This Week in Gardening

This Week In Gardening (TWIG)

Our seasonal field report. Each week I share what we’re working on in the gardens – what matters now, what’s coming, and how to think about it. This is instructive, practical guidance rooted in real work. Read it, comment on it, ask questions about it. That’s what it’s there for.

Housekeeping [July 12, 2026]

Hello GARDEN CLUB Founding Members! Three months ago, you became GARDEN CLUB's founding members. You chose to join something that didn't yet really exist, and for that I am enormously grateful. At the outset of GARDEN CLUB, I wrote about the start of this venture being like moving into an empty ...

by Michael Ray Anderson — Jul 12, 2026 2026 garden club summer

OFF THIS WEEK! [July 5, 2026]

It’s the July 4th holiday weekend, and I’m taking a short break. The year is halfway over. We’ve reached the hinge point of the garden season, and GARDEN CLUB’s Founding Season is coming to a close on the 15th. Next week I’ll share some thoughts about GARDEN CLUB - where we are now, how things...

by Michael Ray Anderson — Jul 05, 2026 2026 summer

TICK. TOCK. Revisited. [June 28, 2026]

Summer officially arrived this week. The solstice has just passed. The days are still long, but now, just by moments a day, they are becoming shorter again. A few weeks ago I wrote that spring eventually stops asking ‘what am I going to do?’ and begins asking ‘how am I going to tend to what I'v...

by Michael Ray Anderson — Jul 05, 2026 2026 summer

TICK. TOCK. [June 28, 2026]

by Michael Ray Anderson — Jun 28, 2026 2026 summer

Heuchera [June 21, 2026]

This week for TWIG, I may be a little late in publishing, and bare bones in format. I'm on a long flight back from some days gardening in my project in Geneva, Switzerland, and navigating airline internet issues. Thanks for your patience with me and a TWIG written with my thumbs on my phone in th...

by Michael Ray Anderson — Jun 21, 2026 2026 summer

Elsewhere [June 14, 2026]

This week I am writing after returning from work on projects in Missouri and before heading to a garden in Geneva later next week. One of the interesting things about my long practice is how it has spread out over the years. Every so often I leave the gardens I get to spend practically weekly ti...

by Michael Ray Anderson — Jun 14, 2026 2026 dc gardens geneva missouri spring travel

Join the Conversation: How to Engage with the TWIG Community

Hello TWIG Community! This week, we're focusing on the power of conversation and how you can get more involved with our thriving community. We're excited to share some tips on how you can engage, connect, and grow with us. Engaging in Discussions Our community thrives on the insightful discussion...

by Garden Club Admin — Jun 13, 2026 2026 garden club mra spring

Decisions [June 7, 2026]

This week in gardening we are in the midst of the spring-to-summer transition. Memorial Day in the rear-view mirror, the Fourth of July on the near horizon. It is prime planting season. We are pruning fast-growing trees and shrubs after spring bloom, pinching and cutting back perennials, mowing ...

by Michael Ray Anderson — Jun 07, 2026 2026 summer

The Chelsea Chop [May 30]

The Chelsea Chop Around this time every year you might hear gardeners talking about ‘The Chelsea Chop’— a phrase that sounds like, what? A soccer move? A Brit punk band? It is actually quite a practical gardening technique cued to coincide with the renowned Chelsea Flower Show in England, whic...

by Michael Ray Anderson — May 31, 2026 2026 spring

Misinformation [May 23, 2026]

Misinformation This week I was out in the woodland section of one of the gardens - a steep slope falling away from the house that has been resigned to a quality of care we like to call 'managed neglect.' Not really visible from anywhere on the property, it holds a big messy productive compost pil...

by Michael Ray Anderson — May 24, 2026 2026 spring

Azalea Pruning [May 17, 2026]

Azalea Pruning For our TWIG topic this week, a more 'nuts and bolts' bulletin, I want to talk about azalea pruning and shearing. Across the mid-Atlantic, azaleas are cycling through to the end of their blooming season. We have had weeks of bloom, with early and mid-season varieties wrapping up ...

by Michael Ray Anderson — May 17, 2026 2026 spring

Demands and Decisions [May 10, 2026]

Demands and Decisions This week the garden feels a little disjointed to me. Or maybe more accurately, I feel disjointed in it. Early May has a way of producing demands faster than decisions can be made. Everything is emerging at once. Things that seemed fine a week ago suddenly require attention...

by Michael Ray Anderson — May 10, 2026 2026 spring

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This Week In Gardening (TWIG)

Our seasonal field report. Each week I share what we’re working on in the gardens – what matters now, what’s coming, and how to think about it. This is instructive, practical guidance rooted in real work. Read it, comment on it, ask questions about it. That’s what it’s there for.

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