Barking Dog Gardens

08/29/2026

2026 Fall Garden Season Is Upon Us: Early Tasks To Perform.

I declare that the second gardening season is upon us starting this weekend. I don't see a temperature much above 80º for the next two weeks and the nights are in the upper 50s and mid-60s. While Labor Day usually kick starts the season, it is really based upon temperatures. Cooling and cooler temperatures mean less stress and lower inputs are needed to keep the garden happy, and work done now and in September gives gardens plenty of time to establish before Winter....

I declare that the second gardening season is upon us starting this weekend. I don’t see a temperature much above 80º for the next two weeks and the nights are in the upper 50s and mid-60s. W…

08/27/2026

Native Bees vs Honey Bees: Working To Save Them All

Bees, wasps, flies... those buzzing, fuzzy, flitting little insects that you often hear before you see when in the garden. In the last newsletter, I was talking about native plants and their importance, now I would like to talk about Bees, and when I say Bees, that also includes, different but related, wasps and hornets. I have had clients say that they want flowers that don't attract bees, and while I understand some people have dangerous allergies to bee stings, it is important to know that you cannot separate bees and flowers....

Bees, wasps, flies… those buzzing, fuzzy, flitting little insects that you often hear before you see when in the garden. In the last newsletter, I was talking about native plants and their im…

08/14/2026

Best Pruning Tools And Their Care

I love teaching my pruning workshops at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. I teach five workshops throughout the year that correspond to the five pruning windows in which I professionally prune. One of the most common questions and part of my introduction in each class is a brief discussion of the tools we use to prune. The knowledge of how and when to prune is critical, but the tools are important, too....

I love teaching my pruning workshops at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. I teach five workshops throughout the year that correspond to the five pruning windows in which I professi…

08/14/2026

Bees and butterflies love this monster of a plant. Late summer flowers that are unique, along with its compound leaves. Up to 6’, with yellow fall color and black seed pods, that the birds love. This plant can really take up some space and flower for up to a month.

Wild Senna (Senna herbacarpa)

Friday, August 14th, 2026

08/09/2026

Great Black Wasp and others on Mountain Mint. These plant attract everyone in the peak of summer to the fall. Don’t worry about the buzzing, these insects don’t want to bother you, they are busy at the buffet.

Whorled Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum var pilosum)

Sunday, August 9th, 2026

08/06/2026

How To Determine What Plants Are Native For Your Garden And Why

This has been an interesting year for me with the number of jobs with which people wanted to plant all or mostly native plants. When the gardens mature they will be as beautiful as any traditional, or non-native, garden. They will just look a little different and require slightly different and less intensive care. Almost all of my new clients, in recent years, want to plant something native, and this is so encouraging for all that it can bring to the garden....

This has been an interesting year for me with the number of jobs with which people wanted to plant all or mostly native plants. When the gardens mature they will be as beautiful as any tr…

08/05/2026

While in the granite covered world of Northern Ontario, this beautiful soft moss is everywhere on the rocks in the shade of Pine and Birch trees. Sometimes the simplest things can be the most beautiful. This pillow most does best on rocks. Makes me want to do more moss gardens!

Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum glaucum)

Saturday, August 1st, 2026

07/22/2026

Summer Garden Topics: Spring Bulbs, Fireflies, Checkerspot Farm, and Doug Tallamy

Spring Flowering BulbsIt's that time of year to think about what bulbs you might want to plant in your garden this Fall. Spring Flowering bulbs are planted in the Fall and are some of our earliest flowering plants that go well into early Summer. They add important color when nothing else is happening. The even better part is they come back every year and many will expand their footprint over time, and they are inexpensive....

Spring Flowering BulbsIt’s that time of year to think about what bulbs you might want to plant in your garden this Fall. Spring Flowering bulbs are planted in the Fall and are some of our ear…

07/20/2026

One of my favorites for Summer color. With the tubular flowers, this native is a favorite of long tongue bees, butterflies and Hummingbirds that can reach deep for the nectar. A little deadheading early can encourage laterals to flowers. Many other colors in this Genus and the leaves make a nice tea.

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Friday, July 17th, 2026

07/15/2026

Hugelkultur: Creative Idea For A Native Garden

I had the pleasure of meeting a new client last summer, who lives on a lovely property in Belmont, MA. It historically had been planted with traditional, non-native plants with an extensive overstory of Red and Black Oak. Over the years, she has added an extensive layer of native shrubs, trees and perennials. In the front was a hot and sunny space where 6 raised garden beds had been created over a decade prior....

I had the pleasure of meeting a new client last summer, who lives on a lovely property in Belmont, MA. It historically had been planted with traditional, non-native plants with an extensive oversto…