Toni Gattone
UPS sent me an email they left a package on my doorstep. I wasn’t expecting anything from Amazon, so I decided to check it out. I saw the return address was from Timber Press, my publisher. It took my breath away! Oh my God, it must be … yes, it’s the advance copy of my …
Now! Start where you are. Think about what hurts you when you garden. Decide what chores have become increasingly difficult to do. Then take a hard look at your garden and plan for whatever the future may hold. Let’s face it, we are living in a stressful and complicated world. All the more reason to …
Rosemarie Rossetti was referred to me by a mutual friend who knew we just had to meet because we speak on the same subject, but from two different angles. We talked for an hour and a half, and only at the end did we realize we are both blessed to be Sicilian! Rosemarie tells an …
I have a friend who told me she would be at a complete loss if she couldn’t garden. As there are no two gardens alike, there are no two gardeners who have the same abilities or disabilities. Each gardener must assess their gardens and their abilities as they are today and as they may become …
While most gardeners focus on the plants in their garden, it’s the non-living, man-made hardscape elements that are most important in a well-thought-out adapted garden—mainly because they are the most expensive aspect to change. Uneven paths can be a tripping hazard, and gaps between flagstones or other surfaces can catch heels or canes, causing falls. …
One of the many light bulbs that went off in my head when I became a Master Gardener was the concept of right plant, right place. When I began to speak and write about adaptive gardening, I knew I needed to include it. After all, we strive to save time, money, and energy, right? Using …
There’s nothing quite like a Hori Hori knife to get the job done. If you don’t own one yet, put it on your list when you go shopping. Every gardener who owns one loves it. The Hori Hori knife was created by gardeners in Japan, the word Hori means “to dig” in Japanese and hori-hori …
I heard about this energy-saving tool from Master Gardener Rita Bernardi, who is in a pruning guild. After a talk I did for her group, she told me about when she was first learning her new skill. Her hands were hurting terribly, so she purchased a cordless lithium battery-powered pruner and a hedge trimmer by …
Wrestling with heavy hoses is hard enough for a strong gardener, but when you have a bad back or arthritis, using and storing heavy hoses is literally a pain. All my original hoses were the wrong hoses. Maybe it was a function of what was available at the time, but still. I was always wrestling …
1. Fill each cavity halfway with the appropriate potting mix (or cactus mix, if you are planting succulents). 2. Add your plants and more soil, tamping the soil down as you plant. 3. Two or three times a week, tamp the soil down and water them thoroughly. This is where patience comes in handy—before you …