Steve Bender

Steve Bender grew up in Lutherville, MD and was exiled to Alabama in 1983 for reasons that remain secret to this day. He loves fried okra and often selects dinner wine based on whether it goes well with fried okra. His mission is to make gardening uplifting, accessible, and inspirational to all. He will no doubt succeed. Follow him on Twitter: @grumpy-gardener. Also on Facebook: facebook.com/SLGrumpyGardener.

Recent Posts By Steve Bender

The Grumpy Gardener

Plant A Smaller Crepe Myrtle This Year

May 23, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (23)

Why do people murder crepe myrtles? No, it’s not too much Neanderthal DNA. It’s that the variety of crepe myrtle they planted got way too big. Here’s a guide to which crepe myrtles won’t outgrow your house or yard, so you won’t have to chop them grotesquely each year.

The Grumpy Gardener

Don’t Hate My Lawn! 5 Keys to Responsible Lawn Care

May 19, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (2)

Lawn lovers, we are victorious! Last week, we decisively proved that there are very good reasons to cherish our carpets of green! But with great power comes great responsibility. Here are five ways to become an environmentally sensitive lawn owner.

The Grumpy Gardener

Don’t Hate My Lawn! It’s A Good Thing

May 17, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (19)

Other than having the last name “Monsanto,” nothing is more likely to get you reviled in the blogosphere than to say you like lawns. It just isn’t PC, especially on the Left Coast. Grumpy doesn’t care. He LOVES lawns. And if you live where having a lawn makes sense, here is why you should love them too.

The Grumpy Gardener

Mulching 101 — Your Questions Answered

May 12, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (11)

Mulching may sound mundane, and doing it is even mundaner. But mulching the garden is one of the most essential ways to ensure its success, especially with the hot summer ahead. Therefore, let Grumpy guide you through all the in’s and out’s of mulching properly.

The Grumpy Gardener

Buy This Planter & Save Your Marriage!

May 9, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (1)

On five days a year – Christmas, Valentine’s, your anniversary, your spouse’s birthday, and Mother’s Day — men’s lives hang by the teeniest of threads. Forget a gift to mark the occasion and you’re deader than the market for rotary phones. Grumpy can’t help you with the first four days, but has a great idea for Mother’s Day — our […]

The Grumpy Gardener

Get Your Garden Ready for Summer!

May 5, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (3)

It may be snowing in Duluth and wintry in Wisconsin, but here in the South, it’s spring! Don’t you love it? Now is a great time to enjoy your cool-weather flowers, while also setting out plants for summer. And that’s just what Grumpy has been doing.

The Grumpy Gardener

Alas! The Bandit Squirrel

May 2, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (10)

It’s no secret that Grumpy hates pesky, good-for-nothing, freeloading squirrels. And I know that you do too. With our common disgust in mind, let’s enjoy this clever squirrel poem sent in by reader Susanne Bunch.

The Grumpy Gardener

Fringe Tree — The Best Native Tree Nobody Grows

April 28, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (10)

You’d think a small, native tree with pretty spring flowers and pretty fall foliage that’s easier-than-pie to grow would be a staple in our gardens. You’d be wrong. So let me tell you about fringe tree.

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How To Grow Azaleas

April 25, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (5)

An obscure federal law passed in 1803 states that all homeowners where azaleas will grow must plant azaleas. Because Americans by and large obey the law, if you drive down any street in April and May, it’s hard to find one house without azaleas. Therefore, Grumpy feels duty-bound to tell you how grow these colorful bushes, so you will not […]

The Grumpy Gardener

Is Knockout Rose Down for the Count?

April 21, 2013 | By Steve Bender | Comments (18)

Introduced in 2000, ‘Knockout’ rose quickly became the best-selling landscape plant in the country. It had everything — showy, continuous blooms; compact growth habit; tough-as-nails constitution; and, best of all, no need to spray for black spot disease. But now, nature has tossed green kryptonite into Superman’s garden. And ‘Knockout’ rose may just get its bell rung.

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