Native plants are important. The madman keeps saying this. But the point really hit us during our road trip to southern Florida. We told you about our trip to the Everglades in our last blog. But we didn’t tell you about the gardens we visited. All but one featured native plants. And even that one... The post Native Plants Are Important For The Atala appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

If the madman ever doubted the importance of maintaining the ecosystem with native species, those doubts were erased by our latest road trip. We hopped a plane to Florida just like thousands of winter weary spring breakers. They were looking to party, we wanted to explore. I don’t know how the partying went, but the... The post The Importance Of Maintaining The Ecosystem appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

Spring is almost here. Later today Ēostre arrives with her signs of spring – the earth can truly wake up. It’s been a wet spring so far. We have already had 5” of rain this March. I know the madman always says “water, water, water,” but enough is enough. The ground needs to dry out... The post Spring Events For The Madman appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

It’s now March and both nature and the madman are coming out of hibernation. The days are longer. The sun is higher. And the world seems brighter. We have entered meteorological spring and real spring is close behind. But before winter leaves us, the madman has a few late winter tasks to finish. Bet you... The post Coming Out Of Hibernation With Late Winter Tasks appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

While taking a break from transplanting peppers the other day, the madman noticed a new bird at the suet feeder. Actually, Northern Flickers aren’t new to us. We often see these woodpeckers during the warmer months busily foraging for insects in the lawn. We just don’t recall seeing one on the suet feeder before –... The post Woodpeckers Offer The Madman A Break appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

Sure, we’re out of the Persephone Period, but we still don’t see the sun until around 7 (if we see it at all!). And the madman is still in his mid-winter funk, so I dragged him out to the back looking for a green pick-me-up. And there it was – moss. Moss, more correctly called... The post Moss: The Madman’s Green Pick-Me-Up appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

Looking out the back window the other day, the madman saw a Red-winged Blackbird at the feeder. Whoa, January 15 is a bit earlier than usual. According to some ornithologists (SAT word for bird expert), Red-winged Blackbirds are year-round residents of Connecticut. Others say our Blackbirds migrate south for the winter. Blackbirds are Early In... The post Blackbirds Tell The Madman To Get Seeds appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

Here we are in 2024 and the madman is troubled. For the past month or so his thoughts keep returning to our new USDA Hardiness Zone. We have moved up a half a zone. We Are Getting Warmer It may not sound like a big deal – after all, it’s only a 5° temperature shift.... The post The Madman Is Troubled By Warmer Weather appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

Here it is December 26, and the tree is holding up. The madman and I can’t imagine not having a live Christmas tree. But it seems we are in the minority. Nearly 8 out of 10 households decorated an artificial tree this year. An Unusual Christmas Tree Talk of shortages and high costs may have... The post Troubles for Christmas Tree Farmers appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more

We are in a new zone – a new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone, that is. Our zone here in Farmington has gone from 6a to 6b. Actually, about half of the United States has shifted to a warmer plant zone. This is great news, right? Well, before we start trading our potato crops for watermelon,... The post Madman Finds His USDA Zone appeared first on Gardening with a Madman ..read more