In The Garden

A splash of color and a dose of nature by Charlie Thigpen Photography by Chuck St. John A few summers ago, I would walk through our kitchen garden almost every morning.  Like clockwork, a tiny winged friend that would nervously dance above a planting of dew-covered red salvia would join me. I had planted the… Read More

And a haint-free garden as a bonus. by Charlie Thigpen    Photography by Chuck St. John They are the easiest trees to maintain because you never have to water, prune or fertilize these glistening gems. They can create a focal point or add whimsy to your landscape, and they gift the garden with year-round color…. Read More

Elevate your flowers to new heights. by Charlie Thigpen    Photography by Chuck St. John There is an easy way to give plain terra-cotta planters a new look. Elevate them and take these classic containers to new heights. A few months ago, I stacked five planters on top of one another, filling them with soil… Read More

DIY gifting from the heart. by Charlie Thigpen    Photography by Chuck St. John Would you like to be creative and give your special Valentine something a little different? Use copper grounding wire, a pair of pliers and your own two hands to shape a special gift. Last year, I made hearts of all sizes and… Read More

There is work to be done, even in the dead of Winter. by Charlie Thigpen If you take pride in your landscape, your New Year’s resolution should be to garden regularly throughout the year. Doing a little bit at a time and properly maintaining your landscape beats having to tame an overgrown and unkempt garden…. Read More

by Charlie Thigpen This month, my wife Cindy and I will celebrate our second anniversary as proud owners of a garden shop.  We now realize we don’t own the shop; it owns us. We were both in the publishing world for many years, so there has been a big learning curve jumping into a retail… Read More

Cleaning up and clearing out. by Charlie Thigpen In November, colder weather is beginning to settle in, and you can feel old man winter sneaking up behind us. This month our gardens will change dramatically as a hard frost or freezing temperatures knock the spring and summer bloomers back to the ground. Although the warm… Read More

Go a different way this fall. by Charlie Thigpen You might not want to say goodbye to chrysanthemums forever, but you should try some different plants in your garden this fall. When I first started landscaping many years ago, mums were pretty much the only choice for October planting. I learned to dislike them because… Read More

Things to Remember this September by Charlie Thigpen Summer doesn’t officially end until September 22nd but cooler weather is definitely on its way. Schools are now in session, the autumn gladiators have hit the gridiron, and we spend our weekends cheering for our favorite team. With all the hoopla, it’s easy to forget about your… Read More

Let the garden be your guide to a homegrown menu throughout the year. by Charlie Thigpen October is known as the harvest season, but in August we also reap the rewards of planting all those vegetables and herbs back in the spring and early summer. Proof is in the overflowing baskets of produce and the… Read More

by Charlie Thigpen Who knows what the weather will be like this month? June was brutal with temperatures in the mid to upper 90s with little rain. The unseasonably hot, dry weather made us quickly forget spring as we leapt into the middle of summer. Unfortunately July, August and even September in Birmingham should bring… Read More