Features

Mock orange, Shubert’s Red, mountain ash, red twigged dogwood and Miss Kim lilac, all successfully blend their fall colors. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Who doesn’t love fall?

Combining shades of gold, red/gold, a little straight up red — fall is a marvelous season.

 

Lysimachia purpurea’s yellow blooms glimmer in the fall light. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Fall is here but there’s still lots to do in the garden

We took our own advice, packed the rickety camper (an A-Liner), and headed north to Hidden Lake. This is a huge campground in the Kenai… Continue reading

 

Carrots, beets, red cabbage are on their way to the kitchen. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Time to harvest the vegetable garden

It’s that magnificent time of year when you really should head north. No need to leave the peninsula — the colors are really lovely within… Continue reading

 

Debi Poore stands under her very successful pea tunnel on Aug. 20, 2021, at her home in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Keep the garden parties going

September got here in a hurry. There is much to do, and I made a stab at some of it this past week. The perennial… Continue reading

Debi Poore stands under her very successful pea tunnel on Aug. 20, 2021, at her home in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
"Better late than never," the Kachemak Gardener said of the late-summer plants blooming in her garden in Homer. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick).

Kachemak Gardener: Plenty of time to harvest in the land of the midnight sun

Yikes! I just spent two of the most peaceful evening hours in the garden and completely forgot that this column is due, which means I… Continue reading

"Better late than never," the Kachemak Gardener said of the late-summer plants blooming in her garden in Homer. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick).
Linum rubrum is really just an annual red flax, but the bloom is satiny and edged with black and not to be resisted. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: the harvest is on— the whole point of a vegetable garden

The harvest is on. Spinach and chard are in the freezer. Gorgeous heads of broccoli (Arcadia) are meeting the same fate, much to our advantage.… Continue reading

Linum rubrum is really just an annual red flax, but the bloom is satiny and edged with black and not to be resisted. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Veronica in full vibrant bloom is a welcome sight in the perennial border. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Be patient with gardening and have hope

Sun, rain have cause perennials and shrubs to bloom magnificently.

Veronica in full vibrant bloom is a welcome sight in the perennial border. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Thalictrum (meadow rue) and meconopsis poppies offer a bright note in the back of an early border. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: 2021 gardening season is like a science project

Stalled, dead and late plants are part of the challenge of gardening at latitude 59.5 north.

Thalictrum (meadow rue) and meconopsis poppies offer a bright note in the back of an early border. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
The lewisia is better in a rock garden but it has found a spot it loves and thrives, thankfully. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Keep your intentions small — even a small garden can bring pleasure

As summer proceeds, little chores keep garden on track.

The lewisia is better in a rock garden but it has found a spot it loves and thrives, thankfully. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
The Sun Disc with its 1-inch bloom and 8-inch stature comes on early and strong, easily multiplying in your perennial beds. Because both of these bulbs are short, their spent foliage is easy to hide once your perennials come into their own. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Small garden wonders ease pain of losses

Remember: You’re gardening for yourself.

The Sun Disc with its 1-inch bloom and 8-inch stature comes on early and strong, easily multiplying in your perennial beds. Because both of these bulbs are short, their spent foliage is easy to hide once your perennials come into their own. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Johnny-jump-ups add a splash of color and cheer, as seen here on Sunday, May 23, in the Kachemak Gardener's garden in Homer. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener:

Spring is rushing at an exhilarating pace. Can we keep up? It’s fun to try. I had a rude realization this past week - my… Continue reading

Johnny-jump-ups add a splash of color and cheer, as seen here on Sunday, May 23, in the Kachemak Gardener's garden in Homer. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Chionodoxa is a reliable and early minor bulb, as seen here in the Kachemak Gardener's garden on May 9, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: The growing season has arrived — slow, but it’s here

O garden of mine, are you still slumbering or are you dead? That, really, is the question. The hope is that the answer will resolve… Continue reading

Chionodoxa is a reliable and early minor bulb, as seen here in the Kachemak Gardener's garden on May 9, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
A sure sign of spring is crocuses blooming in front of the Homer Bookstore, as seen here in this photo taken on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Take heart: Spring is rushing at us

Let’s start this by addressing the amount of snow that those of you who live at elevation are experiencing. Keep in mind that we lived… Continue reading

A sure sign of spring is crocuses blooming in front of the Homer Bookstore, as seen here in this photo taken on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
An African violet was started from seed about four years ago provides some spring cheer on April 4, 2021, at the home of the Kachemak Gardener in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Oops: Getting complacent at latitude 59.5 degrees N

I’m in a pickle. I’ve allowed myself to become complacent here at latitude 59.5 degrees north. What a mistake. Not only do we never have… Continue reading

An African violet was started from seed about four years ago provides some spring cheer on April 4, 2021, at the home of the Kachemak Gardener in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
"The perfect pink of the epiphytic cactus that I picked up at the grocery store years ago reliably blooms two or three times a year," the Kachemak Gardener said of this flower blooming on Sunday, March 21, at her Homer home. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: It’s difficult to believe spring is here

Tea and toast comfort while spring equinox serves snow bulbs cuddle below - Debi Poore March 21, first day of spring— although I’m finding it… Continue reading

"The perfect pink of the epiphytic cactus that I picked up at the grocery store years ago reliably blooms two or three times a year," the Kachemak Gardener said of this flower blooming on Sunday, March 21, at her Homer home. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Wheat grass offers a bright spot of green in an otherwise very snowy March on March 5, 2021, in the Kachemak Gardener's home in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Keep watering and rotating those seedlings

Let’s take a look at your seedlings. Do they have enough light? Good. I like to turn mine every day as they tend to bend… Continue reading

Wheat grass offers a bright spot of green in an otherwise very snowy March on March 5, 2021, in the Kachemak Gardener's home in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Red twig dogwood doing what it does best on a sunny afternoon on Feb. 17, 2021, at the Kachemak Gardener's home in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Advice on starting seedlings (even if you should just buy them)

This is an awkward column. Seed starting will be addressed but, in truth, I want you to buy your seedlings from one of our excellent… Continue reading

Red twig dogwood doing what it does best on a sunny afternoon on Feb. 17, 2021, at the Kachemak Gardener's home in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
"These primulas were not to be resisted," the Kachemak Gardener says of these flowers blooming in her Homer, Alaska, home on Feb. 2, 2021. "They will enhance the dining room table and then, come spring, find a home in the East Garden." (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Now’s the time to prepare for gardening season

Pre-season checklist: clean tools, prepare pots, and gather manure and compost

"These primulas were not to be resisted," the Kachemak Gardener says of these flowers blooming in her Homer, Alaska, home on Feb. 2, 2021. "They will enhance the dining room table and then, come spring, find a home in the East Garden." (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
Pips bloom on Jan. 4, 2021, in the home of the Kachemak Gardener in Homer, Alaska. Of the plant, Rosemary Fitzpatrick said, "Carri Thurman had the foresight to dig up the pips. We stored them in our respective refrigerators until the end of November. We were inspired after watching The Victorian Kitchen Garden." (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrck)

Kachemak Gardener: Of hellebores and honeysuckle and onions

The Kachemak Gardener has been graced by a startling degree of gardening tolerance

Pips bloom on Jan. 4, 2021, in the home of the Kachemak Gardener in Homer, Alaska. Of the plant, Rosemary Fitzpatrick said, "Carri Thurman had the foresight to dig up the pips. We stored them in our respective refrigerators until the end of November. We were inspired after watching The Victorian Kitchen Garden." (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrck)
Now is that time to clean and sharpen garden tools to get them ready for next season, as seen here on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in the Kachemak Gardener's shed. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)

Kachemak Gardener: Admitting to mistakes leads to joy of correcting them

If a shrub is in the wrong place, don’t be afraid to move it

Now is that time to clean and sharpen garden tools to get them ready for next season, as seen here on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in the Kachemak Gardener's shed. (Photo by Rosemary Fitzpatrick)
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