The Freshman Gardener
beginner gardening basics
Phlox is one of my most favorite spring time flowers. Where I live the people love their creeping phlox and it covers flower beds and rock walls like a blanket of flowers. I remember seeing it for the first time by our neighborhood mailbox and taking a picture of it and googling what it was…
Raise your hand if you’ve ever bought flowers to put on your front porch together in pots, only to get home and be underwhelmed by what you have. It’s happened to me….a lot! Front porch flower pots are actually pretty simple once you have a few tips to follow. Choosing the Right Pot Your pot…
Sweet peas are one of the sweetest flowers (see what I did there). They have a beautiful fragrance and are delicate and fresh. I first decided to grow some when I watched a series on Floret Flowers website about how some varieties are in jeopardy of becoming extinct. Erin advocates for preserving some of these…
I have always dreamed of having beautiful grass. Because my family tends to move houses every few years, this dream has never been a reality. We built the house we currently live in a few years ago and this will be our third spring and summer with grass. So far its been a struggle to…
I am currently adding new raised beds to my garden and want something pretty and timeless to support my peas and beans. Pinterest and Instagram are my inspo places and obelisks, tuteurs and trellis’ are what I am drawn to. The Internet is full of DIY options with cattle panels, wires and hooks, and wooden…
Being from the Pacific Northwest where shade is everywhere from the dense trees, I have fallen in love with hostas. They are so versatile and lush and their different shades of green are seemingly endless. I have wanted a shade garden for years and years now and still don’t have the perfect spot for one,…
I love shade gardens. Love them! I lived in the Seattle areas for many years and the climate there is very friendly to shade gardens because of the dense trees and greenery around. There is shade everywhere! I came to really appreciate shade loving perennials when I lived there and definitely miss having a large…
Seed starting can be fun and exciting. There’s the anticipation of all the yummy and beautiful plants you will soon have, plus you saved a bunch of money using seeds instead of buying actual plants. THEN…they get leggy, moldy, die off or don’t even germinate at all. It’s a lot! That’s why I track my…
We’re finally coming into spring! March in the garden is like nature’s grand opening act. As winter bows out, our green spaces come alive with the promise of new beginnings. Grab your gardening gear because it’s time to dive into March’s playbook – where seeds become starts, blooms being to unfurl, and the garden turns…
Zinnias are such a fun flower because they have so many fun traits for gardeners. They are a great cut flower, they can be grown almost anywhere, and they are easy and fun to grow. Zinnias are also popular among pollinators, making them a great flower to have in your vegetable garden. My favorite thing…
