This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Most Frequent Questions

 
 
On Tue, 4 May 2004 19:15:55 -0500 "Doreen Howard" <g*@charter.net> writes:
There are many of you who write weekly or monthly columns for newspapers and web sites. Some of you have call-in radio programs, too. May I pick your brains?  What are the most frequently asked questions pertaining to gardening?  I'm trying to get a sense of what puzzles novice gardeners.

I've written a weekly newspaper column for 25 years and done a call-in radio show for a couple of years.
 
When I first did the radio show, I was terrified that I would be stumped regularly. Despite what I tell my wife, I don't know everything. The first few shows, I took so many reference books with me that it took two trips up the stairs to get them into the studio. I was getting pretty buff until I realized that almost all of the questions were so elementary that even I could handle them.
 
The most frequent question on the radio show was, "Why won't my hydrangia bloom?" The answer -- many florist hydrangias are ground hardy here but not bud hardy. I advised to dig up the hydrangia they got for Mother's Day in 1987 and plant one from a good nursery, but I'm sure no one ever did.
 
At garden club talks, there is always the geranium question -- how to overwinter them. In fact, now when I open the floor for questions, I always ask who has the geranium question so I can get it out of the way.
 
As for grinding out the weekly column, I am very fortunate. A mile from me is the county "Master" Gardener's demonstration garden. Whenever I'm stuck for a topic, I can just walk over there to see what really dumb things people can do in a garden. For example, this week's column, inspired by the "Master" Gardener's demo garden, explains that when you are terracing a small slope, you put the retaining wall at the BOTTOM of the slope, not at the top. I swear to God.
 
They don't like me very much.
 
D

I am Duane Campbell and I approve this message
_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
&quot;Gardenwriters on Gardening&quot; &lt;gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org&gt;

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index