BombasticTurtle

Hello Andrew! Great job with the podcast! As a 46 year old male, and with no prior experience in gardening, the gardening bug attacked me about five years ago, and I have absolutely no chances of a recovery! People around me and even those that talk about "Green Earth", could not explain or figure out my interest in gardening. In my belief, more and more younger people should be encouraged to continue with their interest in going green. Living in a city, in apartments, limited financial resources, etc while I constraining factor should not be a deterrent. You are doing a great job and I do post most of the links and podcasts from fine gardening on to my Facebook page. Thank you for the thankless job you do. Together, we all can make this a much better world to live in!!!

I am one of those that is looking to reduce the lawn in favour of plants, shrubs and perennials. I think lawns are time consuming, water guzzling and high maintenance. A copy of the book might help me change my mindset!

Errr ... I'm sorry but it is not siberian bugloss!

Appears to be a shade plant by the name of Siberian bugloss. But you have a good picture that you can send to your local nursery, who in turn will identify it!

I think your best best is to take a picture or a few leaves to your local nursery who might be able to identify the plant with more accuracy!!!

I know what you mean by trying to achieve a low maintenance garden! What is the point in putting together shrubs and perennials if you cannot sit back and watch them grow and play in the wind? Well done and good luck! I hope you, as a gardener who is always the move) will find the time to sit back and enjoy life as it happens around you!

The heuchera (chai?) gives is like a wake up color in your garden! Beautiful!

Hi Carol, I absolutely love the way you have integrated solid dark green foliage with variegated and other plants ... and then you have a well kept lawn. Giving it the look of a professionally maintained garden.

Absolutely love the riot of color and haphazard but organized manner in which the plants have been planted. Soothing to the eyes!

On one hand there is a grass lawn that I am looking to reduce ... and on the other hand there is the tall grass that is always so attractive, handsome and looking for a cozy area of the garden to grow in.

Japanese gardens can bring peace, quiet and tranquility with them where ever they are ... strong, clean and purposeful design lines keep the beholder in awe of their sheer scenic value!

I will always be a sucker for variegated and chartreuse foliage of plants. I want this explosive burst of color in my garden ... and so I use the False Sem Spirea, Golden Glow Elder and the Ninebarks ... am not sure if the Smoke bush is reliable hardy in our area though!

The first year that I planted the Sedum ("Autumn Joy") ... I was surprised to see bleeding snow!!! It was such a beautiful sight that it is difficult to ever get it out of my mind! Very reliable and sturdy grower. Can require stalking at times, but I am content to just let it fill out to the ground for the effective display it has in winter. Love the Sedums!

Where I am ..l there are far too many unreliable roses ... and if they do manage to make it through our winters ... they live for such a short time ... such a welcome sight these beauties!!!

What is the point of putting in so many hours and work in a garden if you cannot sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor? Well done job!

The black eyed Susans are such an attractive flower ... it's like they keep waving to you with their lively spirit every time I visit a garden center. It's also such a MUST HAVE for any butterfly garden!

When fall finally succumbs to the harshness and the dullness of winter, peeling barks like these offer a sense of hope that spring will be back and is always around the corner!

Good job!

I would love to have a private backyard area just like this. Great job to the one who has taken the time to build and maintain this. Can be a lot of work if you are a perfectionist!

Simple picture that captures the STORY OF OUR LIVES ... :D

Beautiful picture! It kinda brings out the hope that January brings ... be it promises of a beautiful new year ... or the hope of spring ... or the hope of longer and more beautiful days. It touched my soul ... may I suggest that you enlarge it and/or enter it in some competition with the same caption that you have there?

Hello Ruth! You can call me a new gardener, but one that is cautios and will research rather than go crazy at the local nursery with buying plants and then not knowing what to do with the trees or where to plant and what the outcome might be in say ... five to seven years!

I am a great fan and follower of www.finegardening.com and have read your articles on pruning, pruners and how to maintain them. It has helped me greatly ... and I am taking the liberty on FB so that many more like me can take advantage of what you discussed.

The government is an elected body of representative's we chose. They present and defend our views and stands on various issues.

I think it is only fair that they enter the backyard of people and then bill them for it! This because I think that the backyards they enter are often the ones that neglect their area and that of their neighborhoods. Sometimes it would seem unfair, but it is necessary to protect neighborhoods from insensitive and selfish people who fail to maintain their backyards but would like to make as much money from that land no matter which way they chose!

But it is completely wrong to enter anyone's private area without a prior notice / warning. And oh yeah, the growth of marijuana on licensed farms should be legalized.

Hi Ms Gervais, absolutely beautiful pictures of a nice, warm and detailed garden. Wish I could do that in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; which happens to fall in Zone 2.

Two thumbs up!

Thank you to Billy Goodnick and www.finegardening.com for an insight into how my best friends view my garden!

I have two small Bichon Frises who love spending a lot of time in my backyard! Being a new house without a garden, I would find that they would spend most of their time in the sweltering heat on deck. But ever since I have planted a combination of goatsbeard, golden weeping hearts and some "annabelle" hydrangeas (which I might add are on the toxic to dogs list of the ASPCA) .. they spend a lot of their time in the shade of these trees or atleast close to them!

I agree that plants, trees and shrubs not just reduce the temperature on hot days but also allow our "best friends" to enjoy the beauty of an otherwise dull and boring backyard!

I am a new gardener! And while I have always found perennials the most interesting for my garden mainly because of the zone that I live in ... I have always found ornamental grasses very appealing and beautiful, but never had the heart to try any of them in my own backyard! But thanks to "fine gardening" and John, I intend planting ornamental grass in my backyard this year!

Wish me luck!!! :)