St. Patrick’s Day is the time to plant potatoes in much of the Midwest. They will withstand the less severe frost of early spring — at least the usually less severe frost. This year — hard to predict 🙂 My dad loved to garden and I remember his excitement at getting ready to plant potatoes […]
Gardening
How to divide hostas
Being the hardy shade plant that they are, hostas will tolerate division from spring until about a month before frost. They need plenty of water the first couple of weeks to help get over the shock and cool conditions will certainly help them reestablish themselves. Don’t expect much new growth until the next season. Most […]
Five tips for planting hydrangeas
Who doesn’t love hydrangeas? We have a shady corner crying out for color and light. The shrubs we had planted there never thrived because it was too shady. Then the local power company came in to do some work on the transformer the shrubs were hiding. No chance of thriving after that. I was thrilled […]
Create Private Space in Your Backyard
July flew by at Chez Charlene — almost literally, at times! We added dorecho to our vocabulary as strong straight line winds took down trees and power lines for miles, while in other parts of the country people were coping with wildfires. Here are Nine Checklists to Help Evacuate Your Home as many had to […]
Flower Bed Before and After
Last fall, we had an ash tree removed between the house and the front door walk. The retaining wall went behind and around the now gone tree, so I moved it forward next to the sidewalk. Then we added dirt, more dirt and still more. . . ahem . . . fine soil. (When we […]
Take time for you . . . .
Wheels’ work schedule includes 12 hours each on Saturday and Sunday, the days people normally get together with friends and family, go to movies and church, and relax. If we aren’t careful our lives become nothing but work – work at work, work at home, all day every day and half the night. We have […]