Author Archives: dirtynailz

We are fortunate to have a few good nurseries here in the southwestern part of Rhode Island. One of them is particularly inspiring. I visit  often – sometimes to buy plants and often just for the visual stimulation (read: plant … Continue reading →

For azalea lovers – or lovers of beautiful landscapes in general – the place to visit right now in RI is the Kinney azalea gardens. I drop by every year just to take it all in.When you time it right, … Continue reading →

In the photo above, not only is the plant an introduced hybrid, the bee was also introduced by European settlers. These bees displaced many of our native North American bees – a fact most people are unaware of. I find … Continue reading →

Here we go again. Like most gardeners in RI, I bought my plants at plant sales a week or two ago. And what happens? As it does every single year, the weather turns cold and miserable for a couple of … Continue reading →

HerbDoc pays homage to the patron saint of gardeners: Visitors to my herb garden often mistake the large statue of St. Fiacre (Fiachra) for St. Francis.  While St. Francis was born in Italy and is the patron saint of animals … Continue reading →

Early May is the official kick-off to the gardening season here in RI. There are always several plant sales around Mother’s Day, and if you get up early and plan it right, you can squeeze in a few in a … Continue reading →

HerbDoc has some thoughts on one of her favorite natives: My favorite native plant, Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) has fully opened its leaves and carpeted the rear of the herb garden.  Two weeks ago the plants resembled tiny furled umbrellas, and … Continue reading →

I’ll get straight to the point: here’s a link to our brand spanking new website, GardeningRI. This has been a long time coming, and a labor of love for our Webmaster and occasional blog contributor, Elderberry, with input from myself … Continue reading →

Just when you were gazing at your narcissus and early tulips and wishing the blue of scilla siberica would last longer, along comes muscari armeniacum, or Grape Hyacinth.  The  name “Muscari” is derived from the Latin word “muscus.” The flowers … Continue reading →

I recently received an email from the Rhode Island Tree Council about celebrating Arbor Day. To mark the occasion, volunteers will plant 100 trees which will eventually form a welcome green canopy at the entrance to Ninigret Park. The event … Continue reading →