I was in Pike’s Nursery the other day when I started chatting to the lady in line with me. We were bemoaning the tomato woes.

Around lunchtime the other day, my family and I were sitting by the pool when we got the urge to grill. However, our grill is on the main level and the pool is on the lower level. That’s when we decided that we need a second grill. However, after quickly reflecting, we decided what we needed wasn’t a second grill, but a full outdoor kitchen.

With Memorial Day behind us, summer has unofficially arrived. That means that the kids are out of school and there’s going to be more outdoor cooking on the grill. Summer is also a great time for using herbs, particularly the Mediterranean herbs, which are at their peak.

Vines are, in my opinion, the biggest weed problem in southern gardens. Between ivy, wisteria and honeysuckle I, and many others, have a major problem. Battling against these thugs of the garden takes time and persistence and even some chemicals.

For many years I wouldn’t grow roses.  Although I liked them in theory, they were a royal pain in the garden. From black spot to greenfly my sparsely blooming attempts were doomed to die.  Then the breeders came out with the Knockout series of roses, which changed the lives of gardeners everywhere.

Scotts Lawn and Garden products have been a staple of American landscape care for many decades. You may have noticed though that two of your favorite chemicals are not available in the store right now.

Spring is a time for planting. Even with a drought still hanging over us, the optimism of spring leads most gardeners to make an effort. As though it is aiding and abetting us, the community as a whole, through advertised sales, is sending messages to buy plants.

Spring is a wonderful time if you are gardener. From perennials popping up in the garden to trees and shrubs in bloom, everything is a delight. What is not quite so delightful are the strange choices that people make in their garden. Even worse is the fact that some of these mistakes are made by professional landscapers.

Sometimes a plant surprises you – like the surprise I got from the three little euphorbias that I planted in my garden last year, in the middle of the drought. They are now in full bloom and destined to be a staple in my garden.