The Radio Garden

The Radio Garden is a tiny plot in Felder's celebrated cottage garden that has "something done to it" every single week of the year - regardless of weather - to show that anyone can garden in a small space without working up a sweat. Along with selected seasonal annuals (antique and modern hybrid flowers, small-space vegetables and useful herbs), it includes hardy perennials, bulbs, and dwarf shrubs and antique roses. There is also a water feature, a large pot made from a tire, and night lighting. It is mostly natural, using compost, mostly organic fertilizers and no pesticides.  Visit every week to see what Felder is up to - that you can be doing in your own garden.  

This Week's Chore:

Middle of the winter, and the garden is still looking good - thanks to the cold-hardy plants I set out in the fall, and the tough dwarf shrubs that carry it through all seasons. This week I planted a "soapwort" plant (Saponaria), introduced by pioneers who used to to make a soapy lather that was much more gentle than the lye soap they used for washing clothes. Notice the new buds coming up at the soil line. I am including a photo of how it looks when blooming in the summer. 

The radio garden

Radio garden 1-17-08 (closeup)

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

planting saponaria - soapwort - in radio garden tire planter

planting saponaria - soapwort - in radio garden tire planter