Mickey Gast

Do you have any little free libraries in your community where you can take a book for free or leave a book for your neighbors to take home?  Imagine the …

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gardener in possession of a balcony must be in need of a container arrangement. Or at least this has been my truth …

My first foray into planting gladioli took place exactly ten years ago, to the month. On a whim, I picked up a bag of gladioli bulbs while I was “foraging” …

As an introverted writer, I’m really fun at parties. As soon as new acquaintances find out that plants and gardening are how I spend my work days as well as …

After a flurry of starting seeds, transplanting perennials and planting summer bulbs, I’m now turning my attention to creating a couple of container displays.  The last of the spring bulbs …

Bloom bloom bloom, now let me hear you say way-ooh! I debated on whether or not that should be the intro to my article; but there’s something about the blanket …

After a well-deserved summer vacation, most people generally come back home with a few souvenirs; or maybe sporting a nice golden tan; or, as is the case of my husband, …

At any given moment, I’m ready to shout from the rooftops all the ways in which gardening is helping me take care of my mental health. In addition to teaching …

Most of the ornamental plants that I’m growing in my backyard are decidedly not native to the Northern Hemisphere where I garden. My camellias are native to Asia, as are …

As I’m writing this article, closely on the heels of the spring equinox, I’m looking out the window at my garden just starting to wake up from its slumber. One …

I cherish fleeting moments in the garden, but I sometimes think that not much else seems as fleeting as the blooming and fading of camellia flowers. After months and months …

After months of impatiently glaring at the garden (as if it was its fault the weather was miserable) and having my nose stuck to the window in anticipation of spring, …

Between you and me, I was itching to start my dahlias as soon as I hit publish on this article on how to overwinter them. But as I’m writing this, …

It seems like only yesterday I was writing an article on how to prepare your roses for the winter months. While at the same time, it also seems like this …

If I had read clematis care advice before buying a single clematis plant, I would have surely abandoned the purchase altogether. While I am generally pretty savvy about deciphering plant …

“I can totally start these flowers from seed,” I mumble under my breath as I weave my way around stands upon stands of starter plants at the gardening center on …

I’m writing this article in early February and the countdown to spring is on. I can almost smell the change of seasons in the air. The days are getting noticeably …

As a gardener, I’m always on the lookout for more plants. Colorful plants. Boisterous plants. Plants that make you go WOW! But when it comes to hydrangeas, I’m partial to …

As the saying goes, two things in life are certain, though allow me to choose not to list them here. But as a gardener, I’d like to petition to add …

Tell me if this story sounds familiar. You love perennials, so you court them assiduously. In return, they reward your efforts with an abundance of beautiful flowers.  You think your …

Back when I first started gardening and had no idea what a biennial plant meant, I was foolish enough to trust the information on the garden center plant tags without …

My stubborn attempt to overfill my garden with more plants on a shoestring budget continues throughout the rest of fall. Or at least for as long as the weather allows …

With the garden slowing down in anticipation of the winter months and my bulbs firmly in the ground waiting for spring, I’m now turning my attention to propagating ornamental plants …

What if I told you that you could plant something in your garden that’s worth its weight in gold? No, I haven’t yet found the seeds of the mythical money …