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Charlie’s Early March Newsletter

  Callas and Caladiums, Growing Artichokes, Building A Hugel Mound and Aloe Vera My flower show talks have wrapped up for 2025. It was great visiting small regional shows and the largest flower show in the country to get inspired for spring. Hopefully you got a chance to visit your regional flower show for some ideas. One talk I did at our Vermont Flower Show this year was on Summer Bulbs. While we often think of dahlias, gladiolus and lilies when we talk about summer bulbs, there are others that are worth growing even in the North. I...

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Charlie’s Late February Newsletter

  Arugula Indoors and Out, Your Lavender Retreat, Flower Shows and Tropical Hibiscus   As a very snowy February wraps up in our Vermont garden, it's hard to believe that spring is technically only a few weeks away. I know the weather changes quickly this time of year and I have noticed that traveling to flower shows and garden talks. All I have to do is travel a few hundred miles South and the snow disappears. Speaking of traveling, I'm busy this time of year doing garden talks. And it's flower show season. I highlight the next...

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Charlie’s Mid March Newsletter

    All About Soils: Webinars, Podcasts and Stories The snows are mostly gone from many areas and the soil is drying out. It's time to start thinking about your garden soil. The soil is the most important part of your garden. Getting the soil right goes a long way to growing healthier vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs and for making a healthier ecosystem. That's why I'm focusing this newsletter on protecting and building better soil. In this newsletter, I highlight my Soils and Mulches Webinar and my No Dig Gardening and...

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PerennialsPodcastUncategorized

How to Grow: Helenium

Listen to this podcast on how to grow Helenium or sneezeweed perennial flower.     Watch this video about Helenium:   It's August and soon we'll hit that quiet time in our perennial flower garden after the early summer flowers fade, but before the fall flowers shine. We're always looking for plants to fill this late summer void and one of the best is Helenium.  Helenium is a hardy, native, aster-family perennial with few pests. It grows in the wild in damp areas in meadows. It also goes by the unfortunate common name of...

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How to Grow: Hellebores

Learn how to grow the lenten rose or Hellebore and about some varieties. Listen to Podcast: Although we grow this plant as a perennial flower, it also has other devious uses. During the siege of Kirrha in ancient Greece, the invading armies poisoned the city's water supply with crushed roots and leaves of this flower causing the protecting armies to be weakened by diarrhea and overwhelmed. That's a good reason not to eat the leaves of your Lenten rose. Lenten or Christmas rose is more widely known by its botanical name, hellebore....

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HouseplantsUncategorized

How to Grow: Kokedama

Listen to this podcast on how to grow a kokedama indoor houseplant.   I'm always looking for new plants and growing techniques. That's why I'm fascinated with kokedama hanging houseplants. What's kokedama? Kokedama is an ancient form of Japanese bonsai. Actually, it's also called poor man's bonsai because it is so easy to do. The idea is to plant a small houseplant in a ball of clay and peat moss surrounded by green sphagnum moss and held together with twine. The ball and plant, can then be hung in a room or in a tray on a table or...

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AnnualsGarden Design & CareSoils & FertilizerUncategorizedVegetable

How to Grow: No-Dig Gardening

Listen to this podcast on gardening easier and smarter with no dig gardening.   I'm starting to work on a new book. It's on No-Dig Gardening. It's a topic that I've been playing around with in our vegetable and annual flower gardens for years and I'm excited to dive deeper into it. I'm rereading the classic No-Work Gardening by Ruth Stout, checking out No-Dig Gardening experts on Youtube and refreshing my understanding of some permaculture techniques. The idea behind No-Dig Gardening is to retire the tiller and not dig your annual...

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