Oleander is an extremely poisonous plant. All parts are toxic – flowers, leaves, stems, roots, everything. It doesn’t grow in Zone 6. No sane gardener in Connecticut would plant this shrub. But remember, I’m not working with just any gardener, I’m dealing with a madman. Discovery! So, when he joyfully announced that he found a…
The madman was sure that we had Tree-of-Heaven sprouting all over. The two popping up in the Blueberry patch got his attention. So, when a reader sent us a picture of a problem tree in her yard, he was off the races and research began in earnest. Tree-of-Heaven Contrary to its name, Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)…
The madman is looking forward to fall. No, he’s not tired of summer – he’s looking at the next growing season – the fall garden. We’ve pulled the garlic – it’s drying in the étalier. And any day now the onions will topple over; a sign they are ready for harvest. The madman will lift…
Summer’s here – the vegetables are ripening, the flowers are blooming. And, they ALL belong to the madman, not the woodchuck. He got ½ the peas, but he is now officially gone. And, we think the Bobcat is back because the Rabbits are slowly disappearing. Water Worries What a relief it was to see the…
Problems, problems, problems. We can never escape problems. Or, pests, to be more precise. We came back from our first road trip in a while happy and full of hugs. So, when I saw the madman waving his arms around and uttering words I can’t repeat here, I was baffled. What could change his good…
The madman is still walking around with his box of seeds. Maybe he’s afraid Coyote will come in and steal them, but that Native American legend comes from the west, not Connecticut. The Coyotes here give him a wide berth. It’s the last day of May – some seeds are planted; some are still soaking,…
Congratulations! You started a pandemic Victory Garden in 2020. And, you kept it going in 2021. Now, it’s 2022 and, if you’re anything like the madman, you are ready to try some new vegetables. Perhaps you just want to go beyond tomatoes and cucumbers. Well, the madman has a couple of suggestions that aren’t totally…
It’s a perfect plant for the landscape. In the spring, it leafs out before other shrubs. It produces an abundance of red berries for the birds. Thanks to its thorns, it is deer resistant. It spreads easily and can form a dense barrier to keep animals or children in or out. And it requires very…
According to the madman’s calculations, this is the 100th blog we shared. Like grandson Liam says, doing anything 100 times is “crazy.” His brother Patrick quickly chimes in, “real crazy.” But, crazy or not, we did it. In honor of this feat, we are going to offer up the gardening tips we love the best….