Garden Talk

Gardening tips and advice from Lorraine Kiefer.

Time to Decorate – Naturally

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published December 1st, 2012 in Cape May Magazine • Garden Talk

When winter approaches, I love to be able to go out-of-doors to bring nature in. Take a winter walk to collect materials for holiday decorations.
Pickled in Poland

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published August 1st, 2012 in Garden Talk • Gardening

The smell of dill pickles is reminiscent of many things, but mostly of my two visits to Poland in mid-summer.
Strawberries – The Fragrant Fruit

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published June 1st, 2012 in Garden Talk • Recipes

There is something about the fragrance of a field of strawberries with the warm June sun, the blue skies and butterflies floating lazily over the berries that stays in one’s memory.
Grow Your Own Jersey Fresh Tomatoes

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published May 1st, 2012 in Garden Talk

Everyone loves a big, thick juicy slice of a Jersey tomato on a sandwich!
Apples are in season

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published October 1st, 2011 in Garden Talk

Trees laden with glossy red apples are a beautiful sight in orchards along country roads throughout southern New Jersey. Stands are heaped high with baskets of apples and customers flock to buy and taste those first crispy, juicy delicious apples of the season. Apples have come a long way from the sour, little fruits on [...]
Add perennials for years of bloom!

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published August 1st, 2011 in Garden Talk

Whether you garden in a pot or a plot, it is time to take notice and give the plants one last feeding, if you do not already have time-release fertilizer on the plants. Clip or deadhead blooming plants so they will continue to flower. Trim back vegetables if they need it and plant some fall [...]
Plant Lindera Benzoin to Lure Butterflies

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published May 1st, 2011 in Garden Talk

A few years back I became serious about growing the native plant Lindera benzoin for wildlife. Although it was a plant that I would only get a request for from time to time in our nursery, all that I read about the plant fascinated me. The plant was not one I knew and I did not [...]
Dandelion – Really the bad boy on the block?

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published March 1st, 2011 in Garden Talk • Gardening • Recipes

Most folks would laugh if someone said they planted this common weed in their garden, yet today’s supermarkets buy vast amounts of dandelion from farmers who grow it for market.
Pressed Posies: Give your Valentine a Victorian remembrance

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published February 1st, 2011 in Garden Talk • Gardening

This is the time of the year when thoughts may turn to that which is sentimental or romantic. The Victorians were known for their attachment to that which is pretty and reflective of special times.
Making Your Backyard a Birding Mecca

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published January 13th, 2011 in Garden Talk

Do you have birds gobbling up seeds and insect pests in your garden? If not, you should consider adding a bird feeder and planning to plant some bird friendly plants this spring
Mistletoe, mistletoe growing in a tree…K-i-s-s-i-n-g

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published November 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening

Can you find some mistletoe growing in a tree? It is in Cape May County and all over. Mistletoe memories for me go back to when a pile of fresh, crisp green mistletoe was heaped in a basket at the vegetable market on the corner of Landis Avenue. It was locally grown, of course. Now, [...]
Spicy Legend and Lore

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published October 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening

The Victorians loved legend and lore of times gone by. In autumn, they used many herbs and spices that were associated with fall holidays. The Victorians were awed by the exotic. Find out what they believed those herbs & spices meant!
Time to Wine

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published September 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening

There is a lot of interest in growing grapes in the Cape May area now. This year’s September Food and Wine Festival affords the opportunity to visit these enchanting places. People have always grown grapes in southern New Jersey, and we have history of wine making for over 200 years. One of the oldest wineries [...]
All this and Berries too!

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published July 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening

If your yard is a typical southern New Jersey somewhat sandy soil with some oaks here and there, blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) just might fit the bill. This tasty, succulent fruit will thrive in almost any kind of soil as long as it is acid.
Pickling with Dill

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published June 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk

I have fond childhood memories of walking through dill up to my chin in my Polish grandmother’s (Babci’s) garden. Of course I was quite small then, but the wonderful warm, cozy aroma of dill takes me back many, many years to the crocks of pickles she made.
Of Lilacs and Lily of the Valley

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published May 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening

As spring matures and May arrives, gentle breezes are laden with the fragrance of Lilacs and Lily of the Valley. I love these and can drift back to childhood days in either of my grandmothers’ gardens when I could smell their wonderful fragrances. Back then, I think that most everyone had hedges of lilacs, often [...]
The Search for Fragrant Spring Violets

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published April 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk

There are many kinds of violets, the wild ones that grow along the side of the road, the yellow and pinks that are a bit unusual and then the fragrant ones that are more difficult to find.
Making Your Garden a Birding Mecca

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published March 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening

Do you have birds gobbling up seeds and insect pests in your garden? If not, you should consider adding a bird feeder and planning to plant some bird-friendly plants for next year.
Soup – A Gardener’s Elixir of Life

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published February 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening • Recipes

Many gardeners like to get outside, even in cold weather. A lot of gardeners also like to cook using their garden vegetables. Enjoy recipes for Monk’s Garden Soup, Barscazc, Chicken Soup with Greens, and Tomato Soup.
The Christmas Rose – As far from a rose as one can get

Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published January 1st, 2010 in Garden Talk • Gardening

Many folks want to plant plants when they see them in bloom. Unfortunately for Hellebores, the Christmas or Lenten rose, the ground is frozen or there is snow everywhere when they’re showing off!