This is the busiest time of year for gardeners and everyone is looking for tips to make this year’s garden the best one ever. Here are a few things that have worked for me. If your soil is rock-hard clay like mine, it is very difficult to plant a row of seeds and cover them [Continue]
There are many ways to grow enough vegetables to feed a family and even a few flowers for the centerpiece in a very small area. The concept is called “intensive gardening.” One method of intensive gardening is called succession planting. In early spring, plant crops that like cool weather and are ready [Continue]
Gardeners have known for centuries that some plants grow better when certain other plants are growing nearby. Science has determined some of the basis for this, but many successful plant combinations still have no explanation. The practice of purposely placing two plants in close proximity for the benefit of one or both of them [Continue]
Just because you don’t have a vegetable garden doesn’t mean there is nothing to eat growing in your yard or flower garden. Most herbs have flowers that are edible, as do many pretty annuals and perennials. Fancy restaurants use colorful blossoms as garnishes and as flavoring ingredients in many dishes and you can [Continue]
Like many fads of the 1970s, terrariums are making a comeback. Today they are called glass gardens, and this time they are in country-style reincarnations using household containers, antiques and flea-market finds. You can use the old fish tank from the ‘70s or try something new – how about a glass water pitcher or [Continue]
About six weeks after I plant my vegetable garden in the spring, I usually get very discouraged because everyone else’s garden is doing better than mine. My garden soil is solid clay and takes a long time to dry out in spring and a longer time for the soil to warm up. Six weeks [Continue]
In Wisconsin, roses must be protected against not only low winter temperatures but also fluctuating temperatures and winter winds. Different types of insulators such as soil, cones, and mulch can provide the necessary protection. To protect roses using soil, mound soil 8-10 inches high around the base of the canes after the first [Continue]
October is the last busy month of the year in the garden. Bulbs of spring flowering plants such as tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths should be planted around October 15. The rule of thumb is to plant the top of the bulb 2 ½ times as deep as the bulb is tall. For example, [Continue]
Two types of plants are commonly referred to as geraniums. One, which is the true geranium, is really the cranesbill, a bushy long-lived perennial plant. The other is the red, pink or white-flowered plant seen everywhere in flower boxes and pots which is correctly called Pelargonium. There are five types of pelargonium: zonal, dwarf [Continue]
By mid-August, many gardens start to look a bit unkempt. With a little attention, your garden can be spruced up to carry on well into fall. Begin by cutting back the straggly flowering stems and seedheads from perennials and annuals that have finished blooming. Cut off any tattered or overgrown foliage. August is also [Continue]