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How to Repot an Orchid

January 19, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Today I want to show you how to repot an orchid. It pains me to imagine how many orchids I’ve killed through the years. When I was a busy banker, I truly thought orchids only bloomed once. After that, they were done.

Um, no. Like every living thing—a schnauzer puppy, a milkweed seedling, a carpet of lichen—if you learn what orchids like and treat them with a little TLC, not only will they re-bloom beautifully, but they will grow larger and thrive.

Crazy, I know.Continue Reading

10 Gifts for the Gardener – $25 and less

December 2, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

10 Gifts for the Gardener

Hey, hey! It’s Christmastime again…

Today I’m spotlighting 10 Gifts for the Gardeners in your life. And guess what? These 10 gifts won’t break our gardening budgets. Do we have gardening budgets? 🤔

December is here in all her lovely holiday glory. My goal is to keep Christmas simple. Any gift-giving I do will be small and likely purchased online. The past few years in our family, we’ve been celebrating the magic of stocking stuffers. It’s true—incredibly good things come in the smallest packages.

Almost everything on this list will fit in a stocking.

Most are offered by small, local businesses.

Nothing cost more than $25.Continue Reading

Milkweed During World War II

October 1, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Milkweed during WWII

Did you know milkweed was used during World War II? I learned this bit of American history by reading When Angels Rest, by Donald Harington, one of my favorite Arkansas authors. When Angels Rest is classified as literary fiction. When I read about the characters in the story collecting milkweed pods for the war effort, I suspected this must have been based on the truth even though I’d never heard about it. As a huge fan of milkweed—we grow several varieties for the monarchs— I dove down the rabbit hole, reading all about this piece of American history I’d never learned.Continue Reading

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Our Garden Mission Statement
  • Goodbye, 2025. Hello, 2026.
  • Sunday Letter: 11.23.25
  • Maggie and Miss Ladybug: My New Children’s Nature Book
  • Sunday Letter: November 9, 2025

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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