I grew up in England where everyone seemed to be an avid gardener. I lived in Kent, which was known as the “Garden of England”, so no pressure there! It actually took over 20 years living in New York City to turn me into a gardener of sorts, when we bought a weekend place upstate. I’ve always loved flowers, so when I decided to try my hand at growing them, I never realized how addictive it would become. My little weekend getaway in the Catskill Mountains becomes a riot of color during the summer months. There are many challenges for a weekend gardener, least of which is keeping the animals from eating everything in sight. Then there’s the problem of watering, luckily I have some good friends who drop by to keep my deck planters well watered if I can’t get there.
So, what have I learned in my twelve years of planting?
1. Plant things that are right for the area. There is no point trying to grow hot weather plants if you live in a cooler climate. Sounds simple, but it’s so easy to get lured by the beauty of a particular flower.
2. If you have no luck growing something, then after 3 or 4 times of trying, give it up. I love Echinacea and…
