When we first carved out a garden from the surrounding trees, we knew we couldn’t grow a sun-loving shrub like the blueberry. Blueberries needed a little more warmth and light than we could provide, so we researched cold-hardy berries like the honeyberry, seaberry, and lignonberry, and planted a 30 ft…
Utah Honeysuckle (Lonicera utahensis) If you’ve ever walked through the woods near McCall, ID, you’ve probably seen several honeysuckle varieties growing wild. The distinctive red twinberry, or Utah Honeysuckle (Lonicera utahensis) looks like two translucent fish eggs glued together. The black twinberry (Lonicera involucrata) looks like…
In 2015 I posted that you should never purchase raspberries because they are probably invading someone else’s home and garden. I didn’t expect it to happen to me so soon, but I had sprouts coming up that fall. Now they are coming up in the path, in the former rhubarb…
Last weekend we started building a kiwi trellis. Most people’s reaction to this is “Inside your greenhouse?” or “Inside your actual house with that fig you’re going to kill eventually?” or just “WHAATT?” But the kiwi endeavor, unlike the fig tree or the maypop vine, might actually be successful. When…
A few days ago Toby called me from Mississippi, where he is doing prescribed burning for 6 weeks. One of his coworkers lives in New Meadows, and his wife had found mouse damage girdling their fruit trees. “Can you check our trees?” he asked. Our trees are still under 3 feet…
I have a theory on why individual raspberry plants are so expensive. Who is willing to pay $30 for a single plant at D&B? I would never be able to afford my raspberry habit! I think they are priced to save overzealous gardeners from themselves. They will TAKE OVER. My…
Welcome to the Timber Garden! Toby and I purchased our first home on 3 acres outside of McCall, ID in October of 2014. We couldn’t wait to put in a permanent garden and fruit trees! We had both grown up gardening with our families and tried to grow something wherever…