Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Did you know that moss isn’t just a beautiful decoration for your home, garden and planters!? In fact certain mosses can help prevent erosion, can be used to enrich soil (peat moss!), and have many fascinating historical uses such as in the making of Scotch whiskey, bread, used to extinguishing fire, and even as first aid dressings during WWII (Sphagnum mosses).

If you are thinking of enhancing your garden with moss, growing a moss garden, or are even just looking for ways to get rid of it, you should read this informative article by Robert Muma that originally appeared in the 1986 summer issue of Wildflower magazine. It is simply loaded with useful facts such as the best times to transplant moss (Spring and Fall), types of mosses (complete with illustrations), and more!

Mosses in Your Wildflower Garden by Robert Muma

While you are perusing the many fascinating facts about moss, check out the beautiful and unusual paintings of moss by Robert Muma here.

Want even more information?

Wikipedia has a great post about moss

Also Michael Fletcher wrote a great (and detailed!) handbook for moss growers in pdf format.

All the pictures presented in this post were taken at Silver Falls on a lovely day trip to L’Anse Michigan while touring the area for colorful fall foliage. I simply fell in love with the rich green hues of moss and wanted to learn more about it so that next year I can enhance my own garden with the beautiful colors and soft texture! Moss is a very interesting element, it is often used in Japanese style gardens because it provides “a sense of calm, age and stillness to a garden scene.” I hope this post inspires you to give moss a try in your own gardens!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

One way I keep in tune with my garden during the long cold months of winter is by adding a little bit of Spring to my mailbox every month. I subscribe to several gardening magazines, and not only do they give me inspiration, but they also keep me informed on the latest gadgets, flowers, plants, and gardening techniques. There are several publications I feel are worth the few dollars for a subscription, here I will share with you a list of my favorites…
The Daily Weeder does not sale subscriptions or receive any commission on subscriptions purchased. The views reflected in this post are presented solely for the purpose of sharing useful gardening information.

Horticulture

The English Garden

Backyard Living

Organic Gardening

Gardening How-To

Gardeners World ($$$)

Country Gardens

Garden Gate

Canadian Gardening

Even if you don’t want to purchase a subscription, the websites of these various publications tend to be very good and informative, definitely worth checking out!

Other Publications

These publications, while very good, I don’t feel the need to purchase a subscription. Instead I check out the magazines at my local newsstand every month and purchase when there is something of particular interest to me included…

Birds n’ Blooms

Fine Gardening

Garden Design

The Herb Quarterly

All of the magazines listed are widely available for sale on the Internet, and they are also available from Amazon.com, and quite often the magazine itself has a website (if so, it is linked above). Also note that most of these magazines are not published every single month, but rather are available bi-monthly or even quarterly.

This post also comes at an opportune time of year! If you have a gardener in your life, you may want to consider giving a gardening magazine subscription to them for the holidays. It’s the gift that keeps on giving– all year long!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

There is a lot of great gardening information available on the Internet (including the Daily Weeder blog of course!)! When I come across a site I really like, find useful, and informative, I take note! Here we are going to explore some of the links I think you all will like! I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did!

Save Money in the Garden

BHG offers twenty great tips on how to save money in your own garden! The tips include brewing your own potions, purchasing late in the season, and cultivating friendships with pickup truck owners! A few of these may just make you smile, but several are quite useful! Remember any money you save one place in the garden can be used to splurge someplace else! You may just earn yourself a new fountain, harbor, or rose bush!

Plants Poisonous to Dogs

If you happen to have a furry friend, you should read this article! This is a helpful list of poisonous plants to keep away from your pets! It includes emergency contact information of the Animal Poison Control Center! I keep this handy just in case!

Your Plants and Your Wallet Will Love Rain Water

Why spend money on something you can get for free! Collect rain water to use in your garden– as the article mentions, its chemical free and useful to keep around during droughts! Good tips, and great information!

Curbing Hunger With Gardening in Your Community!

Unfortunately, there are people in the U.S. that can’t feed themselves. You may know someone in your own community. It’s always easiest to turn a blind eye, but if you have extra seeds, or extra fruit and veggies from your garden or pantry, why not share them and help make someone’s life all that much easier! You can even get together with other gardening buddies and pals and start an organization in your own community to help those who are hungry! This informative article has a lot of great ideas!

MMS Gardens: Historic Medicinal Plants

An interesting read about medicinal plants, especially the brief history and origins of the various species discussed. Of course, make sure to read the disclaimer, and don’t take anything without consulting with your doctor first!

I will make sure to continue to save useful links that I come across! Keep tuned to the Daily Weeder for lots of great tips, tricks, ideas, and inspiration on cold climate gardening!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne