As late summer falls on the Midwest, prairies turn golden as grasses dry, their seed heads ripen and flowers are in their glory. There’s little virgin prairie left today. But some prairie plants have found a haven in our gardens. Coneflower (Echinacea), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), blazing star (Liatris), blanket flower (Gaillardia), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus), switchgrass […]
The so-called “self-watering” or sub-irrigated container has been a great boon to those of us who want the satisfaction of growing our own food but don’t have space for rows of tilled earth or even raised beds. Of course these containers don’t actually water themselves. You still have to water. And as the plants get […]
I always have mixed feelings at this time of year. Overhead, the trees are closing in, like shade cloth covering a greenhouse. In my garden that shade, as welcome as will be when it protects me and my garden from the hot Midwestern summer to come, means an end to the season of sunlight and […]
