Every spring, the intrepid gardener makes his choice of plants and produce. Invariably, a few courgettes will be among things chosen for his patch and, if the weather is fine, they will yield more vegetables than the keenest cook can know how to deal with. This is the famous glut: runner beans and Jerusalem artichokes are two other types that threaten kitchen sanity, but courgettes are perhaps the most insistent. Their particular problem is that if you leave them for a few days they don't remain courgettes but develop into giant, and dreadful, marrows: watery, horrid and inedible. Marie Fougère was first published in France but her recipes were so creative and inventive that translation was considered very important. English readers can now rustle up courgette flower fritters, and even courgettes for dessert.

For the seed growers at the Experimental Farm Network, seeds don’t just put food on the table, they promote social justice, and ensure a better world for all.

Find the right organic soils and fertilizers for your garden anywhere across the USA! Start growing a healthier garden today with Kellogg Garden!

WanMai always overflows with exuberant living, and ready to meet with an intrepid spirit anything that the world brings to her doorstep. When the gard...

Helen O'Donnell, co-owner of The Bunker Farm in Vermont, shares some of the fun plants and combinations growing in her own garden.

How to Grow a Wasabi Plant. The pungent, assertive flavor of wasabi (Wasabia japonica) belies its delicacy as a plant. It requires very specific growing conditions and, as a result, is seldom cultivated outside its native Japan. Intrepid gardeners in cooler climates may have success cultivating wasabi if its needs are met. However, it takes...

This is an archival Giclee print of my original cyanotype painting. Print Size is 13"x10" and fits nicely in an 11x14" frame.

A mix of fact and fiction, fantasy and experience, the Bedside Companion for Gardeners is a treasure trove of green-fingered inspiration where practical advice blends seamlessly with poetry and prose from intrepid gardeners past and present. Dip in and out of this collection with an entry for every night of the year that draws on writing through the ages and from across the globe.The Bedside Companion for Gardeners incorporates practical advice from the 17th-century gardening diarist John Evelyn; inspiring prose from Elizabeth von Arnim and John Milton; astute commentary from Horace Walpole on William Kent and Nancy Mitford on the vulgarity of a Surrey garden. Kipling offers practical advice, while Tennyson waxes lyrical on an Arabian night garden.The perfect gift for any gardener, this magical book is an invaluable source of inspiration and guidance to revisit throughout the year.; 448 pages; Published: 26/10/2021

Care of roses (Rosa spp.) at times keeps even the most intrepid gardeners from enjoying...

Nasturtiums Socks are for the intrepid greenthumb and the weekend gardener alike.

When it comes to garden decking, you have a lot of different options to choose from. Read this article, to find out what you need for your garden deck.

With a little extra care, intrepid veggie gardeners can absolutely get growing now.

Most gardeners are content to purchase seeds or plants, grow them, and then reap the harvest. An intrepid few prefer to keep the full cycle of nature going and will also save seeds from their plants in order to keep the line going the next year. Tomato gardeners are the most common seed savers of […]

We tested the most popular online grocery stores including Amazon Fresh, Thrive Market, Umamicart, Weee!, and Walmart+. These are the best of the test.

Landscaping gives your yard a polished look by adding practical elements such as paths and helps you solve problems such as poor drainage. No matter the size and shape of your yard, this is where you can find all landscaping ideas and strategies you'll need.

Primula secundiflora (pink) and Primula sikkimensis (yellow) Photograph by Pam Eveleigh Photograph of Pam Eveleigh Most people who have a passion for a special plant might start a small collection in their home gardens, but Pam Eveleigh's interest in the both the genus Primula and other alpine plants has lead her on journeys to exotic destinations like China and Tibet. "There are always interesting things to discover when looking at plants in the wild, new variations or even a new species," Pam tells me,"Finding a hybrid swarm of plants in the Sikkimensis Section in Tibet, along with at least one hybrid parent, was exciting. We also found Primula agleniana, a magnificent species with large flowers and interesting spear shaped leaves, by chance, when we managed to get up a side valley near Mt. Namcha Barwa (7,782m)." When I happened upon Pam's website, Primula World, a reference on the genus primula for which she is known internationally, I was immediately intrigued by the gallery of primula images from such far flung locations. For whatever reason, I had always thought of Primulas primarily as an English cottage garden plant. Photograph by Pam Eveleigh Primula vulgaris is in fact native to the UK, as well as a large part of Europe. It ranges as far north as Norway and as far east as the Caucaus Mountains, but Primula species native to Europe account for only a small percentage of the world's Primulas. Pam:"There is a handful of European and North American species and a few outliers around Russia and Egypt, but 80% of all Primula species are found in the Sino-Himalayan area. Essentially they are Himalayan alpine plants. In total, there are about 350-400 recognized species depending on what authority you follow." Making a study of Primulas in the wild, made travel to Europe and Asia necessary for this resident of Calgary, Alberta. Pam: "I am interested in the characteristics that distinguish between Primula species and the variations a species exhibits. I enjoy documenting this through images, and since we have very few species near Calgary, I must travel to do this. I am also interested in other alpine plants, so to go to places that are plant species rich is always exciting." Primula agleniana photographed in Tibet by Pam In 2007, Pam journeyed with a small group of like-minded primula enthusiasts to Tibet. Travelling by jeep, the small party followed the main highway from Shangri-La (previously known as Zhongdian) to Yunnan and on to Lhasa, with a side trip to an area southeast of Lhasa. (Map of the journey here.) Primula cawdoriana Photograph by Pam Eveleigh Pam: "We were very lucky to spot Primula cawdoriana growing on the cliffs beside the road. This species had long, deep purple-blue fringed flowers, lightly dusted with farina (a white powder). They grow right in the moss which covers the rocks, so they have plenty of moisture, but are well drained. Primula littledalei Photograph by Pam Eveleigh "We also saw Primula littledalei which grows in quartz sand beneath overhanging rocks. These Primula only get moisture that wicks into the soil, not from directly overhead. The flowers are a beautiful delicate pink and the leaves are round, coated with farina giving the plants a tidy appearance." Mountain in Sichuan Photograph by Pam Eveleigh In 2009 and 2014 Pam visited the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China. The Yunnan/Sichuan area is considered to be the centre of diversity for the genus Primula (see Pam's map for the 2009 trip and the map for 2014 trip). Photograph by Pam Eveleigh Photo Collage by Pam Eveleigh Pam: "We were able to visit Muli, a semi-autonomous region within Sichuan, and see Primula vialii in the wild (shown in the collage above on the bottom left)." "Even though this species is common in cultivation, it is rare in the wild. I was also thrilled to see Primula faberi, an unusual wet meadow species with lovely yellow bell flowers (shown in the collage's upper right corner)." Primula membranifolia from Yunnan "In 2014, our focus was the Bullate Section species, but we happened to also find the areas where other species were first collected including Primula malvacea, Primula poissonii and Primula pulchella. " Primula ambita photographed by Pam Eveleigh "Using historical expedition information, we were also able to successfully find and photograph Primula ambita for the first time." This collage of images from Pam's European travels includes pictures of Primula veris (TR) on the top right, Primula marginata (LL) on the bottom left. Pam's search for Primulas has also taken her to France, Italy and Austria. In 2011, she began a trip that started in Northern Italy and ended in Imst, Austria. The focus of this trip was a search for Primula recubariensis and Primula albenensis. Pam: "In 2012, I joined John Richards (author of the book "Primula") and his wife Sheila for a trip to France and Italy. The primary reason was to look for Primula allionii, a species which is endemic to Maritime Alps. It was very late in the season for Primula allionii, as it blooms very early, but we did manage to find it still in flower near Trinita, Italy." Photograph by Pam Eveleigh Like so many world travellers, Pam's garden at home in Calgary has been inspired by her travels abroad. Not surprisingly then, alpines and primula feature largely among her collection of herbaceous plants. I have to confess that I was surprised to learn that Primulas faired well in Pam's garden despite Calgary's weather extremes. Pam: "Depending on the species, plants can take the cold temperatures of Calgary, even though our snow cover isn't reliable." Primula allionii So what conditions do Primula's prefer, I wanted to know? Pam:"Often Primulas are meadow plants that bloom in full sun in the spring before the other meadow plants grow tall. The taller plants help to shade Primula plants in the late summer, though the primula seeds are held in capsules on elongated stems that rise above other foliage to ripen in the sun. These meadows are wet in spring (though not stagnant), but tend to dry out in summer." "Often people assume that they need to grow Primula in shade, but though there are many forest species that do like shade, most like the combination of wet and sun, rather than wet and shade. Shady places tend to be the moist part of our gardens, so that is why primulas do better there than in other parts of the garden." Primula aureta Photograph by Terry Mitchell I asked Pam if she has a favourite Primula. "I have lots of favourite species!" she says, "Mostly I am attracted to the unusual ones, which are often difficult to grow, if they are even obtainable. "My current favourite changes as I study different species. Primula aureta from Nepal has probably been on my list for a long time, as has been Primula kingii from Bhutan/Tibet." Primula kingii Picture by Margaret Thorne Here in Ontario, my local nursery has maybe ten of the most commonly available cultivars of Primula on offer for home gardeners. I asked Pam why, when there were so many species of Primula, were there are so few cultivars available for purchase. Pam: "Nurseries will carry what sells and depend on local suppliers. Specialist nurseries are more willing to propagate species to be able to keep supplying them, and to take chances on growing species from a small batch of seeds. They are a better bet for finding different Primulas to grow, but if you want to expand your Primula species collection, it is best to grow them yourself from seed." Pam in a field of Primula fasiculata Generally one doesn't associate gardening with adventure, but Pam proves that gardening can be as exciting as you chose to make it. And as someone recently reminded me, what you get out of gardening depends on what you bring to it. Many thanks to Pam for sharing her photographs and the story of her travels. More information and Links: About Pam: Pam Eveleigh is the founding member of the Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society (CRAGS). She is internationally known for her website: primulaworld.com. Pam is an avid hiker and photographer with a considerable knowledge of native flora. Primula World was created by Pam Eveleigh in 2000. At the core of the website is a Species Gallery which contains several thousand images of Primula species, as well as relevant links to herbarium specimens and notes. The homepage blog includes Primula references and bits of information on different primula species. Click here for a link to the Primula World home page Calendar of Pam's Speaking Dates for Spring 2015 Handy links to Primula World References: • Primula Growing tips • Flower parts & features with photographs and a diagram • How to grow primulas from seed • Propagation from leaves • How to hand pollinate a primula

To really get to know a place, you have to understand its people and culture. There’s no better way to…

Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities [Amy Stewart, Briony Morrow-Cribbs] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

If you love roses but don’t relish the upkeep, plant adenium or desert rose. With beautiful flowers and no thorns, it’s an easy-care succulent.

Snake Plants in Jars is the an elegant way to showcase their beauty without worrying too much about maintenance!

The first week in June each year, 36 intrepid gardeners board a bus for a three-day garden visit and shopping marathon. The Gig Harbor Gardeners chapter of the Northwest Perennial Alliance has sponsored this trip for the past seven years, and has yet to scratch the tip of the iceberg in terms of private gardens, garden centers and public arboretums available to visit in Western Washington and Oregon.

A mix of fact and fiction, fantasy and experience, the Bedside Companion for Gardeners is a treasure trove of green-fingered inspiration where practical advice blends seamlessly with poetry and prose from intrepid gardeners past and present. Dip in and out of this collection with an entry for every night of the year that draws on writing through the ages and from across the globe.The Bedside Companion for Gardeners incorporates practical advice from the 17th-century gardening diarist John Evelyn; inspiring prose from Elizabeth von Arnim and John Milton; astute commentary from Horace Walpole on William Kent and Nancy Mitford on the vulgarity of a Surrey garden. Kipling offers practical advice, while Tennyson waxes lyrical on an Arabian night garden.The perfect gift for any gardener, this magical book is an invaluable source of inspiration and guidance to revisit throughout the year.

Most gardeners are content to purchase seeds or plants, grow them, and then reap the harvest. An intrepid few prefer to keep the full cycle of nature going and will also save seeds from their plants in order to keep the line going the next year. Tomato gardeners are the most common seed savers of […]

Menacing botanical illustrations and splendidly ghastly drawings create a fascinating portrait of the evildoers that may be lurking in your own backyard. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers. In Wicked Plants, Stewart takes on over two hundred of Mother Nature’s most appalling creations. It’s an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend.

Brilliant profusion of roses, and our intrepid gardener working away.

GROW COFFEE PLANTS IN YOUR HOME OR GARDEN There are few luxuries that are more enjoyable in life than a good cup of coffee. Well, maybe a good cup of coffee while sitting in the garden. So it’s more than intriguing that you can possibly grow coffee plants in your own garden, both outside and inside. Coffee plants are native to tropical Africa, Asia, and Central America, so successfully growing them in climates outside of those is a bit tricky — tricky, but not impossible. So, intrepid and adventurous gardeners, gather ‘round if you’re interested in learning how to grow your own to brew your own. Just be aware and set your expectations accordingly — growing enough coffee plants to keep your entire household supplied with coffee beans is not completely realistic. But, hey, it’s fun and quirky. Can’t argue with that. 3 Common Types of Coffee Plants Coffee plants typically have green, glossy leaves and, after 3-4 years, will produce fruit that ripens to red in the fall. Inside the fruit, a sweet pulp surrounds the bean, which is then dried, roasted, cooled, ground, and brewed. 1. Coffea arabica: Arguably the most common type of coffee plant, C. arabica beans tends to have a sweet taste with undertones of sugar, berries, and fruit. The tree grows from 8 – 14’ tall, but can be controlled with careful pruning. 2. Coffea robusta: These beans have a stronger, and bit harsher, taste and almost double the caffeine as C. arabica beans. It’s most commonly used in instant coffees and Italian-style espresso blends. The beans are a bit more circular in shape, and the plant itself grows to about 14’ – 19’ tall, but like C. arabica, can be controlled with pruning. 3. Coffea arabica pacas: Pacas is a dwarf variety coffee plant, growing up to just 4’ tall and with a moderate growth rate. However, if it really likes its location it can grow from 5 – 10’, and easily controlled with pruning. This species is the major source of some of the world’s highest quality coffee, and fairly easy to grow. Read More: How to Grow Luffa General Growing Guide • Sun/Light Exposure: Bright, indirect light inside/dappled sun to full sun outside (less sun in hot, harsh climates) • Soil: Rich and moist soil, with pH that is acidic to neutral, and well-drained • Bloom Time: White spring flowers • Watering: Regular (1-2x a week) with high humidity • Fertilizer: Regular weak liquid fertilizer throughout the growing season, monthly during the winter season • Hardiness Zones: 9 - 11 Conditions that Impact Flavor Most home gardeners don’t have the space or the inclination to grow a full crop of coffee trees, so if you want beans from just a few coffee plants, you’ll want to get the best taste possible out of those beans, right? Here are some growing conditions that impact flavor. • Soil: Fertile, rich, and well-drained soil is key to tasty coffee beans. Don’t skimp here. • Water: Remember, coffee plants typically grow in tropical or sub-tropical regions, with plenty of water and humidity. Aim to reproduce, as closely as you can, the plant’s native habitat in order to get the best bean flavor. • Ripeness: Harvest only fruits that are perfectly ripe, when they are dark red to almost black (read up on your particular coffee plant’s ripeness). • Processing: The outer part of the fruit needs to dry before being removed to expose the two coffee beans inside. Incorrect processing can lead to mold. From there, you’ll have to do some additional reading on processing your beans (dry/natural processing, pulp natural/semi-washed, or wet/washing processing). • Roasting: Correct measurements and roasting times greatly impact your beans’ flavor for the final product. Note: You cannot use coffee beans that are roasted to grow a coffee plant. You must start with a transplant or seeds purchased from a trusted supplier or grower. You May ALSO LIKE: TIPS ON GROWING FROM SEED