About

Welcome to Garden Junkie’s Blog - the blog for ”wanna-be but not quite sure how to get there” gardeners everywhere.

So why did I start this blog?  Well…  Have you ever noticed that the gardening magazines and websites seem to assume that we all have a horticulture degree, a one acre nursery in our back yard, and endless hours to spend in the garden?  Or that descriptions in catalogs don’t give you the full story – like the fact that “healthy growth in first year” really means “will take over your entire yard”?  Or found that the garden plan you bought was either so general or so specific that you couldn’t apply it to your own yard?  Yup, me too.  After many, many dead plants (over- and under- watered, fertilized, pruned, and otherwise destroyed), overgrown jungles and barren wastelands (all in my back yard in the same year), enormously out-of-proportion ”accent plants,” bug infestations and mass bug warfare (before learning that some bugs are actually beneficial – go figure), wildly-spreading weeds (that I’d actually planted – oops), and other gardening disasters, I finally learned a thing or two about gardening.  Maybe I’m not what you might call a quick learner!

I’ve had the good fortune to garden in a wide range of climates, from California to Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Ontario, New Jersey, and now, Connecticut. I’ve found that some things about gardening are pretty much the same no matter where you are – the weeding, the need for irrigation, the surprising vigor of plants that “shouldn’t grow here” and the premature demise of ones that should, the enthusiasm at the beginning of the season, and the weariness at the end of it. Mostly, it’s the little details that differ – one type of salvia does well in California but rots in New Jersey, the Japanese maple that thrives in Ohio freezes solid in Illinois. I’ve learned to pay attention to the hardiness zone, water needs, and prefered sun conditions of plants (although I don’t always follow the recommendations – but what gardener does??).

All of those experiences have lead to this – the Garden Junkie’s Blog, where I share ideas, (hard-earned!) gardening advice, plant and product reviews, how-to’s, and the many (mis)adventures in my tiny suburban, zone 6 garden in Stamford, CT.  I hope you’ll join in the discussion of all things gardening!

Monica Hemingway (aka the Garden Junkie)

Disclaimer: I don’t work for any garden-related companies and I don’t get paid for what I write here – all you get is my honest and unbiased opinion. If I recommend something, say a plant or tool, I may include a link to places you can buy it. I may also point you to my own website The Gardeners’ List (local gardening resources for lower Fairfield County, CT) for more information, but that’s not the primary goal of my posts. Just wanted you to know where I’m coming from…