John Markowski

LATEST ARTICLES ( 348 )

• They're Baaaccckkk

  

  Is there a more encouraging sign in spring than the emergence of the peony stems?These tough as nails performers come back year after year without fail; and... Read more

  Posted on 03 May 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Wordless Wednesday

  

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  Posted on 02 May 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• How My Gardening Mind Works

  

  First off, as promised yesterday, a few more pics of the blooming Ajuga (Bugleweed) 'Chocolate Chip': As I've mentioned in the past, I use this ground cover... Read more

  Posted on 30 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• You Take the Flowers, I'll Take the Foliage

  

  This is the time of year when we cherish the first daffodil or tulip blooms. We go gaga over the blooming magnolia trees. We get all sorts of jacked up seeing... Read more

  Posted on 24 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Feeling Spring

  

  The flowers continue to emerge quickly, in spite of the cold temps: But nothing says spring more than baseball/softball: And by the way, swinging with your... Read more

  Posted on 22 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Dividing an Ornamental Grass

  

  How awesome is this Red Switch Grass (Panicum) 'Rotstrahlbusch'? By early to mid summer, this grass looks fantastic and is a consistent performer year after... Read more

  Posted on 18 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Enjoy Each Precious Day

  

  Yeah I'm still chasing the birds: Yeah I got some blooms to enjoy:Yeah I've got some shrubs leafing out with promise of blooms on the way:Yeah I am enjoying... Read more

  Posted on 17 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Practicing My Bird Photography

  

  Sweet looking Eastern Bluebird?And a Downy Woodpecker?The Woodpecker in Read more

  Posted on 13 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• That Was Fast

  

  And just like that ... "Spring" arrives.I'm a little worried that all of the plants got too excited after so many months of dormancy and put on too much growth... Read more

  Posted on 12 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Spirea Are Ugly and a Big Haircut for a Ninebark

  

  I had close to 25 plants sitting in my garage this weekend from deliveries received over the past week. My initial instinct was to immediately put them all in... Read more

  Posted on 08 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Taking What You Are Given

  

  Obnoxiously Nasty GroundThat is a much more appropriate, and entertaining, moniker for this blog than the one I originally crafted three years ago (And let me... Read more

  Posted on 04 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Warning: This Post is Whiny and Boring

  

  March kind of sucked, eh? Good riddance.I should clarify; the March weather is what really sucked. Every single day was exactly the same; gray, rainy,... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Spring Will Win out

  

  Cold weather be damned: And you stay the hell away: Read more

  Posted on 26 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Desperate Times Call for ...

  

  You can only take so many photos of the bulbs emerging in spring (Or can you? I may hold the world record at this point).You can only take so many photos of... Read more

  Posted on 25 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Enough Already

  

  And yes, I'm still stalking the robins: Read more

  Posted on 22 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Wordless Wednesday - Stalking a Robin

  

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  Posted on 20 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• A Visit from the Leprechauns and Saluting Martha Stewart

  

  Most years, our St. Patrick's Day celebration consists of green bagels for breakfast, maybe a little bit of Irish Soda Bread and a Guinness or five for Dad. Read more

  Posted on 18 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• The Ongoing Saga of Geranium 'Brookside'

  

  A little over two years ago I vowed, on this blog, to get rid of all my Geranium 'Brookside'. At that point, they had resided in my garden for a few years and... Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Change is Good

  

  When I am designing a garden (and I use that term loosely; althought it does sound all sorts of professional, so let me role play for a minute) I find the... Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME

• Out with the Old ...

  

  Last weekend started the spring clean-up and this weekend was more of the same. The difference was, the temps were in the upper 50's this weekend and it felt... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2013 GARDENING, HOME