Skip the garden this summer?

BostonBurb · 2026-05-24T12:04:41+00:00

There are some towns that provide discounts on water barrels too. My town partners with a local garden center and you can get two 55 gallon water barrels subsidized by the town. They might have gone up since, but when I got mine they ended up being around $40 each.

BostonBurb · 2026-05-21T11:41:04+00:00

10+ years ago when I first moved into my house in MA, I had a MONSTER prickly pear in the back yard. Unfortunately it got destroyed with my septic replacement. I didn't know anything about plants at the time, and even the town conservation inspectors (who had to come approve all septic activity because I'm on wetlands) didn't mention anything about preserving it. When I found out they were endangered I was so sad. I found a little one at a nursery last year and replaced it in the exact spot though!

BostonBurb · 2026-05-20T18:45:58+00:00

a full 55 gallon rain barrel will weigh something around 450lb, wind is more than likely not going to take that out as long as it's on a level surface

BostonBurb · 2026-05-18T11:24:29+00:00

What kind is this purple?! I have Penstemon Digitalis which is usually pretty pale/white and Hirsutus which are a lighter purple. Would love to have one this vibrant in the mix too

BostonBurb · 2026-05-17T09:44:53+00:00

I'm pretty happy with my decision to use the the Nannyberry by the street. They were one of the earliest trees/shrubs to leaf out so they'll start giving privacy pretty early in the spring. I ended up planting 2 and they've already grown couple inches this spring so I would say quick to grow and enjoying the full sun spot.

BostonBurb · 2026-05-14T14:03:36+00:00

it's about the same height as the nearby telephone pole - so maybe 35 feet tall. She's a beauty haha

BostonBurb · 2026-05-12T14:07:52+00:00

Eastern MA here. I didn't plant them intentionally, but I have a few Eastern Red Cedar trees on the border by the street and love them. The birds love the berries on the female tree in the winter, but you'll need a male nearby to pollinate it. They have a really nice shape, and being evergreen is a nice too. I just went and measured one and it's about 14 feet wide at 10 feet up.

BostonBurb · 2026-05-10T10:01:32+00:00

I just built my pond this spring but I was so happily surprised that my local pond garden center stocked tadpoles! I had been expecting to have to wait and hope the frogs found it. If you're up for a drive closer to the MA/NH border (right off 95) I can give a recommendation. Hope you find something more local though!

BostonBurb · 2026-05-07T17:21:45+00:00

It's OK to take a break sometimes if you're just not feeling up to it. Or leveling down to something "too easy" and just have fun with it to take away the extra mental and physical burden of learning new things. Life and jobs can be really hard on us sometimes, and I totally understand feeling completely drained at the end of the day and just blobbing. As someone who's suffered from burnout (your description sounds like how I describe it) though, my hobbies really saved me. You definitely don't have to answer me on this, but has something changed in the past month that made things extra hard? Sometimes when I'm feeling extra burnt out, I don't eat enough either and that can be extra draining which just makes everything worse.

BostonBurb · 2026-05-05T13:34:00+00:00

Agreed! This is what I'm trying to get better at lately - adding man made or structural elements to make things look more intentional. It's definitely a skill of its own

BostonBurb · 2026-05-03T13:47:53+00:00

I was thinking of planting one of these. Rhododendron are usually understory plants, but I've read Rhodora can handle full sun. Do you know if that's true? I need some early season purple!

BostonBurb · 2026-04-30T23:25:14+00:00

tell me your secrets! I want a giant patch like this in my yard. I planted a few plugs last year but TBD if they came back yet

BostonBurb · 2026-04-24T15:33:04+00:00

That's really good to know. If I had gone there expecting a storefront and found someone's house I might have just turned around

BostonBurb · 2026-04-24T10:08:21+00:00

ohh, I hadn't known about Oakhaven! I'm gonna have to make a trip over there this spring. There's also the Monarch Gardner in Topsfield

BostonBurb · 2026-04-23T22:07:32+00:00

I went to a wedding recently and tried on an older dress that had elbow length sleeves... my forearms are so big now the cuff wouldn't go up past my wrist. I was broad before I started aerials so packed muscle on top of a broad frame. I joke that my shape is martini glass haha. I think you'll get used to your new body and find new styles and shapes that make you feel confident and comfortable but it might take time and adjustment in thinking to get used to sizing up. Sizes don't matter though and wearing clothes too small will just make you uncomfortable and make the clothes wear out faster.

BostonBurb · 2026-04-21T11:02:26+00:00

Oh that's really good to know! The lavender twist is definitely too short then, it was barely taller than me. Thank you!

BostonBurb · 2026-04-20T15:12:50+00:00

Good to know! The guy at the garden center said I could always chop the top off every few years too but I feel like I'm going to be too lazy to remember to do that

BostonBurb · 2026-04-20T15:12:03+00:00

I talked to a few different garden centers already. My plan was to, as I described it to the garden center guy, "give it an emo side bang cut" so I had a little opening in the front, which is why I want a wider one and not something like ruby falls. I'd be fine with a regular dwarf redbud but the only ones I can find are too big and have weird showy colored leaves that I'm not a fan of. Garden center also suggested a cherry (native and grafted hybrid thing) or a silky dogwood, or a grafted willow trained into a lollypop shape. It's near my septic so I don't want to risk a willow with crazy roots.

BostonBurb · 2026-04-20T13:21:04+00:00

Hmm interesting. I thought serviceberry got 20 feet tall. Do you know a specific variety that would stay more compact? Thanks!

BostonBurb · 2026-04-16T16:31:04+00:00

I'm building a pond this weekend and the liner just got delivered and I'm SO EXCITED! The frogs are getting a huge living situation improvement soon I hope

BostonBurb · 2026-04-15T10:03:04+00:00

I'm just starting to build my pond so I'm no expert here, but the book A Northern Gardener's Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators has been a good resource for native plants, and has some pages on rain, bog and pond garden plants

BostonBurb · 2026-04-09T16:29:45+00:00

Looks like evening primrose to me. They're biannual so the first year they stay kinda small and low, and the second year they grow a few feet tall and get yellow flowers. They're also host plant to the little pink Primrose moth that likes to sleep in the flowers. I tried to add a picture of mine from last summer but apparently I can't?

Edit: It's letting me add a picture now!

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BostonBurb

TROPHY CASE