Heartland Gardening bloggers
(left to right: Michael Leach, Debra Knapke and Teresa Woodard)
Michael Leach, Teresa Woodard, and I were in Indianapolis in 2011 attending a GWA – The Association of Garden Communicators – conference. After a garden writers workshop we went out to dinner. Not an easy thing to do in a city where three other conferences were also in session. Over the second bottle of wine, while waiting for our table, we decided to create a blog together. We not only launched the blog, Heartland Gardening, but developed deep friendships.
In June, 2021, Michael passed, Teresa became more involved with her writing – please look for her book American Roots and her next book, Garden to the Max which will be published in March 2025. And I became involved with projects that focus on care for the Earth and and all who live on it. Teresa and I felt that it was time to let our blog settle into an archive as a beautiful testament to three gardeners who shared their passion for plants, people, and collaboration.
Enjoy.
Good Eats: Garlic Scape Pesto
By Debra Knapke Sorry for the short notice, but the time is now: go outside and collect your garlic scapes, otherwise known as the flowering stem of a garlic plant. Flower and seed production takes energy away from the developing head of garlic which you will be...
Good Eats: Cherry Berry Pie
By Teresa Woodard Cherries and berries make a great combination. I prefer sour cherries from our backyard and wild black raspberries from the preserve near our house, but this week I used store-bought raspberries since the black raspberries aren’t ripe yet. The...
Snapshots: Cherry Picking
By Teresa Woodard We harvested our first cherries from our backyard cherry trees. They're a bit early and a bit small, but I'm not complaining. A fresh cherry pie sounds wonderful!
Trendspotting: Tropicals
By Teresa Woodard The Jimmy Buffet syndrome is prompting more and more gardeners to grow tropicals in zone-defying Northern climates. That’s what John Reiner of Oakland Nursery in Columbus, Ohio, sees as the cause for the exponential growth in tropical plant sales in...
Good Eats: Rhubarb Cream Pie
By Debra Knapke It is difficult to find time to sit down at the computer and compose articles about food as I am so busy in the garden planting, weeding and spreading compost, all the while salivating as I dream of the riches to come. One “fruit” that we are...
Favorite Flora: Peonies
By Michael Leach Peonies make the humblest garden look rich. Their grand dame appearance is a combination of belle-epoque Paris and Chinese paintings. Peonies look like prima donnas but are tough as work horses. They need little more than full sun and decent soil to...
Book Notes: Edible Front Yard
The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-less, Grow-more Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden by Ivette Soler, 2011, Timber Press. Retail: $19.95 Reviewed by Debra Knapke Front lawn perfection has been an obsession of American homeowners since the late 1940s, but a...
Trendspotting: Edible Landscapes
By Teresa Woodard In today’s landscapes, beauty is no longer enough. Gardeners are transforming their landscapes from simply tasteful to really tasty. According to Ros Creasy, author of The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping, people of Renaissance times started the...
Book Notes: Decoding Gardening Advice
Decoding Gardening Advice: the Science Behind the 100 Most Common Recommendations - Jeff Gillman and Maleah Maynard, Timber Press, 2012. Reviewed by Debra Knapke Gardening is a blend of art and science. Art is in the eye of the beholder - and gardener. Science is...