Have you ever been so swept away by the anticipation of getting your spring garden planted that you slid down the slippery slope of being overzealous and perhaps just a tad unrealistic about what you can reasonably accomplish in an afternoon? This is the time of year when we’re most apt to take chances by …
Read moreEven in My 70s, There’s Still Joy in Breaking the Rules Sometimes
2020 will go down as one of the most extraordinary years we’ve ever experienced. Between Covid and politics, wildfires and hurricanes, I don’t know about you, but I’ll be kicking up my heels and celebrating as we say bye-bye on December 31st. Along the way, I’ve learned some amazing life lessons I want to share …
Last Sunday was a day I won’t forget for a long time. Our amazing daughter Erin and our two beautiful granddaughters drove an hour and a half just to see us for a few minutes. I heard a car horn beeping excitedly outside and there was a lot of yelling going on. Tim and I …
Read moreGrowing Resilience: Drive-by-Love & Gardening Gives Me Hope
If you like to use a watering can, in my experience as a garden rep for nearly thirty years, the only watering can to own is made by Haws, where they’ve been expertly crafted in England, since 1886. As I’ve aged and needed to adapt my gardening practices and tools, I learned that Haws watering …
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 …
When you’re done pruning this winter, don’t forget to clean, sharpen and oil your tools so they’ll be ready come spring. Diamond Tool Sharpeners Are Forever Even if you invest in good tools, you still need to keep them sharpened. The first tool sharpener I ever bought was from a major brand, but it was …
Winter is the time to prune back overlapping branches from trees and shrubs. A good quality pruner is your #1 most important gardening tool. Experience shows higher quality pruners hold their sharp edges better, so you work less and save energy while making cuts. Do not try to save money on your pruner. Instead, buy …
Read moreToni’s Tool Tips | Prune Your Plants, Not Your Pruner Budget