Don’t buy cheap concrete retaining wall block or patio pavers.

May 15, 2017 | Don't DO ThaT

RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason Don’t buy cheap concrete retaining wall block or patio pavers. Yes, I’ve mellowed over the years. Twenty years ago, in my petulant youth (OK, petulant middle age) I’d probably admonish, “Don’t use concrete...

Don’t try to tell me that the herbicide 2,4-D is dangerous because it is half the ingredient in Agent Orange.

Mar 31, 2017 | Don't DO ThaT

RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason Don’t try to tell me that the herbicide 2,4-D is dangerous because it is half the ingredient in Agent Orange. It happened again three weeks ago in Oregon, where I encountered an earnest young man who had...

Don’t stick a wishing well in your yard just for the hell of it.

Mar 1, 2017 | Don't DO ThaT

RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason Don’t stick a wishing well in your yard just for the hell of it. Two things I’ve never yet found time to add to the site: my long-rumored Tree Circle Photo Gallery, and a similar photo gallery of a small...

Don’t lay landscaping fabric on the ground then apply mulch on top of it.

Feb 1, 2017 | Don't DO ThaT

RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason Don’t lay landscaping fabric on the ground then apply mulch on top of it.  We were doing a stone sidewalk job this spring at the same time the homeowner next door was diligently laying rolls of landscape...

Don’t blow grass clippings or rake leaves out into the street.

Jan 4, 2017 | Don't DO ThaT

RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason Don’t blow grass clippings or rake leaves out into the street. Time for my quick, annual tirade against this practice. Seems every lawn service employee as well as half the homeowners in my...

Don’t use wood chips or shredded bark as mulch in perennial beds.

Jan 4, 2017 | Don't DO ThaT

RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason Don’t use wood chips or shredded bark as mulch in perennial beds. Trust me, as you gain some years as a gardener, you’ll wish you hadn’t. Though I can see the reasoning – wood chips or...