I love to garden, and I love to fantasize about my yard’s potential when everything feels cold and gray.

I study landscaping books, and ruminate over women’s magazines with breathtaking garden photos and handy tips for success.  My family will gladly tell you how many plants I’ve killed over the years, and how often my gardening experiments have gone awry. What’s important, I tell them, is that I’ve learned so much about what not to do.

Having lived in Mt. Lebanon since 1992, 20 summers of mixed disasters and successes have not dampened my enthusiasm.  My neighbors were my best teachers:  Cindy taught me how to deadhead to keep my flowers blossoming, Kelly told me about using mushroom manure for more successful flowerbeds, Don told me about using plant food for lusher annuals, Melissa told me how to cut the heck out of my azaleas in early spring for dense blooms, Virginia told me about double shred mulch to keep the weeds away, Mary told me about covering grass seed with a little peat moss rather than lugging a heavy bag of topsoil.

Last summer my best discovery was Osmocote – a plant food that you can shake onto your indoor and outdoor plants.  No digging or mixing required – just sprinkle the beads, water the plants, and you’re done.  Bursting with flowers and new leaves, my indoor plants are no longer starving.  You can find Osmocote at Rollier’s Hardware in Uptown, or at the Lowe’s on Baptist Road.