Month: September 2025

Some folks chase sunsets, but me? I wait for the moon to clock in. There’s just something magical about a garden that wakes up when most folks are pulling the covers over their heads. If you’ve never planted a moon garden, you’re missing out on one of the easiest, dreamiest ways to make your backyard […]

Well, well, well—Mother Nature is at it again. The clouds are leaking, the ground is squishy, and the rain is falling sideways like it’s got something to prove. Now, some folks would take this as a cue to plop down on the couch, binge on snacks, and watch the weather channel until the sun returns. […]

Well now, friends, the calendar says it’s the first day of fall—though the thermometer may not have gotten the memo yet. But the air is shifting, the light’s a little softer, and the leaves are just starting to whisper their golden secrets. Around here, that means we shift from the wild rush of summer gardening […]

Well now, Sunday’s rolled in soft as butter,the kind that melts on hot biscuits—no stutter,just easy breathing, birds tuning their strings,dew on the roses, and bees with gold rings. I shuffle barefoot through grass still asleep,sun yawning slow, stretching arms wide and deep.Tomatoes are blushing, shy as can be,while marigolds grin up laughing at me. […]

Well friends, the garden may look a little tired right now, but don’t let it fool you. September and October are treasure-hunting months for seed collectors who want to keep Tennessee’s native plants thriving. Some of these little gems need a cold winter nap—what we call stratification—before they’ll sprout in spring. If you’re willing to […]

Let’s face it—this world has turned into one big soap opera. You flip on the news and somebody’s yelling, scroll your phone and somebody else is yelling louder, and before you know it your blood pressure’s higher than your trellis after a summer of pole beans. That’s why I like to skip the drama and […]

Well, butter my biscuit and call me thrifty—fall is here and it’s begging for some front porch pizzazz! You don’t have to take out a small loan or buy every plastic pumpkin Hobby Lobby has ever birthed. Nope. We’re doing this the Willy Nilly way: scrappy, thrifty, a little crooked, but full of heart. 🧡💛🤎💛🧡 […]

Well folks, it’s that time of year again. The tomatoes are tired, the beans are stringy, and the squash vines look like they’ve fought a losing battle with a family of raccoons. Fall is rolling in, and while a lot of gardeners start packing it up, the sly Willy Nilly gardener knows this is prime […]

Well friends, let’s talk about one of my favorite scrappy, stubborn, and oh-so-important plants — the humble milkweed. Around here, I consider it less of a weed and more of a hero in disguise. Without it, the monarch butterflies would be out of luck, and so would our gardens that depend on pollinators flitting about […]

Now y’all know I’m a fan of sticking plants just about anywhere they’ll sit still long enough to grow. Porch, windowsill, mailbox, bathtub (don’t laugh, it’s been done!) — plants make a place feel alive. So naturally, folks running vacation rentals get the itch to green things up too. And let me tell you, it […]