Go “Green” in the Garden – Start Composting!
February 18, 2011 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under At Home, Etcetera, outdoor
Spring is almost here and soon you’ll be busy cleaning up the garden and filling trash bags with dried leaves, pruned branches and other yard debris ready for the dump or recycling center. Stop! Don’t throw away your landscape refuse but turn it into “black gold” compost for your own garden. Composting is a practical [...]
Great Gifts for Gardeners
November 30, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under Focus, outdoor
If you’ve got a gardener on your holiday gift list, you’re in luck! Gardeners are down-to-earth (pun intended), and easy to shop for because they love anything that helps them enhance their landscape. I asked some avid gardeners about gifts on their wish list this year, and here is just a sample of great gift [...]
More Ideas from the Garden for the Perfect Thanksgiving Celebration!
November 15, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under Garden Views, outdoor
Do you want to save money and go a little “greener?” If so, why not decorate your home and Thanksgiving table with items foraged from the garden or picked up at a local farmers market? Right now you’ll find a bounty of beautiful natural elements just waiting to be creatively re-purposed into holiday displays. Last [...]
What Makes a Great Garden
November 6, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under At Home, Focus, outdoor
Most people think a great garden is all about the plants. However, a garden is more than just a collection of plants; in fact, plants are not the first thing you should think about when trying to create a garden. A great garden starts with great bones. In design terms, ‘garden bones’ refers to the [...]
Ten Fall Tasks for a Great Spring Garden
September 20, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under At Home, Garden Views, outdoor
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus We often think of autumn as a time to put the garden to bed and ignore it until next spring. Experienced gardeners know, however, that what is accomplished in the fall reaps big rewards in the spring. Do you want a spectacular [...]
Jr. Master Gardener Program Connects Kids to Nature
August 12, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under At Home, Focus, Garden Views, outdoor
Kids love dirt, bugs, pretty plants and digging holes. Why not channel their energy and interests by signing them up for the Jr. Master Gardener program? What kid wouldn’t enjoy discovering the wonderful world of worms or making greeting cards that you can actually plant in the ground! There is compelling evidence that children today [...]
Blooming Plants that take the Heat
August 2, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under At Home, Garden Views, outdoor
August has just arrived and we have already experienced weeks of 90 degree weather! We can only look forward to several more weeks of the same. If your garden is like mine, it is looking a little bedraggled. Take heart – there are many blooming plants that take the heat and keep on performing. Look [...]
Summer Porches
July 28, 2010 by Kenya Brantley
Filed under At Home, Family, Generations, outdoor
I HEART old houses! Their charm, their beauty, their hardwood floors. But what I really go ga-ga over are the porches, with their ceiling fans, and painted sky blue ceilings, and white rocking chairs. When I was smaller, I would love sit for hours on my grandparents’ front porch in Darlington, SC…It was the perfect [...]
Outdoor Living Spaces
July 26, 2010 by Krista Franks
Filed under Decor, outdoor
While many folks long for a distant summer getaway, others are finding a relaxing retreat in their own backyard. Outdoor living spaces have grown in popularity for the past several years, and the American Society of Landscape Architects reports that 94.4 percent of residential landscape architects believe outdoor living spaces will continue to be popular [...]
Inside Out
July 19, 2010 by Kenya Brantley
Filed under At Home, Everyday Living, outdoor
Nowadays, it seems like everyone is looking for more room and more space. But it seems we sometimes overlook the obvious places that could give us just a little more breathing room…our patios, our porches, our decks. All of our outdoor spaces that somehow seem to get neglected in the hustle and bustle of summer. I [...]
Have Fun Designing a Theme Garden
July 13, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under Focus, outdoor
Gardening should be fun, not a chore, and your garden should reflect your personality and interests. If you want to update your garden but lack inspiration, why not create a theme garden based on what you love? A “theme” garden can represent almost anything – a color you like, an activity you enjoy, a mood [...]
Creating A Bird-Friendly Garden
June 17, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under outdoor
Is a garden really a garden without birds? Birds add movement, color, sound and entertainment to your outside space. You can encourage more birds to make your garden their home for a season or as a permanent resident. To get the lowdown on how to attract birds to your garden, I talked to local Georgia [...]