Browse: Home / Columns / Garden Talk

Garden Talk

Gardening tips and advice from Lorraine Kiefer.

  1. grapes cape may1

    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 [...]

  2. blueberries

    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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 [...]

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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!

  9. Hollies: A Jolly South Jersey Winter Favorite

    Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published December 1st, 2009 in Garden Talk • Gardening

    It is time to write about one of my favorite trees, the Holly. They are so glorious this time of the year and they grow so well in our area they deserve a yearly applause.

  10. Bayberry – A native plant that yields fragrant holiday candles!

    Text by Lorraine Kiefer | Published November 1st, 2009 in Garden Talk • Gardening

    One of my favorite plants of the Cape May area is Bayberry. They are a native and one that the birds help to spread. Bayberry says seashore. Traditionally the berries of these evergreen plants have been used to make candles.