This Ol’ Shed

Connie Cottingham • October 17, 2010

I had knitting friends over Thursday night. One of the best things about having folks over is that the house is cleaned in a frenzy right before. One of the best things about that is my clean house collided with help in the garden and perfect Fall weather on Saturday morning – so why not spend the day in the garden! Kelly transformed bare post-chicken-yard ground into a mulched area under the pines just perfect for a collection of camellias, my hammock, lots of spring bulbs, plus sun-loving perennials. At the same time I shoveled out the chicken shed and laid fresh mulch in its place. Thank goodness there wasn’t a mirror around, because for a while I was wearing my Aussie style Tula hat and a bandana around my nose and mouth to avoid the dust. OK, if that image isn’t bad enough, let me add that it wasn’t a classic western look, thanks to a tacky turquoise and pink abstract design on the bandana. I am glad I never actually saw how I looked – I was just happy to breathe with all the dust being stirred up.

So what was the chicken pen now has a table and chairs on fresh mulch, with an open air feel, between the shade garden and the north vineyard. Sounds lovely, especially if you have browsed a coffee table book on garden sheds. Let me tell you, when I say shed I mean shed. And the table is green plastic surrounded by white plastic chairs gathered up around the property. I’m havin’ trouble attaching a photo tonight, but I’ll get before, during and afters of this project. Still, it has a very calming, relaxed, country feel that fits me. Later I may go out and buy better furniture, but the shed will always be a shed. It’s fun that Kelly, who has been helping me reclaim the garden, is very OK with the style. She even lifted up the old set of wood deck steps that I could not get onto the loads to the dump last week and said “Two posts on this and you have a plant stand. Think of how pretty all of your ladies-in-waiting will look!” My ladies-in-waiting are all the one gallon plants waiting to find a home in my garden. We also decided the collection of 40+ year old fence rails could make a fun edging for the new bed.

The next step is to move the potting bench that my father made for me about 20 years ago into that area. It’s a perfect location and, luckily, the bench is on wheels. The three metal trash cans that held chicken feed will be stocked with potting soil and orchid bark beside the bench.

Today I pruned the variegated pittosporum on the front corners of the house. These were huge masses of foliage when we moved in 9 years ago, but were pruned into windswept clusters of trees. That looks great, but ongoing pruning is needed to keep that look. When I was getting advice on work needing to be done to the house, I was told to prune away any branches touching the house. Leaf and limb pickup is tomorrow and hopefully a new coat of paint on the house is coming soon, so pruning had to be done today. A mountain of pittosporum branches are now piled up beside the road.

I’m addicted to listening to my IPod while gardening and this time I started Knit with Courage, Live with Hope : a good book, but maybe not the best subject for me. It is written by a knitwear designer dealing with her husband’s fast-moving cancer and constant pain. A book being read to me is a good background not only to pruning, but to frantic knitting. Last night I cleaned out my knitting basket and discovered the cabled scarf I was knitting for my uncle. Uncle Steve is living in New Jersey, rather thin, and tells me he walks almost a mile a day. He is also 94 and it is starting to get cold. I must get this scarf done! So I sat on the deck for several more chapters and knitted. The scarf is now long enough to function, but I might as well finish up this second skein before casting off, washing it and getting it into the mail.

A row of cherokee purple tomato plants in pots

Why I would not plant a tomato (or pepper) in March in my NW Arkansas garden.

By Connie Cottingham • March 28, 2025
It is late March in Northwest Arkansas, with temps in the 70s, sunny skies and spring fever hitting hard. Plants are in front of stores and garden centers are buzzing. Everyone wants to plant NOW. Although I have seen many peppers and tomato plants for sale, I would not buy one or plant it in March. As beautiful it is today, next week will have three mornings at 40 degrees or below. Yes, that is above freezing, but many tropical plants will die at higher temperatures. Tomatoes should be planted when evening temperatures reliably stay above 50 degrees. Studies say even if the tomato plant looks OK, growth can be stunted when planted before the soil warms up. Yes, it is hard to resist. Here are a few things to do instead. Watch for Blackberry Winter. It’s a thing – practically every year. When the blackberries bloom in early spring, a late cold snap or a frost hits. The average last frost date in Benton County, AR, is April 19 and my blackberries have not bloomed yet, so there is a good chance April will have some chilly nights. Be a rebel - buy the tomato anyway and plant it. You are not risking your children’s inheritance and getting your hands dirty is therapy, so if you want to do it, do it. The biggest commitment is the space in your garden, which could be producing greens and vegetables in April instead. Plant cooler season vegetables now and harvest those until you plant the tomatoes (and peppers) later. There are radish seeds that can be harvested in only 24 days, baby spinach that can be harvested in 28 days, and lettuce and spinach plants for sale, so you could get a crop in before planting your tomatoes. Win/win. I must admit, when spring fever hits hard I sometimes buy a six-pack of lettuce for instant gratification. Lettuce in greens, burgundies, and with speckles look so pretty in a freshly prepared garden bed. March is a good time to plant potatoes. onions, or fruit plants like strawberries and blueberries. There’s plenty of food crops you can be planting now. Are you upgrading your big pots on the front porch? Move the old containers to a sunny side yard and plant potatoes, strawberries, or herbs in them. Use this time to build raised planting beds and enrich your soil.

Helleborus and Eudora Welty’s House & Garden

By Connie Cottingham • March 24, 2025
Jackson, Mississippi

Fennel: Food, Foliage and Butterflies

By Connie Cottingham • March 10, 2025
I recently picked up a couple of fennel bulbs in the grocery store—not quite sure what I would do with them, but completely enchanted by the idea of trying something new. Honestly, this isn’t unusual for me. I often shop in garden centers the same way—choosing things that delight me without a clear plan in mind. Cooking with Fennel Fennel seems to be more common in European kitchens than in the United States. In her Around My French Table cookbook, Dorie Greenspan suggests adding a fennel bulb, cut into strips, while sautéing onions in her leek and potato soup recipe. Her approach is genius: leave the vegetables in the broth, so every serving feels fresh. It can be enjoyed as-is, pureed and served cold as vichyssoise, pureed into a creamy soup, or topped with croutons. This variety keeps leftovers exciting rather than repetitive. While I’ve grown fennel before, it’s always been for my beloved swallowtail butterflies rather than the kitchen. That alone makes fennel a worthwhile addition to the garden. But I’ve since learned its foliage can be used in salads, as a garnish, or even in flower arrangements. Growing Fennel in the Garden Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare ) is a tender perennial and a member of the parsley family. To grow it successfully, plant seeds in succession during spring and fall, as fennel tends to bolt in summer heat. When thinning seedlings, don’t let the pulled plants go to waste—they’re excellent in sandwiches and salads. Fennel’s versatility extends to ornamental gardening, too. Consider planting it in a flower border where its feathery foliage, especially the bronze fennel, provides striking contrast among flowers and shrubs. Some sources report that fennel doesn’t always play well with other vegetables and can cross-pollinate with dill, so plan your garden layout accordingly. If you’re not growing fennel for seeds, pinch off the blooms to encourage larger bulbs and prevent self-sowing. The blooms themselves make a delightful garnish. For Butterflies and You Whether you grow fennel for its fine-textured foliage, culinary uses, or to host swallowtail butterflies, every reason to add it to your garden is a good one. Swallowtail caterpillars devour a lot of foliage to transform into butterflies, so planting multiple fennel plants is a must if you want to share with them. Bronze fennel, with its deep-hued leaves, makes a particularly striking addition to the garden.
A bottle of eau de toilette sits on a bathroom counter

Love, Kent Beauty

By Connie Cottingham • February 25, 2025
I know Connie has sung my praises many times, but just look at me. I was put in this vase a few months ago; the water is long gone. Outside, dried, brown, perennial seedheads are feeding the birds. Azalea flower buds are capped with snow. I am in the warm house, pretty in pink, a reminder for Connie to buy more Ornamental Oregano ( Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ ) in spring, because I am: A beautiful dried flower, Fun to add to a flower arrangement. My thin stems fit in even tiny bottles and drape over the sides of bigger containers, A thick, weed choking, low perennial, Good for containers, Able to take full sun (I was cut from a plant that drapes over the street curb), Deer resistant, and Very pollinator friendly. Give me full sun and good drainage and I will give so much back. If you are looking for an herb to cook with, plant a culinary Oregano for better flavor. I can’t do everything!  Love, Kent Beauty
A thank you letter to anna may with a picture of an older woman

Thank You, Anna Mae

By Connie Cottingham • February 25, 2025
I stumbled upon these pages in an old cookbook, and they instantly took me back to a cherished memory. Have you ever driven by Searles Prairie on the corner of Hudson Road and Dixieland Road in Rogers? This little patch of nature holds a special story—one that I’m grateful to share. Years ago, while participating in the same garden club as Anna Mae Searles, she welcomed me into her home and shared her plans to safeguard her land. With a quiet determination, she was preparing to grant a conservation easement to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. Her passion was evident when she explained that the prairie was home to “prairie pimples” (yes, it’s a thing—look it up!)—quirky natural formations that make the land uniquely beautiful. Anna Mae couldn’t stand the idea of her beloved prairie being bulldozed for development. Every time I pass by that spot, I feel a surge of gratitude for Anna Mae’s foresight and dedication. In 1988, she took a stand, protecting a rare piece of land. According to a 2012 article in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, this land is “10 acres of wild grasses and wildflowers in Rogers that is believed to be the last tract of virgin prairie in the region. Virgin as in prairie that has never been plowed. That makes Searles Prairie unique.” The article also said Anna Mae had been offered half a million dollars for the land but her vision was for it to be preserved and used as a teaching tool. This piece of land holds even deeper meaning for me. My mother’s last apartment had a balcony that overlooked this natural haven, and those views are a cherished memory. So, yes, thank you Anna Mae.

The Rose On My Doorstep

By Connie Cottingham • December 16, 2024
My first Black Friday purchase was an order of four roses from Heirloom Roses, which arrived on my doorstep this week. I ordered two ‘Belinda’s Dream’ roses, one of the most carefree everblooming roses to grow, for two planting beds I am creating in my back yard now.

Lessons learned from my first year in the new kitchen garden

By Connie Cottingham • January 7, 2024
2023 was my first full year in my new home and my kitchen garden on the west side. This is a sketch of my garden plan, with the beds and posts built as my fence was being installed. Overall, I am thrilled with the design and decision. I thought I would share some of the […]

Stunning, dark leaves on Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea

By Connie Cottingham • January 5, 2024
I met First Editions® Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea when Bailey Nurseries hosted a tour and evening at their headquarters in St. Paul, MN, during the 2023 GardenComm (garden communicators) conference. I had never toured a growing location at that scale before. Each attendee was given an Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea to take home and trial. But I also was able to […]

How to shop a plant sale. This works for buying plants at local nurseries too.

By Connie Cottingham • April 25, 2023
With a little thought and preparation you will come home with the best plants for your garden. 1. Know where you need plants. This helps you target one area of a sale instead of distracted wandering (blooming plants are like puppy videos – totally hijacking your focus). 2. Research the plant sale. Some sales post […]

10 tips to help you enjoy holiday light shows in public gardens

By Connie Cottingham • November 21, 2022
'Tis the season for holiday light shows in public gardens. Here are a few tips to make sure you have a fun evening among the lights. Happy Holidays!
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