Jim Bartz plants tomatoes in his rose garden. A narrow 18-inch strip of soil between his Town of Clayton home and his driveway holds shrub roses year round and during the summer months hosts several tomato varieties as well. The roses and tomatoes intertwine producing lovely blooms and delicious tomatoes. Gardeners often plant [Continue]
You’ve received a beautiful poinsettia for Christmas and you want to keep it looking nice as long as possible. Or you’ve decorated a small Norfolk Island Pine instead of a big Christmas tree this year and want to keep it as a houseplant after the decorations come off. What to do? Many gift [Continue]
October is the time to plant tulips and other bulbs. Then you wait, and wait, and wait, for April or May for them to bloom. What if you didn’t have to wait that long? What if you could have tulips and daffodils blooming in January or February and could enjoy them indoors? Well, you [Continue]
Most October yard and garden activities are enjoyable ones that ensure that next year’s gardening season will be a good one. This is the time to plant bulbs of tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and other early spring flowering plants. Plant bulbs 2 ½ times as deep as they are tall with the pointy [Continue]
A plant needs dividing if it has outgrown its intended spot or is encroaching on other plants, if it has lost vigor and flowers have become smaller or have stopped appearing altogether, or if the middle of the plant dies while the plant continues growing in a circle around the dead center. The [Continue]
Lavender is one of the sweetest of herbs. Besides being used in potpourris, perfumes and cooking, it is a lovely garden ornamental. We are about as far north as lavender can be grown but with a little care it does very well here. The most common type of lavender available in local [Continue]
Homeowners often have questions about what they see in and on their trees and wonder if they should be worried. Rotten areas on the bark are cause for concern. A rule of thumb is that if 50% or more of a branch or trunk is rotted, its strength is dangerously compromised. The branch or [Continue]
Fertilizer teas are easy to make and are as good for your garden’s health as the tea you drink is for yours. Fertilizer teas are used when planting or transplanting or any time the plants appear to need a boost. Some people use fertilizer teas every time they water. The only supplies needed [Continue]
You can still have a garden this year, although it may not turn out as you envisioned at the beginning of May. Many local gardens have been flooded and some haven’t even been planted yet because of wet soils. I planted my garden the first Saturday in June. It was too wet to till [Continue]
The question I’ve been asked most often since I became a Master Gardener is “Why won’t anything grow near my black walnut tree?” Black walnut trees release a chemical called juglone that can damage plants growing near them. Leaves yellow and wilt and sometimes the entire plant dies. Juglone is released from walnut [Continue]