Uncategorized – Page 5 – Barking Dog Gardens

Native Plants As Part Of The Ecosystem

I hardly meet with a client now who doesn’t ask about native plants, and it is exciting that people want to start planting some natives. However, plants are just part of the whole picture, the ecosystem, that is a space in which plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms interact with each other. Following is a series of linksContinue reading “Native Plants As Part Of The Ecosystem”

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Meaning

The new Plant Hardiness Zone Map is here, the new Plant Hardiness Zone Map is here! 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map You have probably been seeing this image during the fall, as the 2023 map was released. Lots of people have been writing about it, but I find few are actually talking about howContinue reading “2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Meaning”

Amazing Story of an Industrious Youth

This past weekend, I was on my weekly trip to our town’s Transfer Station to drop off my garbage and recycling, a New England rite of passage. While driving though my old neighborhood, I saw, from a distance, what looked like a large cart on the opposite side of the street. Was it being pushed…was itContinue reading “Amazing Story of an Industrious Youth”

Gifts for the Gardener or Plant Lover

Here are some gift ideas this season for the gardener or plant lover in your life. Certainly not an exhaustive list, but this is a list of some favorites from over the years. New England Botanic Garden – How about a membership to this substantial and growing botanic garden that works hard to create reasons to visit year-round. ItContinue reading “Gifts for the Gardener or Plant Lover”

Organic Matter and Soil Quality

There is a lot to talk about this time of year in the garden, but I would like to come back to a theme we have covered a number of times in this newsletter and in my classes. Organic matter and soil quality are critical to the success of anything that you might grow, andContinue reading “Organic Matter and Soil Quality”

The Rugged Native Plants of Georgian Bay, Ontario

Every year that I come to this amazing and remote part of the northern Great Lakes, I am amazed by the diversity of plants and their resilience to survive harsh Winters and challenging conditions. We are on an island in the Georgian Bay, which is the northern part of Lake Huron in Canada. The picture aboveContinue reading “The Rugged Native Plants of Georgian Bay, Ontario”

Mindfulness in the Garden

OK…this might be a little risky, and some of you may think I have gone off the deep end, but here goes. Gardening is a physical task in the attempt to try and control nature and living items by creating something beautiful or productive. Unfortunately, this year has proven what little control we have over our naturalContinue reading “Mindfulness in the Garden”

Rabbit Management Strategies

Everyone is having challenges with rabbits in their gardens, and it has gotten worse in recent years. The following is an immersive dive into rabbits and strategies to manage their browsing on plants in your garden. First, there are, for the most part, two different species of rabbit that live in our New England gardens: NewContinue reading “Rabbit Management Strategies”

Easy Steps To Make Your Garden More Sustainable (Part 2)

This is part two about ideas to help create a more sustainable garden. Not everyone, except for two of you that I know of, are willing to dig up their whole landscape and start over, so here are some more ideas to create gardens that are more sustainable and better for the environment. Here is link to previousContinue reading “Easy Steps To Make Your Garden More Sustainable (Part 2)”

Easy Steps to Make Your Garden More Sustainable (Part 1)

For 2023, Winchester’s Sustainability Director, Ken Pruitt, secured a grant to help Winchester, Arlington, Stoneham residents learn how to create and maintain more sustainable gardens. Through training videos and a comprehensive handbook, released later this year, the hope is that it will equip homeowners and local contractors with the tools to create more environmentally friendlyContinue reading “Easy Steps to Make Your Garden More Sustainable (Part 1)”