If you have been reading my newsletter for a while, you know that I like to get on my soap box in the Spring when I have a discussion about mulch. I feel like I need a Fall soap box topic. How about leaves? A topic that I have covered many times before. You alsoContinue reading “Leave the Leaves ? !”
Author Archives: Barking Dog Gardens
Selected Garden Photo Contest Submissions and Winner
This is a lighter version of my newsletter as last edition I covered a lot of the Fall work. Following is a selection of photos submitted for the photo contest. Some of the submissions came from client’s gardens with which I am familiar, but most were new gardens that I have never seen across New England.Continue reading “Selected Garden Photo Contest Submissions and Winner”
2026 Fall Garden Season Is Upon Us: Early Tasks To Perform.
I declare that the second gardening season is upon us starting this weekend. I don’t see a temperature much above 80º for the next two weeks and the nights are in the upper 50s and mid-60s. While Labor Day usually kick starts the season, it is really based upon temperatures. Cooling and cooler temperatures mean less stress andContinue reading “2026 Fall Garden Season Is Upon Us: Early Tasks To Perform.”
Native Bees vs Honey Bees: Working To Save Them All
Bees, wasps, flies… those buzzing, fuzzy, flitting little insects that you often hear before you see when in the garden. In the last newsletter, I was talking about native plants and their importance, now I would like to talk about Bees, and when I say Bees, that also includes, different but related, wasps and hornets. I have had clientsContinue reading “Native Bees vs Honey Bees: Working To Save Them All”
Best Pruning Tools And Their Care
I love teaching my pruning workshops at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. I teach five workshops throughout the year that correspond to the five pruning windows in which I professionally prune. One of the most common questions and part of my introduction in each class is a brief discussion of the tools we use to prune. The knowledge ofContinue reading “Best Pruning Tools And Their Care”
How To Determine What Plants Are Native For Your Garden And Why
This has been an interesting year for me with the number of jobs with which people wanted to plant all or mostly native plants. When the gardens mature they will be as beautiful as any traditional, or non-native, garden. They will just look a little different and require slightly different and less intensive care. Almost all of myContinue reading “How To Determine What Plants Are Native For Your Garden And Why”
Summer Garden Topics: Spring Bulbs, Fireflies, Checkerspot Farm, and Doug Tallamy
Spring Flowering BulbsIt’s that time of year to think about what bulbs you might want to plant in your garden this Fall. Spring Flowering bulbs are planted in the Fall and are some of our earliest flowering plants that go well into early Summer. They add important color when nothing else is happening. The evenContinue reading “Summer Garden Topics: Spring Bulbs, Fireflies, Checkerspot Farm, and Doug Tallamy”
Hugelkultur: Creative Idea For A Native Garden
I had the pleasure of meeting a new client last summer, who lives on a lovely property in Belmont, MA. It historically had been planted with traditional, non-native plants with an extensive overstory of Red and Black Oak. Over the years, she has added an extensive layer of native shrubs, trees and perennials. In the frontContinue reading “Hugelkultur: Creative Idea For A Native Garden”
Summer Garden Topics: Monarchs, Jumping Worms, Caterpillars, Rabbit Glue and a Photo Contest
With Summer in full bloom and the heat settling in, I wanted to share some interesting topics, since you may not want to go work in your garden. Monarch ButterfliesThe Eastern Monarch Butterfly is having a resurgence in populations that have overwintered in Mexico, according to Monarch Watch. While the numbers are significantly below recent levels, itContinue reading “Summer Garden Topics: Monarchs, Jumping Worms, Caterpillars, Rabbit Glue and a Photo Contest”
The Norway Maple — Challenge Of An Established Invasive
The ubiquitous Norway Maple (Acer platinoides) is a far too common tree in New England, especially as planted street and landscape trees and the many volunteers that continue to take over our suburban tree canopies. While it is tough as nails, it presents a number of problems on the street and in our gardens. The mostContinue reading “The Norway Maple — Challenge Of An Established Invasive”
