It’s been 15 years since I wrote my first post on Heavy Petal. Ten since my first book was published. Five since my last post.
gardening
Gardening tools for the new parent
A year ago, that would have been an iPod speaker.
Garden Tour: Marcelle’s bountiful balcony
The Basics Gardener: Marcelle Stone Location: Spokane, WA, United States Size: Edges of an 8 foot-by-12-foot balcony (tried to keep the weight over support posts) Orientation: West-ish Zone: 5b Years gardened: Three Style: Let’s see what we can grow in a pot. The Details Inspiration: British window boxes Favourite element: End-of-summer overgrowth Favourite plants: Herbs: […]
But what’s wrong with plastic swan garden planters?
I recently updated my About page. It wasn’t just that it was time for an update. I’d also been feeling uncomfortable with some of the language I’d used when I first wrote it a million years ago in 2005. Here’s an excerpt from the old About: Heavy Petal’s mission is to demonstrate that gardening isn’t […]
Ladybugs love aphids: using beneficial bugs to wipe out the bad
Ladybugs: keep refrigerated. I have these euphorbias (E. amygdaloides) in my front garden bed that get crippled by aphids every spring. Despite their aphid problem, they’re quite lovely, which is why I’ve kept them this long. (I’m not sure what variety of euphorbia they are; they are the developer’s last remaining contribution of my garden.) […]
Book review: Hardy Succulents
Hardy Succulents in two words: Eye candy. I love the look of succulents: their drama, their modernism. And maybe, just maybe, I covet them because I can’t really grow many of them all that successfully here, even though I’m in practically-balmy Zone 8. So I was really excited to receive a copy of Hardy Succulents: […]
Pregnancy limbo
I apologize for the scarcity of posts lately. With the baby due in less than a week, I should be stockpiling blog posts for the upcoming crazy newborn months. Instead, I feel quite disconnected from my gardening life, and that leaves me feeling like I’ve got not much to say. Pregnancy has now taken over […]
Gardening while pregnant
For those of you who haven’t experienced the (ahem) joys of pregnancy, let me fill you in. It’s a beautiful sunny day. You decide to get out into the garden. Nothing heavy – you just want to enjoy the rare February sunshine and do some clean up. Which is normally no problem for a fit […]