How to Compost to Create Soil for Your Garden

During my lifetime, I have lived and gardened in several parts of the country, and in almost every place I have lived, I have been forced to amend my garden’s soil. Before I moved back to Mississippi, I lived and gardened in the Ozark Mountains, where most of the earth is covered by bedrock. In…

Down My Garden Path – Elements of a Cottage Garden

Better Homes and Gardens online has a great article that details the elements of a cottage garden, and one of those elements is that of curved, natural pathways. My garden is a veritable maze of curved pathways: “Create soft meandering pathways instead of those that follow a straight, structured line. Many paving materials work in…

Complementary Colors – In Jacki Kellum’s Art and Garden

Jacki Kellum Color Wheel – Simplified Moving Clockwise from Top Right toward Bottom Right, the Colors are: 1. Cadmium Yellow Light 2. Cadmium Orange 3. Cadmium Red Light 4. Cadmium Red Dark 4. Red Violet [Mixed from Blue and Opus] Moving Clockwise from Top Left toward Bottom Left, the Colors are: 1. Cadmium Yellow Lemon…

Cottage Garden Living – Garden Ideas & Help All Year Long

Jacki Kellum is an artist and author, but she has also been an avid gardener for decades. Her blog site is at jackikellum.com, but her garden blog is at cottagegardenliving.com. As of May of 2024, she has committed herself to posting garden ideas almost every day on Youtube–sometimes more than one video a day. What…

Fragrant Roses in My Garden

I love the fragranc that is characteristic of old roses. That fragrance reminds me of the early summers of my childhood. Tp help prolong the scent of  roses, I have begun making potpourris: Recipes for Rose, Lavender, & Other Potpourris The primary ingredient of my potpouuris is that of the petals of fragrant roses, that…

Rustic Touches in My Cottage Gardens – Old Garden Roses

Lady Banks Rose in Jacki Kellum Garden This year, I am adding some vigorous climbing roses, to my garden,  including Lady Banks and Peggy Martin. Both of these roses require super strong support. Lady Banksia Rose [Lady Banks] Image Credit: Heirloom Roses 1807 Lady Banks or Banksia Rose was first cultivated in 1807. This old…

Heirloom Roses – Catalog – A Great Resource for Rose Growers

Heirloom Roses Catalog Image Credit: Heirloom Roses I got another heirloom rose today, and I was thrilled to find this fabulous book packed inside the box, and it was free. This is the best plant catalog I have ever gotten. It is much more than a list of plants. It also offers planting advice and…