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.
Book Notes: The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual
The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual: Essential Gardening Know-How for Keeping (Not Killing) More Than 160 Indoor Plants By Barbara Pleasant,2005, Storey Publications. Retail: $24.95 Review by Debra Knapke I can't count how many times I'm asked, "What is wrong...
Trendspotting: Sustainable Gardening
By Teresa Woodard Hi, folks. My fellow bloggers asked me to scour the gardening world in search of trends. So, to kick things off, I’m starting with a biggie for 2012– sustainability. Thankfully, I was encouraged to find the Midwest is a pioneer in the movement. Take...
Gardens to Drive For: Glasshouse Gardens
By Michael Leach A tropical escape from the cold and slush of Midwestern winter comes with an admission ticket not a boarding pass. Summer awaits in glass house gardens, those amazing conservatories from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee to St. Louis. Some of these are new...
Good Eats: Baked Butternut Squash
By Debra Knapke This time of year is light on fresh produce grown in the Midwest.* Traditionally, we have canned, dried, frozen or stored the bounty from the fall harvest. Pickles, preserves, dried fruits and vegetables were the mainstays of the winter diet before...
Garden Happenings: Orchid Show in St. Louis
By Teresa Woodard Escape to a rainforest filled with hundreds of orchids --right here in the Midwest, not Panama or Colombia. The Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis will open its annual Orchid Show on January 28. Step into a renowned collection of some 800...
The Dirt On Roots: Lesson 1
By Michael Leach "Amend the soil" appears as a commandment in almost every gardening how-to book and article. For good reason. Roots are work horses ensuring a plant's survival. Granted the leaves and flowers attract all the attention and are the make-or-break for...
Favorite Flora: Shimane Chojuraku (‘Long Life’) Peony
By Debra Knapke It is fitting to start Favorite Flora and the New Year with the tree peony 'Long Life' -- a plant that produces flowers of incredible beauty that are short-lived in the garden, but long-lived in our memory. Tree peonies typically bloom in the Midwest...