Nasturtiums are one of the easiest annuals to grow from seed and once they germinate, they are carefree until frost. The big seeds look like bumpy brown peas, making them a good planting choice for beginning gardeners and children. Soaking the seeds overnight in warm water before planting makes them sprout faster. After all danger [Continue]
About this time last year I took a lackadaisical trip through the leftovers in the garden center at Fleet Farm. No matter how good the care given these plants, it is almost impossible to keep a flower in a tiny plastic pot looking good into July. Everything was pretty sad-looking. Then, the prettiest yellow flower [Continue]
When my father-in-law passed away in 1997, my husband’s co-workers gave us a nursery gift certificate. We chose a nice ‘Autumn Blaze’ maple and planted it in the back yard, a good distance from all the other trees. When Grandma Koch saw the new tree, she immediately said it was too close to a mature [Continue]
The International Herb Association has named horseradish its 2011 Herb of the Year. Wait – don’t stop reading because you don’t like horseradish – you’ll be surprised at the ways it can be used. More about that later. Horseradish is easy to grow. Typically, you’ll buy roots and plant them in early spring. It grows [Continue]
Some prescriptions come with a warning that you should stay out of the sun while taking the medication because the drug makes you more sensitive to sunburn. This is called photosensitivity or phototoxicity. There are plants in the wild and even in your own garden that you may inadvertently touch that do the same thing. [Continue]
We all hope for lush, healthy gardens, but sometimes feel that it is out of our control. It seems that insects and diseases randomly come out of nowhere to attack and kill our plants. But insects and diseases are not the primary cause of plant failure. They may be secondary causes, however, that come in [Continue]
Gardening books recommend planting peas “as soon as the soil can be worked.” But what does that mean? This week, many of our vegetable garden plots are still under water and it’s going to be quite a while before they dry out. Perhaps you are fortunate enough to have well-drained, sandier soil, or raised beds [Continue]
The Perennial Plant Association has named Amsonia hubrichtii (pronounced am-SO-nee-ah hew-BRIK-tee-eye) the perennial plant of the year for 2011. Its common names include Arkansas blue star, narrow leaf blue star and thread leaf blue star, giving a hint to its native range in Arkansas and Oklahoma and also a good description of its flowers and [Continue]
On St. Patrick’s Day, our thoughts turn to shamrocks and searches for lucky four-leaf clovers. You have to be pretty patient in your search though, since there is only one four-leaf clover for every ten-thousand three-leaf clovers. Irish legend has it that St. Patrick used the three-leaf clover to represent the Holy Trinity. [Continue]
When children learn to draw flowers, they usually first draw a daisy-like flower, a circle surrounded by petals. By second or third grade, they add the cup-shaped tulip to their drawing repertoire. Most people, even those who don’t know a lily from a lilac, recognize the tulip. It is the third most popular flower in [Continue]