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This year’s gardening season has been particularly challenging. Three months of rainy weekends, followed by unrelenting heat. It was hard to find time to get into the garden and work. I found myself overwhelmed, feeling that I would never catch up with all the projects I had planned to do this summer.
With a large yard and a love of gardening, I have created a maintenance nightmare. I found I could check off small sections of my to-do list by going out early in the morning. This worked well and I was able to feel good about getting one area done. Over time, I continued to slowly chip away at everything that needs to be completed. Of course, it is me who is the stern taskmaster. Interestingly, I found that weeds, when they are taller, are easier to pull.
And the wildlife! I have countless rabbits and chipmunks running around my yard, like they own the place.
October 2025 by Joan Bonnette
Hard Lessons Learned from Gardening
This year’s gardening season has been particularly challenging. Three months of rainy weekends, followed by unrelenting heat. It was hard to find time to get into the garden and work. I found myself overwhelmed, feeling that I would never catch up with all the projects I had planned to do this summer.
With a large yard and a love of gardening, I have created a maintenance nightmare. I found I could check off small sections of my to-do list by going out early in the morning. This worked well and I was able to feel good about getting one area done. Over time, I continued to slowly chip away at everything that needs to be completed. Of course, it is me who is the stern taskmaster. Interestingly, I found that weeds, when they are taller, are easier to pull.
And the wildlife! I have countless rabbits and chipmunks running around my yard, like they own the place.
September 2025 by Joan Bonnette
If you come to my house, you will not see a well-manicured lawn. I don’t use chemicals at all. My lawn is green, but it certainly isn’t all uniform blades of green grass. I have lots of flowering ‘weeds’ growing with my grass. In the early spring, I have glory of the snow flowers that come up and bloom while the grass is still dormant. In late spring there are violets and ajuga flowers adding their blue and purple tints of color to the green grass. In June, the white clover starts to grow, giving the many rabbits in my yard a feast that keeps them away from my other plants. All these blooming plants in the yard are also visited by bees and insects. These insects bring a lot of birds into my yard. More and more it is becoming a popular gardening practice to grow alternatives instead of just a plain green lawn.
June 2025 by Joan Bonnette
I don’t know about you, but by February I am getting antsy with winter. I have lost patience with the snow and the cold. I am ready to grow something green. This is the time to start your garden seeds indoors, but there is also something else you can grow that is easy, doesn’t require soil and is healthy for you. I am talking about growing sprouts. You don’t need any special equipment, just a mason jar, cheesecloth and some seeds. It is quite simple and in a matter of days you have fresh, healthy sprouts to put on your sandwich or even use to make a Chinese dish for dinner.
March 2025 by Joan Bonnette
I have three cacti that I always thought were Christmas cactuses. My plants are actually Thanksgiving cactuses. There are three types of cactuses that are very similar, the Thanksgiving cactus, the Christmas cactus and the Easter Cactus. Below is a drawing to help to identify which type of cactus you may own. They are very similar and are all considered to be short-day plants. They require cooler temperatures, longer nights and shorter days to bloom. As the names suggest, their bloom times coincide with the holiday in their names. Usually, short day plants must be placed in a cool dark room to force them to bloom. However, with the natural difference in the sunlight that happens in the fall, I have never needed to do that to get my plants to produce flowers.
February 2025 by Joan Bonnette
Our gardens are finished growing for the season. We have cleaned up our yards. The weather is starting to get cold, so we turn inward. We find things to do inside our houses. The one place that is busy now is our mailboxes. They are filling up with seed catalogs. I have asked several garden club members about their favorite seed companies. I thought it would be a nice resource for everyone to know what choices are out there for places to buy seeds. We all have certain ones we prefer to buy from. One thing that is important to understand is the difference between hybrid seeds and heirloom or open pollinated seeds.
January 2025 by Joan Bonnette
Poinsettias have an interesting history. How did they become such a popular holiday plant? They are native to southern Mexico. The Aztecs made red dye from the leaves. The sap was used for medicinal purposes. In the 17th century Franciscan Monks, started to use the native poinsettia plants in their Nativity processions. The first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, became interested in the plants. In 1828 he sent some to his home in South Carolina and started to cultivate them. At Christmas time he gave some away to his friends as gifts. By 1836, a man in Pennsylvania, Robert Buist, began to sell the plants and named them after Poinsett, and ever since they have been known as poinsettias.
November 2024 by Joan Bonnette
Many gardeners take their houseplants outside for the summer. They need to come back into the house before the weather gets too cold at night or before there is a frost. Being outside, these plants can pick up some unwanted guests that should not be allowed inside. To prevent bringing in any hitchhiking insects, I suggest that these houseplants are taken out of their pots, and the soil rinsed off their roots. Then they should be repotted into fresh potting mix. This can prevent any of your other inside plants from getting infested with bugs. The potting mix should not contain any soil.
October 2024 by Joan Bonnette
This summer was a spectacular season for hydrangeas. The one comment I heard most was how everyone’s hydrangeas were blooming better than they ever had before. You can thank our wet summer last year and the mild winter for all the stunning flowers. Now that summer is almost over, perhaps you would like to prolong the hydrangeas and bring them into your house to enjoy? You can do this by drying the flowers.
September 2024 by Joan Bonnette
Last fall, at one of our Garden Club meetings, I passed around a sheet asking for members to write down what plants that were not eaten by rabbits in their yards. This is a compilation of the answers. If you are planning to add more plants to your gardens, perhaps this list will give you an idea of what will survive being eaten by those cute, but infuriating creatures.
May 2024 by Joan Bonnette
Save Energy, Stop Spring Mulching
Stop the back breaking work of adding mulch to your gardens each spring. Instead, use ground covers to block out weeds and add attractive flowers to the bare spots in your perennial beds. There are endless choices of ground covers to choose from. (Figure to the left, Waldstenia) Besides suppressing weeds, ground covers will help hold moisture in the soil around perennials. Instead of a brown mass of boring brown mulch under trees, these plants will cover the ground with different shades of green and sometime during the growing season, they will produce colorful flowers. Using multiple types of ground covers in an area will create a mosaic of different shapes of leaves and textures.
April 2024 by Joan Bonnette
Eliminating Unwanted Winter Guests
Every winter, at about this time of year, I start to get a growing number of fungus gnats flying about my houseplants. In the fall, when I bring in plants that have spent the summer outside, I am very careful to hose off the leaves and roots in hopes that I don’t bring an infestation of insects into my house. These plants spend the winter in my basement, growing under lights. I set up yellow sticky traps above the plants to help catch any fungus gnats that may have hitchhiked into the basement.
March 2024 by Joan Bonnette
Do you need entertainment while you are eating lunch or breakfast? Forget the TV. You can attract birds to an outside bird feeder and have hours of free entertainment. I love to watch birds fly into my yard and take a snack from my feeder.
There are many types of feeders to choose from. I use a column type. There is a large baffle underneath, to prevent the squirrels from getting at the seeds. A different model has a weighted perch. If a squirrel tries to eat, the feeder closes. The birds are light enough that it stays open for them. Another type has suction cups that attach right to your window. This gives you a close-up view of the birds, right on your window. The birds don’t seem to mind that you are on the other side of the glass.
November 2023 by Joan Bonnette
Fall is upon us. It’s time to put down our garden tools and take a break. This has certainly been a challenging summer, with all the rain, the clouds of mosquitos, and the damage from critters in my yard. But now the season is almost over. I am so happy to live in New England. I love to garden, but it is also nice when summer ends and we start to experience the cooler fall weather.
So, head out into the woods, take a hike, and do some forest bathing to de-stress. Shinrin-yoku, also called forest bathing, started in Japan in the 1980’s.
October 2023 by Joan Bonnette
Building a Container Water Garden
Adding a container water garden to your deck or patio is a treat for your senses. There is the visual sense of just seeing the arrangement of plants, but it also brings the sound of water into your yard. It can attract birds, looking for a quick drink. Depending on your choice of plants, it can also attract hummingbirds and bees feeding on the nectar of the flowers in the pot.
June 2023 by Joan Bonnette
Lure butterflies to your yard by designing a garden specifically for them. They need plants that supply nectar for the butterfly stage of life and food sources for the larval stage of these beautiful insects. Small trees and shrubs should be included in the design, not only for more sources of food, but also for protection from predators, wind and rai
May 2023 by Joan Bonnette
Its spring and gardeners are eager to find new ideas and new plants. But where to look for fresh yet reliable ideas? Here are two great sources to find the latest and greatest annuals and perennials.
April 2023 by Joan Bonnette
Here in New England, we are used to having four seasons. There is certainly beauty to be had this time of year, especially after a recent snowfall but those long dark days can wear on a person. The good news is that we are getting closer to spring. What better way to jump start the season than by making an indoor herb garden on our windowsills?
February 2023 by Joan Bonnette
Tips for Keeping Houseplants Healthy in Winter
Houseplants can have a hard time surviving winter months in your home. They might be placed too close to a heat vent or be near a door that brings in cold drafts of air when it is opened. Do you notice your plants looking poorly? Now is the time to correct any issues before your plants get any worse.
January 2023 by Joan Bonnette
Protecting Trees and Shrubs from Harsh Winters
Last winter we had very little snow cover and many ice storms. While that is good for us, that's not necessarily true for our landscapes. In years with a lot of snow, the snow actually helps protect plants from moisture loss. In years with less snow, trees and shrubs can be damaged by the sun. Find out how to protect your trees and shrubs during this chilly time of year.
November 2022 by Joan Bonnette
There are many colorful foliage plants that are extremely easy to grow. Most foliage houseplants will grow quite well in bright to low light. Their pretty leaves can brighten the decor of any room in your home. Get some ideas for your home here.
October 2022 by Joan Bonnette
Garden Survival Guide: Living with Rabbits
I believe that rabbits are now part of our backyard wildlife. How can you continue to have a garden with these furry little creatures eating your favorite plants? You can try to fence them out, sprinkle cayenne pepper around special plants, use a repellant spray, get a dog to chase them away, or just try to live with them. Instead of giving up, try a new tack.
June 2022 by Joan Bonnette
Fresh basil is a staple at my house. I grow it every year and plant it in pots near my kitchen door. That way, when I need some, it is just a few steps away. It used to be I would plant the basil and it would last all summer, getting a good pruning every time, I needed it for a recipe. By the end of the summer, the stems of the plants would almost look like they had bark on them. Now, I lose my plants halfway through the summer because of a relatively new disease called downy mildew. Learn more.
May 2022 by Joan Bonnette
Aching backs, sore muscles and getting tired faster are all symptoms of an aging gardener. But don't think you have to give up this pastime, instead, learn to work smarter, with different strategies and labor-saving tools. Learn more.
April 2022 by Joan Bonnette
Garden Clean-Up - Less is More
It's March! Be happy to be so close to the start of spring. Soon the snow will be melted, and we can start getting back out into our yards. It is almost time to think about cleaning up our garden beds. My suggestion to you is to save some of your energy and not rake up all the leaves in your garden areas. Learn why.
March 2022 by Joan Bonnette
There are two kinds of Witchhazel shrubs available in our area. Common Witchhazel, pictured here, is the last plant to bloom in the fall. It is a native shrub found in the understory of the woods or along the edges of the forest. They are not very showy, but what else blooms in October and into November in New England?
January 2022 by Joan Bonnette
Succulents have become very popular plants for home gardeners. You see them for sale everywhere. They are so sought after that plastic ones are mass produced and sold in big box and home stores. It's crazy to buy imitation ones when they are so easy to grow even during the dark cold days of winter.
November 2021 by Joan Bonnette
Looking for some flowers to add late fall color to your yard? Here are some that I enjoy using in my own gardens. Keep your gardens flourishing. The pollinators will love it too.
October 2021 by Joan Bonnette
The Summer of Pests and Perseverance
This has certainly been a difficult summer for gardeners. Quite frankly, I have never had a growing season with so many challenges. The critters have been the most challenging of all. They have decimated many of my garden vegetables and chewed up so many of my perennials.
September 2021 by Joan Bonnette
It is not possible to do any gardening without encountering weeds. They are just a fact of life. This article provides info about common weeds, insight into causes and some surprising ways to handle them.
June 2021 by Joan Bonnette
Many of us keep a wish list of plants that we would like to add to our yards. The question is, how do we add them and where? Here is a simple guide to help design a garden.
May 2021 by Joan Bonnette
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