Over the years I have tried not to duplicate topics and to always write a fresh article. It may have been on the same insect or disease, but from a different perspective — or, there was something new happening that year.
Over the years I have enjoyed meeting my readers. Your support has been phenomenal. Once email became mainstream, I started getting emails from you with questions and comments. I enjoy and appreciate these, even if I have not been able to respond to each one.
I love your feedback and comments. My favorite was when I wrote about how I deadhead all my coneflowers. That statement generated more email than any other. Several readers were not happy with the fact that I didn’t leave my coneflowers for the goldfinches.
I responded to you the next week, telling you why I deadhead my coneflowers. And also that I have sunflowers popping up everywhere in the garden the feed the finches. And that I have a quarter-acre prairie with coneflowers that I leave for the finches.
And that I spend a fortune each winter feeding those little buggers! Boy, do they eat a lot.
Much has changed over the years in terms of my gardening and my gardening habits — and I am sure yours have changed some as well.
The pests come and go — some years they are really bad and others you don’t even think about them.
That’s what I love about gardening and writing this column. There is always something new to learn or to share or to try in the garden.
I love hearing from readers and your experiences in your gardens and landscape. Keep the emails coming, please.
I hope you and your family have a happy holiday season and a wonderful start to the New Year! I will be back in January and thank you for being a loyal reader for all of these years!
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