitors from around the country and the world. The rose garden is a draw, but we also have other lovely gardens at the park," she said. Four additional gardens connect and create garden rooms: the perennial garden, the shade-rock garden, heritage rose and the tulip-annual garden, according to the Elizabeth Park website. The design reflects a combination of European formal gardens and natural touches.

There are many events planned on the grounds this summer, including concerts, movie nights, yoga and even the Connecticut Ballet's Summer Dance Caravan on the rose garden lawn. Ready to visit? The park is located at 1561 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, Conn. For more information, click here. Also, be sure to check out the (commonsense) rules and regulations.

To view the photo gallery from my visit, click here.
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Elizabeth Park: In Pictures

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - A variety of roses were in bloom when I visited Elizabeth Park in June. (Click here to read the story.)

'Orange Impressionist' shrub rose.
'Bonica' rose.
Many of the roses at Elizabeth Park peak in bloom during June but continue
to flower through September.

The rose garden is at the center of Elizabeth Park.
'Heritage' rose.

'Kiss Me' shrub rose.

Coleus and ornamental grass.

Salvia and ageratums.

A sparrow perches besides the greenhouses at Elizabeth Park.
'South Africa' grandiflora rose.
'Eutin' floribunda rose.
'Excelsa' climbing rose.
Buck roses.

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