I have not necessarily been a scrooge this year when it comes to decorating our farmhouse for the holidays, but more exhausted Santa. We went all out for Christmas this year at The Found Cottage and between that and pending renovations in the home, I just didn’t feel like hauling out all the bins of…
In The Garden
What is so Special About David Austin Roses
The majority of my David Austin Roses have not even completed their first season and the results have been spectacular. With a little bit of tender loving care each week they have flourished and bloomed and I have not had one single failure from my 2021 order. The only ones that have struggled are the…
What’s growing in the garden
We dodged a major storm this week on the farm. I’m not going to lie to you, I haven’t prayed that hard in a while. They weather channel was predicting 70-80 mile per hour wind gusts with potential tornados and last night as I buttoned everything down in the garden I took a bunch of…
New Metal and Wood Garden Beds
Last weekend Joe and I spent the greater part of our weekend working out in the garden getting our new garden beds into place. It was not work for the faint of heart. It was TOUGH. We welcomed the excuse to keep busy though (at least I did). With the loss of Binks our beloved…
Using Plants to Keep Mosquitos Away
There is nothing I love more than sitting out in the garden at night around the fire pit enjoying a cocktail or a S’more with my family and talking about the day. It’s a simple and small activity that makes a weeknight feel like a vacation. We sit around roasting marshmallows enjoying our time together…
Growing Perennial Herbs in Michigan
When I think of perennial plants my mind automatically goes to shrubs, flowers, bushes and trees, but did you know that there are select herbs in Michigan that are also considered perennials? One of my favorite ways to fill space in the garden is by planting complementary herbs. I have them growing in tubs on…
Spring Flowers: Daffodils, Hyacinths, Tulips and Alliums
I finally did it last fall. I finally bundled up and headed outside in the cold and planted hundreds of tulips, daffodils, alliums and hyacinths in the ground before it hardened and froze before the Michigan winter hit. While I experienced some disappointments with the amount of success, the row has produced a few handfuls…
Five Easy Vegetables to Grow from Seed
Before you plant, create a plan! I have finally finished my raised bed plans using my grow veg planner and now i’m finishing up my seedlings in preparation for the summer garden. In Michigan, many vegetables like flowers need to be started a little earlier indoors for you to pick the optimal amount of produce…
How to keep rabbits out of your garden
I had an opportunity to visit the Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, Alabama during my latest family vacation and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The gardens span over 65 acres and it took us just over two hours to walk the grounds and home and take everything in. Walter Bellingrath made his fortune…
Amish Built Backyard Hobby Greenhouse
I have searched the internet high and low for a hobby greenhouse for probably the last four years. I looked at DIY greenhouse options, prefab kit greenhouse options and custom built greenhouses. All of them where either out of my budget or my skill level. It took Joe and I almost an entire pandemic just…
14 Places to Buy Cut Flower Seeds
It’s almost that time in Michigan to get started with indoor seedling! While I started out as a vegetable grower, each year more and more of my garden is taken up by growing cut flowers. Last year 70% of my garden was cut flowers. We even grew enough to have a little flower stand out…
Three Flowers Beginner Gardens Should Grow From Seed
We are more and more starting to catch our first glimpses of spring here in Michigan. This week the brown hued grass is peeping out, matted from being under inches of snow the past few months. Bit by bit February is giving way to March and soon the April showers will bring us the much…