Annual flowers bloom, set seed and die in one growing season. Perennial flowers live three, five or even thirty years. At first glance, it would seem that perennial plants are the way to go to save both the time of replanting each year and the money spent every year to purchase annuals. There [Continue]
Unless your landscape is very informal, it will look better with definite and neat edges between the lawn and the plantings. There are several ways to do this and they vary in cost, effectiveness and ease of installation. In our area of the country, the edgings that work the best are cut edges, [Continue]
Like every other pursuit, gardening has its own vocabulary. Here are a few definitions to help you understand what your gardening friends are talking about. Beneficial insects. These insects provide a service to the garden such as pollination or control of insect pests. Some beneficial insects are bees, wasps, moths, ladybugs, lacewings, dragonflies and [Continue]
Giving your houseplants a summer vacation outdoors will revitalize them with better air circulation, increased light and more humidity. Remember though, that the plants aren’t used to cool night time temperatures, hot sun and wind. So go easy and gradual. Wait until there is no chance of frost, and night time temperatures are [Continue]
Have you been experiencing sticker shock every time you go to the grocery store? Have you ever held off buying lettuce, spinach or tomatoes because of a scary news story about e-coli or salmonella? Have you read the articles attributing cancer, hormonal abnormalities and neurological disorders to pesticides and fertilizers? If any [Continue]
Winnebago County is being taken over by alien invaders! Invasive alien plants, that is. Take a walk along the Wiouwash Trail. Here you should see native prairies and forests since this land hasn’t been cultivated or disturbed for many years. What do you see instead? Wooded areas have been overgrown by buckthorn, wild grape [Continue]
The Perennial Plant Association has named Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ (golden hakone grass) its perennial plant of the year for 2009. It derives its name from “hakone” a region of Japan, and “chloa” the Greek word for grass. The Perennial Plant Association describes their choice: “Golden hakone grows 12-18 inches tall and 18-24 inches [Continue]
The International Herb Association has designated bay laurel as its 2009 Herb of the Year. Do you have a dusty 10-year-old jar of bay leaves in your spice cabinet? This is bay laurel, or Laurus nobilis. The Latin laurus means “laurel” and nobilis means “renowned.” The word laureate comes from laurus and means [Continue]
My dairy farmer neighbors sold their herd last June and have turned their attention to landscaping their farmyard. A year ago they hired a landscaping company who at great expense installed a small pond, put some plantings around it, planted a mis-labeled tree, and then went out of business. I’ve been asked to [Continue]
Does anyone grow turnips or rutabagas anymore? I recall references to turnips in the Grimm’s Fairy Tales book I read as a child and I remember my great-aunt in Michigan serving us rutabagas. Although I don’t know of anyone who grows either of these root crops today, I have to think that there are a [Continue]