Many people enjoy feeding wild birds in winter but have questions. What kind of birdseed is best? Will they eat homemade treats? Will the birds starve if the feeder isn’t filled for a few days? Different birds enjoy different types of bird seed, so the type you buy depends on what kind of [Continue]
Have you heard the saying, “Plant corn when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear?” Or “Plant peas when the forsythia blooms?” These are not just old wives’ tales or old farmers’ tales, as the case may be. The advice in these old saying is based on hundreds of years [Continue]
In real estate sales the buzzwords are “location, location, location” and the same is true for healthy houseplants. After over- and under-watering, improper amount of light is the next leading cause of failure of houseplants to thrive. Many of our indoor plants are tropical plants shipped from nurseries in Florida. They are accustomed [Continue]
Tourism officials in Vermont are concerned that the fall color the last four years has been less than spectacular, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in tourist spending. Many scientists are attributing the lack of vibrant leaf color to global warming. “Leaf peeping” isn’t quite as big a business here in Wisconsin, [Continue]
Garden supply stores have row upon row of handy tools for the gardener and mail order companies have whole catalogs of gardening tools. But if you need a tool to do something right now and don’t have the time or inclination to run to the store to buy it or to the internet to order [Continue]
Need a ground cover? A shrubby hedge? A small tree? There is a variety of cotoneaster (pronounced co-TO-ne-as-ter) that fits whatever your requirements. Cotoneasters are members of the rose family and are native to China. Some varieties may be evergreen in warmer climates, but they are deciduous in Wisconsin. Most of them have [Continue]
Do you routinely fertilize your lawn or garden? How do you know you are giving your plants the right kind or amount of fertilizer? You can save money, improve the health of your plants and protect the environment from fertilizer run-off by doing a soil test that will tell you exactly what your landscape [Continue]
Have some extra space in your yard? Elderberries are a great, easy shrub that will provide food for your table or for the birds. Both the flowers and the berries are useful. Flowers can be harvested to make an herbal tea believed to be a remedy for colds, fever and flu. You may [Continue]
Growing your own garlic is easy and there are many more varieties available for home gardeners than you will find in the supermarket. Garlic is best planted in the fall, right around the time tulip bulbs are planted, in mid-October. You may be confused about the various types of garlic. Here is a [Continue]
One of the many definitions of the word “herb” is “a useful plant.” It may be useful for culinary, medicinal, aromatic and/or craft purposes. Often an herb is valuable in more than one category. Herbs are generally grown more for these useful purposes than for their beauty, as they often lack the splashy splendor [Continue]